Prevalence and Impact of Dysmenorrhea Among University Students in Ireland

Abstract

Objective Primary dysmenorrhea (PD), or painful menstruation, is a common gynaecological condition that can cause intense pain and functional disability in women of reproductive age. As a non-malignant condition, PD is relatively under-studied and poorly managed. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and impact of PD among third-level students in Ireland. Design Cross-sectional observational study. Methods Students (N = 892; age range = 18–45) completed an online survey on menstrual pain characteristics, pain management strategies, pain interference, and pain catastrophizing. Results The prevalence of PD was 91.5% (95% Confidence Interval = 89.67–93.33). Non-pharmacological management strategies were most popular (95.1%); of these, heat application (79%), rest (60.4%), hot shower/bath (40.9%), and exercise (25.7%) were most common. Perceived effectiveness of these methods varied between participants. Analgesic use was also common (79.5%); of these, paracetamol was most used (60.5%) despite limited perceived effectiveness. Pain catastrophizing was a significant predictor of variance in both pain intensity and pain interference scores such that those with higher pain catastrophizing scores reported more intense pain and greater interference with daily activities and academic demands. Conclusions This article presents the first investigation into PD among third-level students in Ireland. Poorly managed menstrual pain may impact functional ability across several domains. Future research should focus on improving menstrual pain management education and support, and promoting menstrual health literacy for women affected by PD.

Patterns of Dysmenorrhea and Self-management Strategies among University Students

“…11,15,21,22 Lack of knowledge about the disease pathology, feeling of shyness, peer influence, and inadequate access to medical facilities are important factors. 24 Therefore, the students keep on tolerating the symptoms or try to self-manage their pain symptomatically without seeking medical advice. 16…”

Menstruation, Hygiene Practice and Menstrual Distress in Female Undergraduate Students

“…In addition, V (Water retention), VI (negative feelings) were higher before menstruation than after menstruation. Approximately two weeks before menstruation, a variety of physical and psychological symptoms emerge, which have the potential to negatively affect the quality of life (Durand et al, 2021). Health education for self-care behaviour is, therefore, needed as an intervention to maintain the quality of life due to the stress of menstruation-associated symptoms (Anikwe et al, 2020).…”

Ethnopharmacological Survey of Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacy Prescriptions for Dysmenorrhea

“…Dysmenorrhea can be classified as primary and secondary dysmenorrhea, with the former defined as pain occurring with menses in the absence of pelvic pathology, and the latter as menstrual pain associated with underlying pelvic pathology, such as endometriosis (Burnett and Lemyre, 2017). It is a common condition among women of reproductive age, and the severe pain experienced by dysmenorrhea sufferers often causes interference with daily and educational activities (Durand et al, 2021). A review of relevant literature published between 1944 and 2015 revealed that primary dysmenorrhea affects 45-95% of menstruating women worldwide (Iacovides et al, 2015).…”

“…A review of relevant literature published between 1944 and 2015 revealed that primary dysmenorrhea affects 45-95% of menstruating women worldwide (Iacovides et al, 2015). Other studies have shown prevalence rates of 74-94% in European countries (Abreu-Sánchez et al, 2020;Barcikowska et al, 2020;Durand et al, 2021), 72.1% among young Asian women (Abubakar et al, 2020), and 65.3% in Taiwan (Yeh et al, 2019).…”

“…Surgical management is indicated for secondary dysmenorrhea, and it involves open or laparoscopic surgery for eliminating pelvic pathology after a confirmed diagnosis has been made by pelvic ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cystoscopy, or colonoscopy (Burnett and Lemyre, 2017). Complementary and alternative therapy is the most popular form of therapy among women with dysmenorrhea, with up to 95.1% of dysmenorrhea sufferers adopting non-pharmacological and non-surgical methods, such as heat application, hot shower/bath, exercise (Durand et al, 2021), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, acupuncture and acupressure, behavioral interventions, and dietary supplements (Burnett and Lemyre, 2017).…”