Prevalence, Impact, and Management Practice of Dysmenorrhea among University of Gondar Students, Northwestern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

International Journal of Reproductive Medicine, May 2017

Background. Dysmenorrhea is an important health problem of adolescents in school, as well as health practitioners, that badly affects the daily activities and quality of life. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of dysmenorrhea and assess its management practice among University of Gondar students. Methods. A cross-sectional study was done from April 06 to May 08, 2016, on female students of University of Gondar. Descriptive and binary logistic regression analyses were used to describe and assess the association between different variables. Results. More than two-thirds (75.3%) of the respondents were nonmedical students and the prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 77.6%. About half (50.6%) of the participants reported that they have a family history of dysmenorrhea and experienced continuous type of pain (53%) which lasts 1-2 days (47.8%). Abdominal spasm (70.4%), back pain (69.7%) fatigue, and weakness (63.5%) were the most commonly experienced dysmenorrhea symptoms. More than half (63%) of the respondents had encountered social withdrawal and decrease in academic performance (51.4%). More than two-thirds (63.8%) of the respondents use home remedies as a primary management option. Ibuprofen and diclofenac were the most commonly used medications to manage dysmenorrhea. Conclusions. The present study revealed that high proportion of University of Gondar female students had dysmenorrhea. Findings suggest the need for educating adolescent girls on appropriate and effective management of dysmenorrhea.

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Prevalence, Impact, and Management Practice of Dysmenorrhea among University of Gondar Students, Northwestern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Prevalence, Impact, and Management Practice of Dysmenorrhea among University of Gondar Students, Northwestern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study Minaleshewa Biruk Gebeyehu,1 Abebe Basazn Mekuria,2 Yonas Getaye Tefera,1 Dagmawi Abate Andarge,1 Yabsira Belayneh Debay,1 Geremew Sokile Bejiga,1 and Begashaw Melaku Gebresillassie1 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia 2Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia Correspondence should be addressed to Begashaw Melaku Gebresillassie; moc.liamg@135wahsageb Received 15 January 2017; Revised 15 March 2017; Accepted 6 April 2017; Published 14 May 2017 Academic Editor: Hind A. Beydoun Copyright © 2017 Minaleshewa Biruk Gebeyehu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract Background. Dysmenorrhea is an important health problem of adolescents in school, as well as health practitioners, that badly affects the daily activities and quality of life. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of dysmenorrhea and assess its management practice among University of Gondar students. Methods. A cross-sectional study was done from April 06 to May 08, 2016, on female students of University of Gondar. Descriptive and binary logistic regression analyses were used to describe and assess the association between different variables. Results. More than two-thirds (75.3%) of the respondents were nonmedical students and the prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 77.6%. About half (50.6%) of the participants reported that they have a family history of dysmenorrhea and experienced continuous type of pain (53%) which lasts 1-2 days (47.8%). Abdominal spasm (70.4%), back pain (69.7%) fatigue, and weakness (63.5%) were the most commonly experienced dysmenorrhea symptoms. More than half (63%) of the respondents had encountered social withdrawal and decrease in academic performance (51.4%). More than two-thirds (63.8%) of the respondents use home remedies as a primary management option. Ibuprofen and diclofenac were the most commonly used medications to manage dysmenorrhea. Conclusions. The present study revealed that high proportion of University of Gondar female students had dysmenorrhea. Findings suggest the need for educating adolescent girls on appropriate and effective management of dysmenorrhea. 1. Introduction Menstrual period is a natural phenomenon which occurs throughout the reproductive years of every woman. Most females experience certain degree of pain and distress during their menstruation period [1]. Dysmenorrhea is a painful/cramping sensation in the lower abdomen often accompanied by other biological symptoms including dizziness, fatigue, sweating, backache, headache, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea all occurring just before or during the menstruation. Dysmenorrhea may be categorized into two types as primary and secondary. Primary dysmenorrhea is defined as painful menses among females with normal pelvic anatomy, frequently beginning during adolescence. It is observed only in ovulatory cycles, frequently emerging within 6 to 12 months after menarche with no pathology or organic basis. Secondary dysmenorrhea is a menstrual pain associated with underlying pathology and its onset might be years after menarche [2]. Due to its importance, different treatments including pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment approaches such as taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), herbal, dietary therapies, yoga, meditation, and acupuncture have been used to lessen the effects of dysmenorrhea [3]. According to Ethiopian standard treatment guideline, dysmenorrhea occurs in about 50% of menstruating women. Dysmenorrhea in some years following menarche is usually primary, but the secondary characteristically occurs many years after menarche. Primary dysmenorrhea is extremely common, especially among adolescents. As many as 90% of adolescent females and above 50% of menstruating women worldwide report suffering from it, with 10–20% of them describing their hurt as severe and distressing [4]. Dysmenorrhea is a cause of frequent short-term work and school absenteeism in women of reproductive age. Approximately 10–15% of females experience monthly menstrual pain severe enough to stop normal daily functions at work, home, or school [2]. Even though primary dysmenorrhea is not a real threat of life but can affect the quality of females’ life and in case of severity it might lead to disability and inefficiency. Moreover, dysmenorrhea can cause mental problems in some of the females resulting in their loneliness and reduced participation in different social activities. In adolescents, moderate to severe pain that affects lifestyle and does not respond to pharmacological treatment requires profe (...truncated)


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Minaleshewa Biruk Gebeyehu, Abebe Basazn Mekuria, Yonas Getaye Tefera, Dagmawi Abate Andarge, Yabsira Belayneh Debay, Geremew Sokile Bejiga, Begashaw Melaku Gebresillassie. Prevalence, Impact, and Management Practice of Dysmenorrhea among University of Gondar Students, Northwestern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study, International Journal of Reproductive Medicine, 2017, 2017, DOI: 10.1155/2017/3208276