Management of Primary Dysmenorrhea among University Students in the South of Spain and Family Influence

María Laura Parra-Fernández, María Dolores Onieva-Zafra, Ana Abreu-Sánchez, Juan Diego Ramos-Pichardo, María Teresa Iglesias-López, Elia Fernández-Martínez, María Laura Parra-Fernández, María Dolores Onieva-Zafra, Ana Abreu-Sánchez, Juan Diego Ramos-Pichardo, María Teresa Iglesias-López, Elia Fernández-Martínez

Abstract

The present study analyses the management of primary dysmenorrhea by university students in the south of Spain. In this cross-sectional observational study, 224 women participated, using an ad hoc self-report questionnaire about menstrual pain and self-care and including sociodemographic and gynecological variables. Some 76.8% of participants consumed analgesics and the majority self-medicated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) without consulting a health professional, with a correlation between pain intensity and the number of pills ingested during menstruation (r = 0.151, p < 0.05). The higher proportion of women who found their analgesia effective were those who took medication after being prescribed by a health care provider (60.8%) compared to those who self-medicated (40%; p < 0.01). Only 43.8% employed non-pharmaceutical methods, most commonly antalgic positions, massages and local heat. These choices were not related to the intensity of menstrual pain nor with the severity of the dysmenorrhea, nor did these most common methods prove to be the most effective. However, a higher percentage of women using non-pharmacological methods was identified in women with family members suffering from dysmenorrhea (73.2%) compared to those without (60%; p = 0.040), which may indicate that the choice of remedies is more related to learning self-care in the family context. This study identifies the need for education on self-care and management of menstrual pain.

