Prevalence of Dysmenorrhea and its Management among Undergraduate Students of the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Faustina Chiamaka Irozulike
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Nicholas Asiwe *
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Joy Wilberforce Ekokodje
Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Masterson Sampson Wedeh
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
James Dibagha Izibeya
Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Science, Bayelsa Medical University, Yenagoa Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
Patrick Leo Filima
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Dysmenorrhea is a pain felt by women before or during menstruation and is accompanied by some symptoms like headache, dizziness, food cravings, mood swings, and fatigue. Many ways have been adopted for the management of dysmenorrhea. The study aims to evaluate the prevalence of dysmenorrhea and its management among university students.
Methods: A total of two hundred (200) female university students were involved in this study. A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used where students were sampled randomly a questionnaire was used to collect data and data obtained were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 26.
Results: The study found that a majority of the population experiences dysmenorrhea during menstruation (81.5%) and the majority of respondents experienced menstrual flow within 4-5 days with 37% experiencing severe pain. Symptoms include anxiety, mood swings, tender breasts, food cravings, fatigue, irritating mood, depression, dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea, and headache. Management of dysmenorrhea varies, with 23.5% using synthetic drugs and 1.5% using local and herbal practices.
Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of dysmenorrhea among the University students and presenting symptoms like mood swings, fatigue, and diarrhea, with most using local/herbal medication.
Keywords: Dysmenorrheal, women, headache, dizziness, university students