BMJ 1995;311:1503 (2 December)

Letters

Significant social class gradient in menstrual disorders

EDITOR,--Diana Kuh and Susan Stirling report significant educational gradients for risk of admission for diseases of the female genital system and breast, and in particular for menstrual disorders: 1% of highly educated women were admitted to hospital for menstrual problems compared with 19% of those with minimal qualifications.1 Social gradients were also observed for hysterectomies

and dilatation andcurettage: 37% and 44% of these procedures, respectively, were related to menstrual problems. The authors refer to a slight increase in rates of hysterectomy since the 1970s. They were unable, however, to establish whether increased risks of admission and surgery among less educated women and women of lower social class reflected the prevalence of disease or a different pattern of primary and secondary care.

Evidence for social differences in menstrual disorders, not affected by use of health services, is available from the 1958 British birth cohort study (table). At age 33, women reported . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Socioeconomic variation in admission for diseases of female genital system and breast in a national cohort aged 15-43
Diana Kuh and Susan Stirling
BMJ 1995 311: 840-843. [Abstract] [Full Text]

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