Prevalence, impact, and management perception of dysmenorrhea among university students: A cross-sectional study

Ali, Amena; Ali, Abuzer; Alotaibi, Najla Salman; Alsufyani, Munirah Salem; Alotaibi, Amjad Jaman; Almutairi, Misbah Musaad; Eldalo, Ahmed Salah

doi:10.1590/s2175-97902022e20458

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Brasil

Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

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Article • Braz. J. Pharm. Sci. 58 • 2022 • https://doi.org/10.1590/s2175-97902022e20458 copy

Prevalence, impact, and management perception of dysmenorrhea among university students: A cross-sectional study

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

Dysmenorrhea is a common condition among females that is characterized by painful cramps before or during menstruation. It is considered as a common gynecological complaint that affects the quality of women’s life. The study evaluated prevalence of dysmenorrhea, its impact, associated risk factors, and the management strategies adopted by female university students in Taif city, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 562 female students aged 18-30 years at the university level. The results showed a high prevalence rate of dysmenorrhea (79.4%) among the students. The most common risk factors were family history (87.4%) and length of menstruation (79%). Half (50.2%) of the respondents were absent at the university at least 1 day every month. The most widely used medications by the respondents were ibuprofen (42%) and paracetamol (40%), whereas only 3% used mefenamic acid, despite that they experienced complete pain relief with mefenamic acid. High prevalence rate of dysmenorrhea associated with risk factors such as family history and length of menstruation, was found among university students. However, pain and associated symptoms affect the quality of life.

Keywords:
Dysmenorrhea; Menstruation; Prevalence; Management; Ibuprofen; Paracetamol

Characteristics	Category	Total	Students with dysmenorrhea	Students without dysmenorrhea	p-value
Age (in years)	<20	127 (22.6%)	101 (79.5%)	26 (20.6%)	0.401
	20-25	421 (74.9%)	336 (75.3%)	85 (20.2%)
	>25	14 (2.5%)	9 (64.3%)	5 (35.7%)
Marital status	Single	497 (88.4%)	399 (80.3%)	98 (19.7%)	0.235
	Married	57 (10.1%)	42 (73.7%)	15 (26.3%)
	Divorced	8 (1.4%)	5 (62.5%)	3 (37.5%)
Use of oral contraceptives	Yes	18 (3.2%)	13 (72.2%)	5 (27.8%)	0.865
	No	39 (6.9%)	29 (74.4%)	10 (25.6%)	0.865
	Yes	32 (5.7%)	20 (62.5%)	12 (37.5%)	0.030
	No	25 (4.4%)	22 (88.0%)	3 (12.0%)	0.030
Age at menarche (years)	<11	42 (7.5%)	32 (76.2%)	10 (23.8%)	0.856
	11-15	449 (79.9%)	358 (79.7%)	91 (20.3%)
	>15	71 (12.6%)	56 (78.9%)	15 (21.1%)
Number of days of menstruation	1-3	23 (4.1%)	12 (52.2%)	11 (47.8%)	0.006
	4-6	371 (66.0%)	293 (79.0%)	78 (21%)
	7-9	164 (29.2%)	137 (83.5%)	27 (16.5%)
	> 9	4 (0.7%)	4 (100.0%)	0
Regularity of the menstrual cycle	Regular	385 (68.5%)	297 (77.1%)	88 (22.9%)	0.056
Regularity of the menstrual cycle	Irregular	177 (31.5%)	149 (84.2%)	28 (15.8%)	0.056
Family history of dysmenorrhea	Yes	341 (60.7%)	298 (87.4%)	43 (12.6%)	< 0.001
Family history of dysmenorrhea	No	221 (39.3%)	148 (67.0%)	73 (33.0%)	< 0.001

