Abstract :
Background: Iron requirements are increased in adolescent girls with growth and the onset of menarche and remain high
in women until menopause. Methods: We conducted a study on two study groups of girls in age group 18-25 years
belonging to different socioeconomic classes as per the Modified Kuppuswamy’s Scale to study the effect of the phases of
menstrual cycle & socioeconomic class on the iron status indicators (Hb, Serum Iron, TIBC, MCV & TS%).Menstrual
phases were defined and blood samples were drawn from all the girls in all the 3 phases (menstrual, follicular & luteal) and
Hb, Serum iron & Total iron binding capacity were assessed on a semi-auto-analyzer & MCV was estimated using a fully
automated CBC machine. Transferrin Saturation was derived as Serum Iron / TIBC × 100. Results: We found significant
(p< 0.01) difference in iron status indicators in both our groups, the values of iron status indicators varied significantly
according to the menstrual cycle, with values highest during the luteal phase and lowest during the menstrual phase. From
our observations we can conclude that the nutritional status (assessed by the height, weight & BMI) and the iron status
indicators both differ significantly in the two age-matched comparable socio-economic groups. Conclusion: socioeconomic
class has a major determining role on an individual’s health. The effect of hormonal fluctuations during the
menstrual cycle also has a part to play in the variation of iron status measures, which has to be considered while
measuring them in a female during her reproductive years.
Keyword :
Iron status indicators(ISI), Menstrual Cycle, Socioeconomic Status(SES).