Primary Dysmenorrhea Severity in Athletic vs. Non-Athletic Females

"Comparison of the Severity of Primary Dysmenorrhea Between Athletic and Non-Athletic Females: A Cross-Sectional Study" Comparison of the Severity of Primary Dysmenorrhea Between Athletic and Non-Athletic Females: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The aim of the study is to investigate the difference in the severity of primary dysmenorrhea between athletic and non-athletic females.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Primary Dysmenorrhea
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: no intervention it is considered (Epidemiological Study)

Detailed Description

Primary dysmenorrhea is defined as colic pain in the lower abdomen which starts with the onset of menstruation. It is one of the most common gynecological disorders, an important cause of morbidity, and the most common cause of pelvic pain in menstruating girls and women it affects women in any age group. The prevalence varies widely, ranging from 17% to as high as 91%. Between 16% to 29% of women with dysmenorrhea have significant impairment in quality of life and the women's well-being. The rate of absenteeism from school, work, or other activities represents up to 15% of women with dysmenorrhea, dysmenorrhea is considered a source of considerable economic losses due to the costs of medications, medical care, and decreased productivity. Yoga, pilates, stretching, and other types of exercises have a noticeable effect on decreasing pain, and improving general health, and quality of sleep with different health conditions including primary dysmenorrhea. In addition, exercise and physical activity are used widely and proven to not only decrease pain but also improve quality of life, decrease stress, improve mental health, and in management of depression and stress.

For dysmenorrhea the mechanism that explained the effect of exercises on primary dysmenorrhea has been classified according to the intensity of the exercises; moderate -high-intensity exercise was believed to increase the anti-inflammatory cytokines, decrease the overall amount of prostaglandins released because of the decrease of the overall amount of menstrual flow. Low-intensity exercise reduces cortisol levels and prostaglandin synthesis

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 628

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Egypt
  • Cairo, Egypt
    • Khloud Ramadan Abd El- Fatah

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The athletic group will be selected from different clubs in Egypt for example; Benha, Tanta, Maadi, and Wadi-Degla clubs.

Non- athletic will be selected from females and their their accompanying individuals

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Common inclusion criteria for athletic and non-athletic female.

  1. They had a regular menstrual cycle with a menstrual cycle length of 21-30 days.
  2. All females were virgins.
  3. Their ages ranged from 18 to 28 years old.
  4. Their BMI was ranged from 18.5 -29,9 kg/m2
  5. They did not use any pharmacological therapies for controlling pain during menstruation and during the application of the study.

Inclusion criteria athletic female:

1. They participated in the exercise for the last ≥ 6 months.
2. They did exercises for ≥ 3 days/ week.
3. They practiced (swimming, basketball, volleyball, ballet, gymnastics, judo, wrestling, karate, and boxing).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. History of pelvic pathology or any gynecological disease.
2. They had a history of chronic illness (eg: diabetes).
3. Their symptoms of dysmenorrhea became worse over time

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Athletic Group; athletic females complaining of primary dysmenorrhea, they participated in the exercise for the last ≥ 6 months, did exercises for ≥ 3 days/ week, and practiced (swimming, basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, judo, wrestling, karate, and boxing.	Other: no intervention it is considered (Epidemiological Study); It was a survey used Visual Analog Scale and WaLIDD scale to measure the severity of primary dysmenorrhea between both groups
Non-Athletic Group; Non-athletic females complaining form primary dysmenorrhea who are have not participated in any physical activity before	Other: no intervention it is considered (Epidemiological Study); It was a survey used Visual Analog Scale and WaLIDD scale to measure the severity of primary dysmenorrhea between both groups

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Visual Analogue Scale	The scale that will be used the VAS ;each subject will instructed to put point on line from no pain to tolerable pain	Data will be collected at a single time point, which is the baseline assessment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Working ability, location, Intensity, Disability Dysmenorrhea scale.	measuring a combination of manifestations: subjective (intensity /Wong-Baker, work ability) and objective (days of pain, location). In which each aspect of scale are rated from 0 to 3. 0 indicate no dysmenorrhea, 1-4 mild dysmenorrhea, 5-7 moderate dysmenorrhea, 8-12 sever dysmenorrhea.	Data will be collected at a single time point, which is the baseline assessment

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Cairo University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 21, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): October 3, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 4, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 4, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): October 10, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 16, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 12, 2023
• Last Verified: October 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Menstruation Disturbances; Pelvic Pain; Dysmenorrhea
• Other Study ID Numbers: P.T.REC/012/004091

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No