Abstract
The prevalence of dysmenorrhoea and the resulting disability and absenteeism were studied in school girls. The subjects comprised 345 girls from 2 girls' schools and 187 girls from 2 co-educational schools in Kandy. General information and a detailed menstrual history with special emphasis on dysmenorrhoea, disability and absenteeism were obtained by means of a questionnaire. An educational programme on the significance of menstruation and simple ways of coping with dysmenorrhoea was conducted to subjects of one girls' school and one co-educational school. These were considered as the study groups while the other 2 schools were considered as the control groups. A repeat questionnaire was given to both groups 6 months later, to obtain details about the last menstrual periods. Analysis of data showed the following: A significantly higher percentage of subjects from girls' schools belonged to higher social classes (p The study indicates that social class or coeducation do not significantly affect the degree of dysmenorrhoea and the resulting disability in school girls, but may affect school attendance which could be improved by educational programmes.
Highlights
Primary dysmenorrhoea is a common disorder occurring in young women
A prevalence of 72% has been reported for 19 year old Swedish girls (5) with an absenteeism from work or school of 51% and a mean degree of severity of dysmenorrhoea determined on a linear analogue scale of 4.1 (SD 3.2)
No significant differences in school attendance or examination results were observed between British girls with dysmenorrhoea and matching controls (7)
Summary
Primary dysmenorrhoea is a common disorder occurring in young women. It is reported to be the commonest of all gynaecological disorders and the commonest cause of lost work hours/school hours among women (1,2). The prevalence of dysmenorrhoea as reported for different populations vary considerably due to variabilities in criteria employed. The prevalence rates for American adolescents in 2 recent studies were observed to be 79.6% and 91% with 18% and 23% respectively being severely affected (3,4). A prevalence of 72% has been reported for 19 year old Swedish girls (5) with an absenteeism from work or school of 51% and a mean degree of severity of dysmenorrhoea determined on a linear analogue scale of 4.1 (SD 3.2). No significant differences in school attendance or examination results were observed between British girls with dysmenorrhoea and matching controls (7)
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