Dysmenorrhea and other menstrual characteristics in Rwandan female students at National University of Rwanda and Nyanza schoolgirls (Huye and Nyanza Districts / Southern Province of Rwanda).
Year: 2010
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Dysmenorrhea or the syndrome of painful menstruation is not life-threatening, but it is most of the time debilitating and psychologically taxing for women. This first study aims to bring out epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutical aspects, as well as social impacts, attitudes, awareness and knowledge of treatment in dysmenorrheic female students and adolescents in our environment (Southern Province of Rwanda). Moreover, some menstrual characteristics were also looked for in the whole study population (dysmenorrheic and non dysmenorrheic participants). This study is cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical. The population study consisted of two groups relating to two joint surveys: (1) 466 female students (National University of Rwanda or NUR, Huye) who accepted to participate in the survey and answered the appropriate questionnaire; (2) 423 consenting schoolgirls from Nyanza boarding high schools (77 teenagers were excluded from the survey because of incomplete questionnaires). Dysmenorrhea was considered as a whole without distinction between primary and secondary dysmenorrhea. The following statistics were calculated: RR and 95 % CI, Pearson’s Chi square test (with Yates’ correction) and Fisher exact test to compare observed proportions, and Student’s t test to compare means from normal distributed data. The results in female university students as compared to secondary school girls were as following: (1) dysmenorrhea prevalence (77.3% vs 85.6 %; p = 0.001; RR = 0.90 [0.85 – 0.96]); (2) dysmenorrhea duration > 3 days (21.1 % vs 39.5 %; p = 0.000; RR = 0.46 [0.36 – 0.58]); (3) inactivity > 3 days (16.4 % vs 41.1 %; p = 0.000; RR = 0.36 [0.27 – 0.46]); (4) absenteeism (60.5 % - 61 %; p = 0.891; RR = 0.99 [0.88 – 1.12]); (5) missed exams (11.6 % vs 39.5 %; p = 0.000; RR = 0.30 [0.22 – 0.40]); (6) decreasing pain (7.2 % vs 20.6 %; p = 0.000; RR = 0.30 [0.20 – 0.45]); (7) self-medication (31.1 % vs 23.2 %; p = 0.169; RR = 1.34 [1.05 – 1.71]); (8) wait-and-see attitude (48.1 % vs 59.4 %; p = 0.002; RR = 0.81 [0.71 – 0.93]); (9) hospitalization (5.3 % vs 46 %; p = 0.000; RR = 0.17 [0.06 – 0.46]); (10) awareness of treatment (60.8 % vs 48.3 %; p = 0.000; RR = 1.26 [1.10 – 1.44]); (11) analgesics (39.4 % vs 26.2 %; p = 0.013; RR = 1.29 [1.05 – 1.57]); (12) nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (38.8 % vs 16.7 %; p = 0.000; RR = 1.98 [1.55 – 2.53]); (13) antispasmodics (17.5 % vs 12.2 %; p = 0.249; RR = 1.22 [0.87 – 1.71] ); (14) aspirin (3.8 % vs 4 %; p = 0.986; RR = 1.01 [0.53 – 1.90]); (14) age at menarche (14.4 ± 1.7 vs 14.5 ± 1.9 years; p > 0.2); (15) menstruation duration > 3 days (56.7 % vs 44.7 %; p = 0.000; RR = 1.27 [1.11 – 1.45]); (16) menarche < 12 years (5.8 % vs 5.6 %; p = 0.56; RR = 1.13 [0.75 – 1.70]); (17) menarche > 16 years (9.8 % vs 8.7 %; p = 0.56; RR = 1.13 [0.75 – 1.70]); (18) abundant menstrual flow (19.7 5 vs 33.8 %; p = 0.000; RR = 0.58 [0.47 – 0.73]); (19) headache (34.5 % vs 55.3 %; p = 0.000; RR = 0.62 [0.54 – 0.73]); (20) vomiting (17.6 % vs 31.6 %; p = 0.000; RR = 0.56 [0.44 – 0.71]); (21) malaise (47.2 % vs 24.5 %; p = 0.000; RR = 1.92 [1.58 – 2.33]); (22) somnolence (22.8 % vs 40.8 %; p = 0.000; RR = 0.51 [0.41 – 0.63]); (23) behavior problems (37.3 % vs 12.5 %; p = 0.000; RR = 2.98 [2.26 – 3.93]).In conclusion, dysmenorrhea is significantly more frequent and its duration more long in schoolgirls than in female students in the southern part of Rwanda. It represents on the whole a real public health issue resulting in a high rate of absenteeism, inactivity, missed exams, and even hospitalization; this negative impact and most of the unpleasant symptoms are significantly more frequent in schoolgirls than in female students. An information campaign is needed to alleviate the lack of treatment awareness as well as the high rate of resignation. Age at menarche and other menstrual characteristics are on the whole within the range of what is observed worldwide, except that precocious puberty is twice less frequent in our study population. Besides, it is suggested that other surveys are carried out in other parts of Rwanda.
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2413951176