article · Journal of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders
Painful menstruation, known as dysmenorrhea, affects a substantial proportion of female university students and disrupts their daily functioning. In an assessment of 397 undergraduate students at a Nigerian private university, dysmenorrhea was prevalent in 69.8 per cent of respondents, with an additional 11.8 per cent experiencing it occasionally. The condition significantly impairs quality of life: 37.8 per cent of participants reported interference with routine work, 33.8 per cent withdrew socially, and 29.2 per cent experienced sleep disruption. The results also demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between participant age and the prevalence of menstrual pain. To manage symptoms, students engaged varied coping strategies, relying most frequently on diversional therapy, medication, hot water bottles, massage, and herbal remedies. These findings highlight a clear need for structured health education to help adolescents manage menstrual pain effectively and maintain their everyday wellbeing.
Dysmenorrhea is a widespread condition that directly compromises the academic performance, sleep quality, and social engagement of young women. Demonstrating the scale of its impact and documenting existing self-care strategies provides public health planners and university health services with the evidence needed to design targeted health education programmes and improve support for affected students.
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Dysmenorrhea, also known as painful menstruation, has been a source of concern among many adolescent females and has been reported to adversely affect the quality of life of adolescents if not properly managed. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of dysmenorrhea and its effect on the quality of life among female undergraduate students of a private university in Nigeria. Descriptive cross-sectional research design was utilized, and stratified sampling technique was used in selecting 397 participants based on the required sample size. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23, and results were summarized using descriptive and inferential statistics with level of significance set at p < 0.05. Majority of the respondents started menstruating between ages 12-15 years. Dysmenorrhea is prevalent among 69.8% of the respondents, absent in 18.4% and sometimes occurs in 11.8%. Menstrual pain affects routine work (37.8%), sleep (29.2%), and 33.8% withdraw socially during menstruation. The approaches used during dysmenorrhea include diversional therapy (59.7%), hot water bottle technique (41.8%), medications (49.4%), lower back and abdomen massage (25.9%), herbs (24.2%) and breathing exercise (11.8%). There was a significant relationship between age and the prevalence of dysmenorrhea (p = 0.000). Dysmenorrhea is prevalent among female undergraduate students, affecting their daily routine tasks. Educating adolescents on the effective management of dysmenorrhea is necessary to enhance their quality of life.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.jeud.2024.100059
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