Women's experiences of dysmenorrhoea - preliminary study

Dysmenorrhoea is a significant interdisciplinary problem that requires intensified activities of specialists, mainly in the fields of health sciences, gynaecology, and pharmacology.

The aim of the study is to learn about women's experiences of dysmenorrhoea.

The study was conducted between January and March, 2020 using a diagnostic research questionnaire developed for the purpose of the study. Based on the inclusion criteria, a total of 166 out of 192 completed questionnaires were analysed. The analysis of collected data was performed with the aid of Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and Statistica 13.1.

Most of the respondents, during menstruation, experienced severe pain. Among the study participants, 86.14% used pharmacological methods to relieve menstrual pain, and non-pharmacological methods were popular among 74.10% of women. Almost half of the study participants reported that the occurrence of menstrual pain involved the reorganization of previous arrangements. Most women cancelled classes/appointments and gave up sports because of menstrual pain.

In most cases, the symptoms of dysmenorrhoea lead to changes in daily functioning, which can have a negative impact on the academic, professional, and social lives of affected women. The early diagnosis of dysmenorrhoea is of key importance. Therefore, women who have menstrual pain and other accompanying symptoms during menstruations should be referred to experienced gynaecologists for differential diagnosis.