Burden of menstrual symptoms in Japanese women – an analysis of medical care-seeking behavior from a survey-based study

Abstract

BackgroundMenstrual symptoms are associated with various health problems in women of reproductive age, and this may impact their quality of life. Despite this, Japanese women are likely to hesitate seeking a specialist’s medical help for their menstrual symptoms.PurposeTo study subject parameters including symptom severity, gynecological disorders, and treatments in medical care-seeking women (outpatient) and women opting for self-care (nonvisit), to identify reasons why Japanese women do not see a gynecologist, and to document the benefit of gynecologist visits by assessing the impact on women’s daily lives.MethodsTwo online surveys were conducted among women aged 15–49 years. Sampling was structured to approximate the age and geographic distribution in Japan. Results of the first survey and part of the second survey on the overall current burden of menstrual symptoms are reported in a separate publication. Further outcomes from the second survey reported in this paper included data from the outpatient (n=274) and nonvisit (n=500) groups on symptom severity, gynecological disorders, medical treatment use, reasons for not seeking medical care, and the improvement of daily life.ResultsThe outpatient group tended to have greater symptom severity compared to the nonvisit group. Uterine fibroids, dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, and premenstrual syndrome were the most commonly self-reported diagnoses, and oral contraceptives were frequently prescribed at gynecologist visits. Nonvisit group subjects felt that gynecologist consultations were unnecessary or felt resistant to them. Daily life was significantly improved after medical treatment from a gynecologist visit with associated economic savings, whilst the nonvisit group had no change after taking over-the-counter drugs to relieve their menstrual symptoms.ConclusionThe present study results indicate that Japanese women who were suffering from menstrual symptoms could benefit from visiting a gynecologist for easing their symptoms, hence improving their daily life.

Treatment preferences among Japanese women with dysmenorrhea: results from a discrete choice experiment study

“…The age distribution in the current study was highly similar to other cross-sectional survey studies on dysmenorrhea in Japan 5–7,15. A larger proportion of participants in this study were employed (full time, part time, or self-employed) than in the two studies that reported on this variable,5,6 although the annual household income distribution in the current study was in line with a study by Tanaka et al5 Most participants in this study had normal BMI, whereas the majority of participants in a study by Nohara et al were underweight 7.…”

“…The age distribution in the current study was highly similar to other cross-sectional survey studies on dysmenorrhea in Japan 5–7,15. A larger proportion of participants in this study were employed (full time, part time, or self-employed) than in the two studies that reported on this variable,5,6 although the annual household income distribution in the current study was in line with a study by Tanaka et al5 Most participants in this study had normal BMI, whereas the majority of participants in a study by Nohara et al were underweight 7. Additionally, OTC analgesic use in this study was moderately higher than that of outpatients, as well as women in the general population, with dysmenorrhea in studies by Tanaka et al,5,6 yet much lower than the OTC analgesic use reported by women with dysmenorrhea who did not seek medical treatment 5.…”

“…Research suggests that women often inaccurately believe menstrual pain is normal, and as a result, may subsequently forgo treatment 5,14,24. However, those women who do receive treatment tend to be satisfied.…”

“…In one of the few epidemiological studies conducted in Japan, Ohde et al found that approximately 15.8% of women aged 18–51 reported experiencing dysmenorrhea 4. Another more recent observational study of Japanese women aged 15–49 found that, among those who had visited a gynecologist in the past 3 months for menstrual symptoms, 19.7% self-reported a diagnosis of dysmenorrhea 5. Yet, data from two large-scale cross-sectional survey studies in Japan suggest the prevalence of dysmenorrhea may actually be higher, as menstrual pain was reported by 50.4%–77.6% of women 6,7…”

Evaluation of the treatment patterns and economic burden of dysmenorrhea in Japanese women, using a claims database

“…Regardless of the cause, dysmenorrhea can have a substantial impact on patient quality of life,7,8 yet many patients do not seek treatment 9. In a patient survey, some untreated women have expressed feelings of resistance or aversion toward seeking therapy, and many suggested that gynecologist consultations were unnecessary for their disorder 1. However, a substantial proportion of women who did seek medical treatment agreed that their daily lives were significantly improved after therapy, and it was also estimated that gynecologist visits saved over 7,000 JPY (70 USD) monthly costs per-patient, occurring due to time off work 1…”