--- title: How many female medical students have painful periods and does it affect school attendance? description: Dysmenorrhea (painful periods) affected 73.83% of 107 female medical students. Of those with painful periods, 31.67% frequently missed school or classes. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/prevalence-and-severity-of-dysmenorrhea-a-problem-related-to-menstruation-among-2008/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How many female medical students have painful periods and does it affect school attendance? Survey study, 2008 # How many female medical students have painful periods and does it affect school attendance? Dysmenorrhea (painful periods) affected 73.83% of 107 female medical students. Of those with painful periods, 31.67% frequently missed school or classes. Early or limited evidence 107 female medical students in first and second year ## What they did Researchers surveyed 107 female medical students in their first and second years. They asked about regular periods, painful periods, premenstrual symptoms, and how often students missed school or classes. They used a verbal scoring system to measure how severe the pain was. ## What they found Dysmenorrhea affected 73.83% of students. Approximately 4.67% of those with painful periods had severe pain. Among students with dysmenorrhea, 31.67% frequently missed college or school and 8.68% frequently missed individual classes. The average cycle length was 28.34 days with menstrual flow lasting on average 4.5 days. Premenstrual symptoms were reported by 60.50% of students. 67.08% reported social withdrawal. Other menstrual disorders included irregular periods (7.47%), prolonged bleeding (10.28%), heavy bleeding (23.36%), and PCOD (3.73%). ## What it means for you Painful periods are very common among medical students and significantly affect their ability to attend school and classes. Most students did not see a doctor but treated themselves with over-the-counter pain medication. The study is limited to one group of first and second year medical students in one country and does not compare them to other women. 73.83% Students with dysmenorrhea 31.67% Frequently missed school or classes 60.50% Reported premenstrual symptoms ## About the study Original title Prevalence and severity of dysmenorrhea: a problem related to menstruation, among first and second year female medical students Authors Singh A, Kiran D, Singh H et al. Journal Indian journal of physiology and pharmacology Year 2008 Study design Survey study Participants 107 Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19585756/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19585756/) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Diuretics and other drugs](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diuretics-other-drugs/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Non-randomised trial, 2026 Does video-guided digital menstrual exercise reduce PMS and period pain in adolescent girls? Interview study, 2024 How do young women use period tracker apps to manage their menstrual cycles? Cohort study, 2023 Do girls with intellectual disability have worse menstrual quality of life? Survey study, 2011 How common is premenstrual syndrome in Sri Lankan adolescent schoolgirls and how does it affect them? Survey study, 1999 How common are menstrual problems in teenage girls and do they relate to early puberty? Non-randomised trial, 2026 Can yoga reduce PMS pain in teenage girls? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