Clinical characteristics of dysmenorrhea and its association with lifestyle factors in adolescent girls

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2024.207

Kriuchkova O.M., Istomina N.G., Baranov A.N.
Northern State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia, Arkhangelsk, Russia

Dysmenorrhea is the most common pathology among adolescent girls, affecting between 41.7% and 95%, depending on the diagnostic criteria and calculation method used. The multicomponent clinical manifestations, significant impact on quality of life, and potential modifiability of this condition make it not only a medical issue, but also a socially important problem.
Objective: To investigate the prevalence of dysmenorrhea among adolescent girls aged 15–19 years, as well as its symptoms, menstrual function characteristics, and impact on behavioral characteristics, physical activity, and quality of life, depending on the severity of the pain syndrome.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at outpatient healthcare facilities in Arkhangelsk by surveying 585 healthy teenage girls aged 15–19 years who met the inclusion criteria, followed by a comparative statistical analysis.
Results: The prevalence of dysmenorrhea in our study was 97%. Clinical parameters of menstrual function were comparable between girls with painless and painful menstruation, suggesting that menstrual cycle characteristics alone are insufficient to fully assess dysmenorrhea. More than half of the teenage girls (52.9%) rated the severity of the pain as moderate, while approximately a quarter (24.9%) rated it as severe. Severe forms of dysmenorrhea were characterized by more widespread localization of pain. Dysmenorrhea included a wide range of “non-gynecological” symptoms, the frequency and severity of which correlated with the intensity of pain. It also had a significant negative impact on various aspects of life for the vast majority (up to 79.7%) of adolescent girls, including decreased academic performance, difficulties with homework, absenteeism, concentration problems, and limited social and physical activity. These findings are consistent with data from similar studies, and emphasize the importance of an integrated diagnostic approach for this condition.
Conclusion: The wide prevalence of dysmenorrhea and the lack of other symptoms in standard gynecological evaluations can normalize the condition and hinder a realistic assessment, potentially worsening both the medical and social prognosis. Given the specificity of the condition and the subjectivity of its clinical manifestations, careful development of objective tools for assessing the severity of dysmenorrhea is essential.

Authors' contributions: Kriuchkova O.M. – conception and design of the study, data collection, statistical analysis, drafting of the manuscript; Istomina N.G. – literature review, analysis, drafting of the manuscript; Baranov A.N. – design of the study, final editing. All authors confirm that their authorship meets the international ICMJE criteria (all authors have made a substantial contribution to the design, conduct of the study and writing of the article, and have read and approved the final version before submission).
Conflicts of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Funding: There was no funding for this study.
Patient Consent for Publication: All patients provided informed consent for the publication of their data.
Authors' Data Sharing Statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are available upon request from the corresponding author after approval from the principal investigator.
For citation: Kriuchkova O.M., Istomina N.G., Baranov A.N.
Clinical characteristics of dysmenorrhea and its association with lifestyle factors in adolescent girls.
Akusherstvo i Ginekologiya/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2024; (12): 94-107 (in Russian)
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2024.207

dysmenorrhea

teenage girls

menstrual cycle

risk factor

Full text (in Russian)

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Received 16.08.2024

Accepted 28.11.2024

Olga M. Kriuchkova, PhD Student at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northern State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia,
163000, Russia, Arkhangelsk, Troitsky Ave., 51, +7(8182)24-03-46, +7(921)477-47-84, Olga.Kriuchkova2@yandex.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9689-5499
Natalia G. Istomina, PhD, Associate Professor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northern State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia,
163000, Russia, Arkhangelsk, Troitsky Ave., 51, +7(8182)24-03-46, +7(921)477-47-84, nataly.istomina@gmail.com, SPIN: 3839-9145, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9214-8923
Alexey N. Baranov, Dr. Med. Sci., Professor, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northern State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia,
163000, Russia, Arkhangelsk, Troitsky Ave., 51, a.n.baranov2011@yandex.ru, SPIN: 5935-5163, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2530-0379

Clinical characteristics of dysmenorrhea and its association with lifestyle factors in adolescent girls

Kriuchkova O.M., Istomina N.G., Baranov A.N.

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