The experience of dysmenorrhoea among Ghanaian senior high and university students: pain characteristics and effects

Abstract

BackgroundDysmenorrhoea is a common problem of women at the reproductive age and may have negative effect on the education of females at various stages on the educational ladder.Context and purposeThis study sought to gain an in-depth understanding of the experience of dysmenorrhoea and its effect on female students in a secondary and a tertiary institution in Accra, Ghana.MethodsThe study employed a descriptive phenomenology design and was conducted at a University and a Senior High School (SHS) in Accra. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to recruit participants and data was saturated with 16 participants. Concurrent analysis was done by applying the processes of content analysis and the NVivo software was used to manage the data.ResultsIt was realized that dysmenorrhoea is associated with symptoms such as diarrhoea, headache and vomiting. Pain may start one week to the day of menstruation and the severity differed across the days of menstruation. The effect of dysmenorrhoea included activity intolerance, altered emotion and interaction, altered sleep pattern, absenteeism and inattentiveness, wishes and regrets, and misconceptions.ConclusionsIt was concluded that severe dysmenorrhoea has a debilitating effect on female students and is associated with misconceptions that could result in drastic action with fatal consequences. Thus, there is the need to enhance education on dysmenorrhoea, and an aggressive step should be taken to effectively manage dysmenorrhoea.

Dysmenorrhoea among students aged 18–45 years attending University in Uganda: A cross‐sectional multicenter study of three Universities in Uganda

“…The prevalence of dysmenorrhoea in Asia ranges from 58.8% to 84.9% (Chan, ; Mahkam, Joffres, Corber, Bayanzadeh, & Mahnaz, ). Various studies in Africa have reported that the prevalence ranging from 58% to 85.4% (Aziato, Dedey, & Clegg‐Lamptey, ; Nooh, ). However, there is paucity of evidence available about the prevalence of dysmenorrhoea in East Africa where Uganda is located.…”

“…prevalence ranging from 58% to 85.4% (Aziato, Dedey, & Clegg-Lamptey, 2014;Nooh, 2014). However, there is paucity of evidence available about the prevalence of dysmenorrhoea in East Africa where Uganda is located.…”

Consecuencias de la dismenorrea primaria en adolescentes y mujeres. Revisión Sistemática Exploratoria.

“…El dolor que produce la dismenorrea perturba la calidad de vida de las mujeres que la padecen (Iacovides et al, 2014). Según diferentes estudios, la intensidad media del dolor es de aproximadamente 6 puntos en Escala Visual Analógica (EVA) (Aziato et al, 2014;Iacovides et al, 2014;Wong, 2018). Además, se asocian otros signos y síntomas como cefalea (Aziato et al, 2014;Knox et al, 2015;Rani et al, 2016;Rupa Vani, Veena, Subitha, Hemanth Kumar, & Bupathy, 2013;Carman et al, 2018)), cansancio (Omidvar, Bakouei, Amiri, & Begum, 2016), síntomas digestivos (Aziato et al, 2014;Al-Jefout et al, 2015;Knox et al, 2015;Rani et al, 2016;Rupa Vani et al, 2013;Aktaş, 2015) dolor musculoesquelético (Aziato et al, 2014;Al-Jefout et al, 2015;Omidvar et al, 2016;Aktaş, 2015), hinchazón abdominal y de extremidades (Rupa Vani et al, 2013;Kwame, Amalba, & Mohammed, 2018).…”

“…La dismenorrea primaria se define como calambres dolorosos de tipo espasmódico en el abdomen inferior, en ausencia de patología orgánica pélvica (Iacovides, Avidon, & Baker, 2015;Ju, Jones, & Mishra, 2014;Tanmahasamut & Chawengsettakul, 2012). El dolor puede describirse como "corte", "puñalada", "calambre" y/o "ardor" (Aziato, Dedey, & Clegg-Lamptey, 2014). Generalmente, aparece con el inicio de la menstruación o pocas horas después y puede llegar a prolongarse desde ocho hasta 72 horas (Iacovides et al, 2015;Mavrelos & Saridogan, 2017;Harel, 2008).…”

Exercício Físico Como Terapia Não Farmacológica No Tratamento Da Dismenorreia Primária: Uma Revisão Sistemática

“…É caracterizada por se apresentar na ausência de patologia pélvica, podendo vir acompanhada de outros sinais e sintomas característicos como cefaleia 2,3,4 , diarreia 2,4 , irritação 3,4 , perda de apetite 2 , lombalgia 2,3 , náusease vômitos impactando no rendimento das atividades de vida diária 2,3,4 . A etiologia é atribuída principalmente à liberação e atuação das prostaglandinas no tecido uterino, provocando contrações espasmódicas dolorosas, com isquemia e hipersensibilização dos nervos periféricos locais 4,5 .…”