Survey study, 2018
How common are painful periods and PMS in teenage and young adult girls?
Both painful periods (92%) and PMS (86.3%) were very common and strongly linked. These numbers come from a large population-based study of girls in one Egyptian city.
What they did
Population-based cross-sectional study of 4122 girls aged 12-25 in Egypt. Data collectors interviewed the girls using a structured questionnaire.
What they found
Dysmenorrhea occurred in 92% and PMS in 86.3%. A strong association was found between dysmenorrhea and PMS. Gynaecological age was the only risk factor for painful periods. For PMS, gynaecological age, marriage, educational level, and sleeping hours were risk factors. The most commonly reported symptoms were backaches (63.3%), generalized aching (62.4%), and nervousness (43.5%). More than half of girls with painful periods reported drinking herbal fluids and taking pain medications.
What it means for you
Both painful periods and PMS are extremely widespread among girls in this age group in Egypt and are closely related. Girls rely on home remedies and pain medications rather than medical care, and get information mainly from family members rather than healthcare providers. The main limit is this was only one city in Egypt.
92%
Had painful periods
86.3%
Had PMS
63.3%
Had backaches
About the study
- Original title
- Prevalence and patterns of dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome among Egyptian girls (12–25 years)
- Authors
- Ahmed Arafa, Shaimaa Ahmed Senosy, Hanaa Kamal Helmy et al.
- Journal
- Middle East Fertility Society Journal
- Year
- 2018
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 4,122
- What was tested
- None - observational study
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.mefs.2018.01.007
Topics
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