[Impact of primary dysmenorrhea on the academic performance of university students]

Primary dysmenorrhea has a high prevalence among the student population. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of dysmenorrhea, its severity and its impact on academic performance in Mexican university students.

Cross-sectional study. An anonymous multiple-choice questionnaire was applied in class hours in the classrooms. The visual pain scale (VAS) was used for the measurement of pain. A descriptive and inferential analysis of the variables studied was carried out using the program SPSS® IBM.

A total of 2154 (n=2154) students were surveyed. The average age of the women was 20.4 ±1.9years. The general prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 78.9%, with psychology students having the highest value (83.7%). The VAS mean pain score was of 64.0. The severity of menstrual pain in students was reported as mild in 9.0%, and moderate-severe in 91.0%. The VAS mean pain scores and intensity of pain of gerontology students were significantly higher than those reported by dentistry and medicine students (P<.05). Limitation of daily activities was reported in 90.4% of women, with medical students reporting the highest percentage (93.3%). Women reported school absenteeism in 37.0%, with medical students presenting the highest percentage (41.4%). The severity of menstrual pain as a risk factor (independent variable) positively influenced various dependent variables involved in students' academic performance (P<.05), including: stop doing their activities due to pain in 1 to 6 menstruations a year, minor concentration, absenteeism, low school performance, and lower grades during dysmenorrhea.

A high prevalence of dysmenorrhea was observed and it is concluded that the severity of the symptomatology significantly interferes with the academic performance of the participants.