Period Pain among Female University Students in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The aim of this study is to assess female college students’ behavior in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia toward menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea) and their knowledge regarding the proper use of over-the-counter pain medications. Methods: A cross-sectional survey-based study that assessed 300 healthy fem...

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Main Authors: Raghad Almslamani, Lujain Hassan, Samah Alshehri, Manar Lashkar, Khalid Eljaaly, Mohannad Alshibani, Mohammed Z. Nasrullah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IMR Press 2023-01-01
Series:Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology
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Online Access:https://www.imrpress.com/journal/CEOG/50/2/10.31083/j.ceog5002028
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author Raghad Almslamani
Lujain Hassan
Samah Alshehri
Manar Lashkar
Khalid Eljaaly
Mohannad Alshibani
Mohammed Z. Nasrullah
author_facet Raghad Almslamani
Lujain Hassan
Samah Alshehri
Manar Lashkar
Khalid Eljaaly
Mohannad Alshibani
Mohammed Z. Nasrullah
author_sort Raghad Almslamani
collection DOAJ
description Background: The aim of this study is to assess female college students’ behavior in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia toward menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea) and their knowledge regarding the proper use of over-the-counter pain medications. Methods: A cross-sectional survey-based study that assessed 300 healthy females. The major points in the questionnaire were symptoms experienced during menstruation, pharmacological and nonpharmacological pain management, effects of participants’ menstrual periods on daily activity, locations of pain, menstrual pain severity, and exercise activity. Results: From the 300 participants who participated in the survey, pain was experienced by 256 (85%) of participants. Among those 256, 46.1% felt the pain was severe. The most reported pain was in abdomen (89.2%) and back (70%). Most participants (81.2%) experienced pain during the first 3 days. As for the management method, 69.9% managed their pain by nonpharmacological and 66.8% by pharmacological agents. Approximately 43% reported to practice physical activity during menstruation. Conclusions: Dysmenorrhea is common among female college students and affects their daily activity. Many students are suffering from menstrual pain and treating it with different methods. Most participants are not aware of the proper usage of pain killers. Pharmacists and other health care personnel can instruct on how to use analgesics during menstruation.
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series Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology
spelling doaj-art-8d87ae9bb77e4160a87e8f64985d8d3c2025-08-20T03:06:51ZengIMR PressClinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology0390-66632023-01-015022810.31083/j.ceog5002028S0390-6663(22)01978-9Period Pain among Female University Students in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional StudyRaghad Almslamani0Lujain Hassan1Samah Alshehri2Manar Lashkar3Khalid Eljaaly4Mohannad Alshibani5Mohammed Z. Nasrullah6Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, 21589 Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaFaculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, 21589 Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, 21589 Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, 21589 Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, 21589 Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, 21589 Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, 21589 Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaBackground: The aim of this study is to assess female college students’ behavior in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia toward menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea) and their knowledge regarding the proper use of over-the-counter pain medications. Methods: A cross-sectional survey-based study that assessed 300 healthy females. The major points in the questionnaire were symptoms experienced during menstruation, pharmacological and nonpharmacological pain management, effects of participants’ menstrual periods on daily activity, locations of pain, menstrual pain severity, and exercise activity. Results: From the 300 participants who participated in the survey, pain was experienced by 256 (85%) of participants. Among those 256, 46.1% felt the pain was severe. The most reported pain was in abdomen (89.2%) and back (70%). Most participants (81.2%) experienced pain during the first 3 days. As for the management method, 69.9% managed their pain by nonpharmacological and 66.8% by pharmacological agents. Approximately 43% reported to practice physical activity during menstruation. Conclusions: Dysmenorrhea is common among female college students and affects their daily activity. Many students are suffering from menstrual pain and treating it with different methods. Most participants are not aware of the proper usage of pain killers. Pharmacists and other health care personnel can instruct on how to use analgesics during menstruation.https://www.imrpress.com/journal/CEOG/50/2/10.31083/j.ceog5002028dysmenorrheamenstrual symptomssaudicollege student
spellingShingle Raghad Almslamani
Lujain Hassan
Samah Alshehri
Manar Lashkar
Khalid Eljaaly
Mohannad Alshibani
Mohammed Z. Nasrullah
Period Pain among Female University Students in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Study
Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology
dysmenorrhea
menstrual symptoms
saudi
college student
title Period Pain among Female University Students in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Study
title_full Period Pain among Female University Students in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Study
title_fullStr Period Pain among Female University Students in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Study
title_full_unstemmed Period Pain among Female University Students in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Study
title_short Period Pain among Female University Students in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Study
title_sort period pain among female university students in jeddah city saudi arabia cross sectional study
topic dysmenorrhea
menstrual symptoms
saudi
college student
url https://www.imrpress.com/journal/CEOG/50/2/10.31083/j.ceog5002028
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