Keywords: dysmenorrhea; menstrual pain; self-care.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Iacovides S., Avidon I., Baker F.C. What we know about primary dysmenorrhea today: A critical review. Hum. Reprod. Update. 2015;21:762–778. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dmv039.
    1. Coco Andrews S Primary Dysmenorrhea. Am. Fam. Physician. 1999;60:489–496.
    1. Fajrin I., Alam G., Usman A.N. Prostaglandin level of primary dysmenorrhea pain sufferers. Enferm. Clin. 2020;30:5–9. doi: 10.1016/j.enfcli.2019.07.016.
    1. Harel Z. Dysmenorrhea in adolescents and young adults: An update on pharmacological treatments and management strategies. Expert Opin. Pharmacother. 2012;13:2157–2170. doi: 10.1517/14656566.2012.725045.
    1. Ortiz M.I. Primary dysmenorrhea among Mexican university students: Prevalence, impact and treatment. Eur. J. Obstet. Gynecol. Reprod. Biol. 2010;152:73–77. doi: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2010.04.015.
    1. Habibi N., Huang M.S.L., Gan W.Y., Zulida R., Safavi S.M. Prevalence of Primary Dysmenorrhea and Factors Associated with Its Intensity Among Undergraduate Students: A Cross-Sectional Study. Pain Manag. Nurs. 2015;16:855–861. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2015.07.001.
    1. Hailemeskel S., Demissie A., Assefa N. Primary dysmenorrhea magnitude, associated risk factors, and its effect on academic performance: Evidence from female university students in Ethiopia. Int. J. Womens. Health. 2016;8:489–496.
    1. De Sanctis V., Soliman A.T., Elsedfy H., Soliman N.A., Elalaily R., El Kholy M. Dysmenorrhea in adolescents and young adults: A review in different countries. Acta Biomed. 2016;87:233–246.
    1. Gómez-Escalonilla Lorenzo B., Rodríguez Guardia Á., Marroyo Gordo J.M., Mozas Lillo R. de las Frecuencia y características de la dismenorrea en mujeres de la zona de salud de Torrijos (Toledo) Enferm. Clin. 2010;20:32–35. doi: 10.1016/j.enfcli.2009.09.001.
    1. Larroy C., Crespo M., Meseguer C. Dismenorrea funcional en la Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid: Estudio de la prevalencia en función de la edad; Rev. Soc. Esp. Dolor. 2001;8:11–22.
    1. Fernández-Martínez E., Onieva-Zafra M.D., Parra-Fernández M.L. Lifestyle and prevalence of dysmenorrhea among Spanish female university students. PLoS One. 2018;13:e0201894. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201894.
    1. Fernández-Martínez E., Onieva-Zafra M.D., Parra-Fernández M.L. The Impact of Dysmenorrhea on Quality of Life Among Spanish Female University Students. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2019;16:713. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16050713.
    1. Potur D.C., Bilgin N.C., Komurcu N. Prevalence of dysmenorrhea in university students in Turkey: Effect on daily activities and evaluation of different pain management methods. Pain Manag. Nurs. 2014;15:768–777. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2013.07.012.
    1. Armour M., Parry K., Al-Dabbas M.A., Curry C., Holmes K., MacMillan F., Ferfolja T., Smith C.A. Self-care strategies and sources of knowledge on menstruation in 12,526 young women with dysmenorrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2019;14:e0220103. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220103.
    1. Chia C.F., Lai J.H.Y., Cheung P.K., Kwong L.T., Lau F.P.M., Leung K.H., Leung M.T., Wong F.C.H., Ngu S.F. Dysmenorrhoea among Hong Kong university students: Prevalence, impact, and management. Hong Kong Med. J. 2013;19:222–228. doi: 10.12809/hkmj133807.
    1. Nie W., Xu P., Hao C., Chen Y., Yin Y., Wang L. Efficacy and safety of over-the-counter analgesics for primary dysmenorrhea A network meta-analysis. Medicine (United States) 2020;99
    1. Sugumar R., Krishnaiah V., Channaveera G.S., Mruthyunjaya S. Comparison of the pattern, efficacy, and tolerability of self-medicated drugs in primary dysmenorrhea: A questionnaire based survey. Indian J. Pharmacol. 2013;45:180–183. doi: 10.4103/0253-7613.108312.
    1. Moreira de Barros G.A., Calonego M.A.M., Mendes R.F., Castro R.A.M., Faria J.F.G., Trivellato S.A., Cavalcante R.S., Fukushima F.B., Dias A. The use of analgesics and risk of self-medication in an urban population sample: Cross-sectional study. Braz. J. Anesthesiol. 2019;69:529–536. doi: 10.1016/j.bjan.2019.09.005.
    1. Hersh E.V., Pinto A., Moore P.A. Adverse drug interactions involving common prescription and over-the-counter analgesic agents. Clin. Ther. 2007;29:2477–2497. doi: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2007.12.003.
    1. Bjarnason I. Gastrointestinal safety of NSAIDs and over-the-counter analgesics. Int. J. Clin. Pract. 2013;67:37–42. doi: 10.1111/ijcp.12048.
    1. Gama A.S.M., Secoli S.R. Automedicação em estudantes de enfermagem do Estado do Amazonas – Brasil. Rev. Gauch. Enferm. 2017;38:e65111. doi: 10.1590/1983-1447.2017.01.65111.
    1. Osayande A.S., Mehulic S. Diagnosis and initial management of dysmenorrhea. Am. Fam. Physician. 2014;89:341–346.
    1. Bernardi M., Lazzeri L., Perelli F., Reis F.M., Petraglia F., Bernardi M., Lazzeri L., Perelli F., Reis F.M. Dysmenorrhea and related disorders. F1000Research. 2017;6:1645. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.11682.1.
