Prevalence, risk factors, and management practices of primary dysmenorrhea among young females

Abstract

Background Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is one of the most common gynecological conditions among young females, which has a significant negative impact on health-related quality of life and productivity. Despite its high prevalence, the evidence is limited regarding the management-seeking practices and its perceived effectiveness among females with PD. Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 550 female students in six universities across Lebanon. The prevalence of PD, associated risk factors, and management-seeking practices were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Results The prevalence of PD was 80.9%. Most of the females with PD described their menstrual pain as moderate (56%) to severe (34.6%), which significantly affected their daily activities and studying ability (P < 0.001). The major risk factors associated with PD included heavy menstrual flow (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 10.28), family history of PD (AOR = 2.52), history of weight loss attempt (AOR = 2.05), and medical specialization (AOR = 1.663). Only 36.9% of females with PD sought formal medical advice. Most dysmenorrheic females (76.4%) received medications for the management of PD, and remarkably none of them took hormonal contraceptives. Drugs commonly used for PD were mefenamic acid (26.2%), ibuprofen (25%), and paracetamol (11.5%), which were administered when the pain started (58.2%). All medications were significantly effective in reducing the pain score (P = 0.001), and most NSAIDs were more potent than paracetamol in managing PD (P = 0.001). However, no significant difference in adverse effects among medications was revealed. Moreover, no superiority of any individual NSAID for pain relief was established. Nevertheless, mefenamic acid was associated with the lowest risk of abdominal pain (OR: 0.03, P = 0.005) and the highest risk of flank pain (OR = 12, P = 0.02). Conclusions Suboptimal management of PD is practiced among university students in Lebanon. Therefore, health care providers should educate dysmenorrheic females to optimize the self-management support of PD. Furthermore, future research is required to investigate females’ misconceptions about hormonal contraceptives in the management of PD, aiming to raise awareness and correct misconceptions.

Assessing the pharmaceutical care provision to suspected COVID-19 patients in community pharmacies: a simulated patient study

“…Inappropriate counseling can be viewed as an ethical dispute, where some pharmacists demonstrate their preference for financial gain while violating the patient’s beneficence. This malpractice possesses significant consequences on the patient’s health, profession, reputation, and also the healthcare system [ 44 , 45 ]. Studies have shown that pharmacists, who provided quality pharmaceutical services, had clarified the misunderstandings about COVID-19, improved patient’s health outcomes, reduced the risk for severe disease, prevented virus transmission, and subsequently decreased healthcare expenditures [ 34 , 46 ].…”

Risk of Ischemic Heart Disease Associated with Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study

“…An earlier review reported the prevalence of dysmenorrhea varying between 67% and 90% in women 17–24 years old [ 20 ]. The high prevalence of PD was also found in female students [ 21 , 22 ]. The MDOT study revealed an up to 93% prevalence rate of PD in Australian senior high school girls [ 21 ], while over 80% universities girl students were reported with PD in Lebanon [ 22 ].…”

A Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome Classification Model Based on Cross-Feature Generation by Convolution Neural Network: Model Development and Validation

“…According to the presence or absence of pathological pelvic diseases, dysmenorrhea can be divided into primary dysmenorrhea and secondary dysmenorrhea [ 29 ]. At present, the main treatment of dysmenorrhea is nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or oral contraceptives; however, these medicines exert adverse effects on metabolism and the digestive system [ 30 ]. TCM has proven to be associated with fewer adverse effects and to have a more remarkable curative effect on dysmenorrhea [ 31 , 32 ].…”