Prevalence and Factors Associated with Primary Dysmenorrhea among Indian Adolescent Girls - An Observational Study

Dysmenorrhea is a term used to describe pain associated with menstruation. In primary dysmenorrhea the pain is felt in the lower abdomen and the sacral region in the first hours of menstruation. There exists no structural abnormality or pathology. Pain decreases with increase in blood loss OBJECTIVES -To establish the prevalence and explore the factors associated with primary dysmenorrhea in the adolescent age group (13-19years). -SECONDARY OBJECTIVES 1) To establish a relationship between the Body Mass Index with the prevalence of dysmenorrhea among adolescents.2) To find out the quality and severity of pain experienced by young women.3) To find out the various treatment methods used for relieving pain/ discomfort.4) To find out the risk factors associated with dysmenorrhea.5) To establish the relationship between level of stress and dysmenorrhea.6) To establish a relation between socio-economic status and dysmenorrhea. METHOD: 100 adolescent girls were included in the study. A questionnaire was distributed which included questions regarding menstrual history, pain assessment, family history, associated symptoms, management, functional impairments, nutritional habits, risk factors, stress and socio-economic status. The BMI of each student was also calculated. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: It has been established that there is a very high prevalence of dysmenorrhea among the adolescent girls in rural Maharashtra, India. The severity of pain experienced and the techniques used to alleviate the pain is varied amongst the population. The most common predisposing factors are found to be early age at menarche, family history, consumption of tea / coffee, exercising habits, stress and lifestyle. It is found that having a low BMI is one of the strongest predictor of dysmenorrhea.