An Exploratory Survey to Assess the Menstrual Characteristics and Prevalence of Dysmenorrhea in College Going Girls

Painful menses in women or dysmenorrhea is a very frequently observed gynecologic problem. The true incidence and prevalence of dysmenorrhea are not clearly established in India. This study was conducted with an objective to assess the menstrual characteristics and prevalence of dysmenorrhea in college going girls in selected University of Gurgaon. Sample of 118 girls who were available and willing to participate in the study were selected by purposive sampling technique. Data was collected from the participants with the help of structured questionnaire to collect the background information, to assess the menstrual characteristics and prevalence of dysmenorrhea among the college going girls. Prevalence of Dysmenorrhea was found to be 79.66 %. Majority of the girls with dysmenorrhea (54.26 %) report a menstrual cycle of 22-28 days. Maximum number of dysmenorrhic girls (76.60 %) report 4-5 days of bleeding. Most of the girls (62.77 %) with dysmenorrhea reported presence of blood clots in their menstrual flow. Majority (41.49 %) of the dysmenorrhic girls reported the presence of physical pre-menstrual symptoms. Majority of the dysmenorrhic girls (63 %) reported to experience moderate intensity pain, 21 % to have mild pain and 16 % reported to experience severe pain during periods.