Menstrual irregularity in female military cadets: comparison of data utilizing short-term and long-term recall.

Study Objectives: (1) To assess menstrual function in freshman cadets at a structured, rigorous military college utilizing a weekly e-mail questionnaire, (2) to compare these results to longer-term recall results from written questionnaires completed at the start and end of the same year, and (3) to determine if a relationship exists between personality attributes and menstrual regularity in this setting.

Design, Setting, Participants: A questionnaire developed by the investigators about menstrual function was distributed weekly via e-mail and completed satisfactorily by 116 female freshman at the United States Military Academy (USMA), class of 1995. These data were compared to questionnaires completed by this same cohort at the start and end of the year, as well as to personality questionnaires distributed to some of these cadets as part of a larger study.