    1. Armour M., Smith C.A., Steel K.A., MacMillan F. The effectiveness of self-care and lifestyle interventions in primary dysmenorrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complement. Altern. Med. 2019;19 doi: 10.1186/s12906-019-2433-8.
    1. Kim S.D. Yoga for menstrual pain in primary dysmenorrhea: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complement. Ther. Clin. Pract. 2019;36:94–99. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2019.06.006.
    1. Carroquino-Garcia P., Jiménez-Rejano J.J., Medrano-Sanchez E., De La Casa-Almeida M., Diaz-Mohedo E., Suarez-Serrano C. Therapeutic Exercise in the Treatment of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Phys. Ther. 2019;99:1371–1380. doi: 10.1093/ptj/pzz101.
    1. Oladosu F.A., Tu F.F., Hellman K.M. Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug resistance in dysmenorrhea: Epidemiology, causes, and treatment. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 2018;218:390–400. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2017.08.108.
    1. Kamel D., Tantawy S., Abdelsamea G. Experience of dysmenorrhea among a group of physical therapy students from Cairo University: An exploratory study. J. Pain Res. 2017;Volume 10:1079–1085. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S132544.
    1. Hawker G.A., Mian S., Kendzerska T., French M. Measures of adult pain: Visual Analog Scale for Pain (VAS Pain), Numeric Rating Scale for Pain (NRS Pain), McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), Chronic Pain Grade Scale (CPGS), Short Form-36 Bodily Pain Scale (SF) Arthritis Care Res. (Hoboken). 2011;63:S240–S252. doi: 10.1002/acr.20543.
    1. Collins S.L., Moore R.A., McQuay H.J. The visual analogue pain intensity scale: What is moderate pain in millimetres? Pain. 1997;72:95–97. doi: 10.1016/S0304-3959(97)00005-5.
    1. Aktaş D. Prevalence and Factors Affecting Dysmenorrhea in Female University Students: Effect on General Comfort Level. Pain Manag. Nurs. 2015;16:534–543. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2014.10.004.
    1. Bazarganipour F., Lamyian M., Heshmat R., Abadi M.A.J., Taghavi A. A randomized clinical trial of the efficacy of applying a simple acupressure protocol to the Taichong point in relieving dysmenorrhea. Int. J. Gynecol. Obstet. 2010;111:105–109. doi: 10.1016/j.ijgo.2010.04.030.
    1. Tomás-Rodríguez M.I., Palazón-Bru A., Martínez-St John D.R.J., Navarro-Cremades F., Toledo-Marhuenda J.V., Gil-Guillén V.F. Factors Associated with Increased Pain in Primary Dysmenorrhea: Analysis Using a Multivariate Ordered Logistic Regression Model. J. Pediatr. Adolesc. Gynecol. 2017;30:199–202. doi: 10.1016/j.jpag.2016.09.007.
    1. Sahin M.E., Sahin E., Madendag Y., Madendag I.C., Tayyar A.T., Özdemir F., Acmaz G., Muderris I.I. The Effect of Anterior Uterocervical Angle on Primary Dysmenorrhea and Disease Severity. Pain Res. Manag. 2018;2018 doi: 10.1155/2018/9819402.
    1. Chen C.X., Kwekkeboom K.L., Ward S.E. Beliefs About Dysmenorrhea and Their Relationship to Self-Management. Res. Nurs. Health. 2016;39:263–276. doi: 10.1002/nur.21726.
    1. Chen L., Tang L., Guo S., Kaminga A.C., Xu H. Primary dysmenorrhea and self-care strategies among Chinese college girls: A cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2019;9 doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-026813.
    1. Abdi A., Faraji A., Dehghan F., Khatony A. Prevalence of self-medication practice among health sciences students in Kermanshah, Iran. BMC Pharmacol. Toxicol. 2018;19 doi: 10.1186/s40360-018-0231-4.
    1. Al Essa M., Alshehri A., Alzahrani M., Bustami R., Adnan S., Alkeraidees A., Mudshil A., Gramish J. Practices, awareness and attitudes toward self-medication of analgesics among health sciences students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Pharm. J. 2019;27:235–239. doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2018.11.004.
    1. Wong C.L., Ip W.Y., Choi K.C., Lam L.W. Examining Self-Care Behaviors and Their Associated Factors Among Adolescent Girls With Dysmenorrhea: An Application of Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory. J. Nurs. Scholarsh. 2015;47:219–227. doi: 10.1111/jnu.12134.
    1. O’Connell K., Davis A.R., Westhoff C. Self-treatment Patterns among Adolescent Girls with Dysmenorrhea. J. Pediatr. Adolesc. Gynecol. 2006;19:285–289. doi: 10.1016/j.jpag.2006.05.004.
    1. Midilli T.S., Yasar E., Baysal E. Dysmenorrhea characteristics of female Students of health school and affecting factors and their knowledge and use of complementary and alternative medicine methods. Holist. Nurs. Pract. 2015;29:194–204. doi: 10.1097/HNP.0000000000000091.
    1. Samba Conney C., Akwo Kretchy I., Asiedu-Danso M.-B. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use for Primary Dysmenorrhea Among Senior High School Students in the Western Region of Ghana. Obstet. Gynecol. Int. 2019;2019 doi: 10.1155/2019/8059471.
    1. Wong L.P., Khoo E.M. Dysmenorrhea in a multiethnic population of adolescent Asian girls. Int. J. Gynecol. Obstet. 2010;108:139–142. doi: 10.1016/j.ijgo.2009.09.018.
    1. Stosic R., Dunagan F., Palmer H., Fowler T., Adams I. Responsible self-medication: Perceived risks and benefits of over-the-counter analgesic use. Int. J. Pharm. Pract. 2011;19:236–245. doi: 10.1111/j.2042-7174.2011.00097.x.

Source: PubMed

Sponsors en medewerkers

Medische omstandigheden

Geneesmiddelinterventies

3
Abonneren