Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Weissman, Alicia M.
• Hartz, Arthur J.
• Hansen, Michael D.
• Johnson, Susan R.

Titel

The natural history of primary dysmenorrhoea: a longitudinal study

Ist Teil von

• BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology, 2004-04, Vol.111 (4), p.345-352

Ort / Verlag

Oxford, UK and Malden, USA: Blackwell Science Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2004

Quelle

Wiley-Blackwell Journals

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Objective  To describe the prevalence, severity, course and predictive factors of primary dysmenorrhoea in women of all reproductive ages. Design  Prospective mailed surveys in 1985 and 1991. Setting  University of Iowa, College of Nursing. Population  We began with a stratified sample of 996 nurses who graduated between 1963 and 1984. We analysed data from 404 women who responded to both surveys, but denied endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease or uterine fibroids. Methods  Participants were surveyed twice at an interval of six years (response rates 73% and 78%) regarding menstrual cycle characteristics. For analysis, dysmenorrhoea was dichotomised as none/mild or moderate/severe. We analysed predictive factors using χ2 tests and stepwise logistic regression. Main outcome measure  Severity of dysmenorrhoea. Menstrual cramps as experienced when not taking medication to prevent discomfort were rated on a four‐point scale: 0 = no dysmenorrhoea, 1 = minimal (can work, somewhat uncomfortable), 2 = moderate (can work, but quite uncomfortable) or 3 = severe dysmenorrhoea (miss work, have to be in bed). Results  In 1985, 80% of respondents were >25 years old and 60% were parous. There were few changes over six years in the prevalence of mild (51% to 53%), moderate (22% to 20%) or severe dysmenorrhoea (4% to 2%). After adjusting for dysmenorrhoea in 1985, each live birth during follow up (OR = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.08 to 0.53) and older age (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.86 to 0.98) were associated with less dysmenorrhoea in 1991. Conclusions  Primary dysmenorrhoea affects most women throughout the menstrual years. Dysmenorrhoea severe enough to cause absence from work occurs in less than 5% of women. Although improvement and worsening are equally likely for all women, improvement is more likely in women who bear children.