An Analysis of the Relationship Between Diet and Reproductive Function of Premenopausal and Menopausal Women in University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus

Women experience many physiological and psychological changes during menopausal transition and afterwards. These changes, with or without some socio-demographic and environmental factors are likely to influence the nutritional needs and habits of women, which in turn could affect their reproductive functions. This study analyzed the effects of diet on the reproductive function of pre-menopausal and menopausal women in the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. Using a cross-sectional analytical design, this study included 96 women (48 menopausal and 48 pre-menopausal) who were grouped as premenopausal women (those that have their regular menstrual cycles and those already experiencing irregular menstrual cycles) and menopausal women (those with last menstrual period dating a year before survey). Nutritional status, reproductive parameters (menstrual cycle regularity, basal body temperature, menarcheal age and Length of menstrual bleeding), menopausal information, demographics, lifestyle, socioeconomic and environmental data were collected from respondents using a pre-tested structured interviewer-administered questionnaire while BBT and anthropometric data were gotten from measurements taken by the interviewer. The data collected were analyzed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics like SPSS and Microsoft excel. The mean age in years of pre-menopausal and menopausal women in the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus according to this study were 26.6±5.9years and 50.6±6 years (p