Variables	Category	Total	Students		p-value
Variables	Category	Total	Medical	Non-medical	p-value
Definition of dysmenorrhea	Agree	471 (83.8%)	157 (87.7%)	314 (82.0%)	0.158
	Don't agree	63 (11.2%)	17 (9.5%)	46 (12.0%)
	Don't know	28 (5.0%)	5 (2.8%)	23 (6.0%)
Younger female suffers from dysmenorrhea more than older ones	Agree	341 (60.7%)	94 (52.5%)	247 (64.5%)	0.022
	Don't agree	111 (19.8%)	41 (22.9%)	70 (18.3%)
	Don't know	110 (19.6%)	44 (24.6%)	66 (17.2%)
Dysmenorrhea disappears or decreases after delivery	Agree	157 (27.9%)	47 (26.3%)	110 (28.7%)	0.626
	Don't agree	77 (13.7%)	28 (15.6%)	49 (12.8%)
	Don't know	328 (58.4%)	104 (58.1%)	224 (58.5%)
Dysmenorrhea is the main cause of absenteeism from University	Agree	431 (76.7%)	129 (72.1%)	302 (78.9%)	0.002
	Don't agree	60 (10.7%)	31 (17.3%)	29 (7.6%)
	Don't know	71 (12.6%)	19 (10.6%)	52 (13.6%)
Dysmenorrhea affects the psychology of girls	Agree	489 (87.0%)	162 (90.5%)	327 (85.4%)	0.085
	Don't agree	23 (4.1%)	8 (4.5%)	15 (3.9%)
	Don't know	50 (8.9%)	9 (5.0%)	41 (10.7%)
Dysmenorrhea can be treated without medications	Agree	332 (59.1%)	116 (64.8%)	216 (56.4%)	0.152
	Don't agree	125 (22.2%)	36 (20.1%)	89 (23.2%)
	Don't know	105 (18.7%)	27 (15.1%)	78 (20.4%)
Dysmenorrhea can only be treated with medications	Agree	164 (29.2%)	44 (24.6%)	120 (31.3%)	0.053
	Don't agree	291 (51.8%)	106 (59.2%)	185 (48.3%)
	Don't know	107 (19.0%)	29 (16.2%)	78 (20.4%)

Variables	Category	Severity of dysmenorrhea			p-value
Variables	Category	Mild	Moderate	Severe	p-value
Days of absence	1	39 (62.9%)	167 (63.5%)	76 (62.8%)	0.003
	2-4	8 (12.9%)	59 (22.4%)	37 (30.6%)
	Never	15 (24.2%)	37 (14.1%)	8 (6.6%)
Hinder daily activities	Yes, totally	17 (27.4%)	124 (47.1%)	90 (74.4%)	< 0.001
	To some extent	42 (67.7%)	132 (50.2%)	31 (25.6%)
	Not affected	3 (4.8%)	7 (2.7%)	0
Suffering from dysmenorrhea symptoms	Always	13 (21.0%)	131 (49.4%)	101 (83.5%)	< 0.001
Suffering from dysmenorrhea symptoms	Sometimes	49 (79.0%)	132 (50.2%)	20 (16.5%)	< 0.001
Time of dysmenorrhea symptoms	Before	43 (69.4%)	192 (73.0%)	94 (77.7%)	0.456
	During	47 (75.8%)	218 (82.9%)	110 (90.9%)	0.021
	After	0	14 (5.3%)	4 (3.3%)	0.135
Using medications	Yes	36 (58.1%)	161 (61.2%)	89 (73.6%)	0.033
Using medications	No	26 (41.9%)	102 (38.8%)	32 (26.4%)	0.033

Drugs	Pain status			p -value
Drugs	Complete relieving	Slight relieving	Never	p -value
Paracetamol	40 (34.8%)	75 (65.2%)	0	0.040
Ibuprofen	43 (35.8%)	76 (63.3%)	1 (0.8%)
Diclofenac	4 (33.3%)	8 (66.7%)	0
Mefenamic acid	5 (71.4%)	1 (14.3%)	1 (14.3%)
Hyoscine-N-butylbromide	1 (14.3%)	6 (85.7%)	0
Others	9 (37.5%)	15 (62.5%)	0

Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, n. 580, 05508-000 S. Paulo/SP Brasil, Tel.: (55 11) 3091-3824 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: bjps@usp.br

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[1] *Correspondence: Amena Ali. College of Pharmacy. Taif University. P.O. Box 11099, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia. Phone: +966592899232. E-mail: amrathore@tu.edu.sa; amenaibraheem1@gmail.com.