Dysmenorrhea and its impact on women's quality of life

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Introduction. Dysmenorrhea, according to T.A. Meteleva and A.A. Olina (2024), occupies one of the leading positions among gynecological diseases of reproductive age [1]. Dysmenorrhea (algodismenorrhea, algomenorrhea), as noted in their study by E.V. Sibirskaya and co-authors (2023), is a syndrome that manifests itself on the eve or during menstrual bleeding, the leading clinical manifestation of which is pain in the sacrum and lower back [2, 3].
In the work of Kutuev F.R. and Tikhonovskaya I.V. (2020), it is noted that primary dysmenorrhea is more common in adolescents aged 10 to 17 years and, as indicated by Chechulina O.V. and co–authors (2024), is usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, less often - dizziness and headache, fainting [4, 5].
In their work, Uvarova Yu.M. and co-authors (2023) revealed that risk factors include: age under 30 years, hereditary predisposition, age of menarche up to 12 years, menorrhagia, PMS, inflammatory diseases, smoking, physical and mental injuries, stress [6].
The work of Kopylov A.S. and Sorokina Yu.A. (2023) indicates that according to the mechanism of occurrence, dysmenorrhea is divided into primary (idiopathic) and secondary. Primary idiopathic dysmenorrhea can lead to the development of chronic pelvic pain syndrome, and secondary dysmenorrhea can be caused by pathologies such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, adhesions, inflammatory diseases, and malformations of the genitals [7, 8, 9, 10].
The aim of the work is to study the problem of the relevance of dysmenorrhea and its impact on the quality of life among women of different ages.
Materials and methods of research. In the course of this work, an anonymous survey was conducted using a questionnaire that contained 25 questions. 280 respondents were surveyed, representing 2 age groups: 150 women (53.6%) from 16 to 20 years old and 130 women (46.4%) from 21 to 50 years old (significance level p=0.091).
Painful sensations during menstruation were noted by 244 women, which is 87.1% of the total number of respondents (significance level p=0.027). It is worth noting that 115 women (47.1%) experience pain symptoms during each cycle (significance level p=0.205).
The results of the study. It is known that 90 respondents (32.1%) note the manifestation of dysmenorrhea on the part of relatives, 51 respondents (18.2%) deny it, the remaining 139 respondents (49.7%) do not have this information.
In order to differentiate the age for which the first episodes of dysmenorrhea are most characteristic, the respondents needed to indicate when the painful sensations were first recorded. At the age of 12, this syndrome was noted by 15 respondents (6.1%); from 12-14 years – 102 respondents (41.8%); from 15-17 years – 78 respondents (32%); from 17-25 years – 42 respondents (17.2%); after 25 years – 7 respondents (2.9%). The results show that dysmenorrhea is more likely to occur between the ages of 12 and 17.
As part of the study, the menstrual cycles of girls were analyzed in order to further identify the relationship between disorders of its characteristics and the occurrence or progression of algodismenorrhea.
It was noted that 202 respondents (72.1%) have an average menstrual cycle of 21 to 33 days, 43 respondents (15.4%) have less than 21 days, and 35 respondents (12.5%) have more than 33 days.
43 respondents (15.4%) noted an irregular cycle (significance level p <0.001), of which 20 respondents (46%) were girls aged 16 to 20 years. 174 respondents (62.1%) have a regular cycle, but with the possibility of an earlier or later onset of menstrual bleeding, 63 respondents (22.5%) reported a regular cycle.
On average, the intensity of menstrual pain was estimated at 5.49 points, where 1 point - minor pain, and 10 – unbearable pain. It was recorded that the indicators among the age groups vary: from 16 to 20 years old have an average score of 6.05 points, from 21 to 25 years old – 5.64 points, from 26 to 30 years old – 4.89 points, from 31 to 35 years old – 5.11 points, from 36 to 40 years old – 5.27 points, from 41 to 50 years – 4.41 points. The greatest pain intensity was noted in respondents with tumors of the genital organs – 8.5 points and with cervical stenosis – 7.88 points.
The assessment of the duration of painful sensations during menstruation was as follows: 136 respondents (55.7%) noted pain on the first day, 82 respondents (33.6%) noted pain on the first 3 days, 16 respondents (6.6%) noted pain on the first 5 days, and 10 respondents (4.1%) noted pain on the first 5 days.
In order to identify the dynamics of the symptoms, it was necessary to note what changes in the course of dysmenorrhea women notice. The following data were obtained: no changes – 97 respondents (39.8%), symptoms increased – 93 respondents (38.1%), symptoms decreased – 54 respondents (22.1%). The predominance of attenuation of manifestations was registered after reaching the age of 30.
Conclusions. Dysmenorrhea remains one of the leading gynecological problems of women's health, 244 respondents noted the presence of pain syndrome. Girls aged 16 to 20 years experience menstrual pain in 92.6% of cases, which indicates a high prevalence of this pathology among adolescents. Also, younger girls note more significant manifestations of pain syndrome, in 65% of cases a strong influence on daily life is indicated, up to an almost complete disability.

About the authors

Karina Kurbanismailovna Imranova

Tver State Medical University

Email: ammorozovv@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0009-0009-8593-5545
SPIN-code: 1521-2343
Russian Federation, 170100, Russia, Tver, Sovetskaya str., 4

Artem Mikhailovich Morozov

Tver State Medical University

Author for correspondence.
Email: ammorozovv@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4213-5379
SPIN-code: 6815-9332

PhD., Associate Professor of the Department of General Surgery

Russian Federation, 170100, Russia, Tver, Sovetskaya str., 4

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