Author(s)

Takang William Ako^1,2, Egbe Thomas Obichemti^1,2, Fouelifack Ymele Florent^1,2, Wateh Pierre^1,2

¹Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon.
²Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bamenda Regional Hospital, North West Region, Bamenda, Cameroon.

Background: Primary dysmenorrhea is defined as pelvic pain during menstrual flow in the absence of a pelvic pathology. It is one of the most common gynaecological complaints worldwide and the most common cause of school and work absenteeism among menstruating females. In adolescent students the impact includes reduced attention in class, inability to study at home, school absenteeism among others. Yet these students have to study at the same pace as their peers, raising the concern of whether the problems caused by primary dysmenorrhea have an effect on academic their academic performance. Aim: Determine the prevalence, treatment practices and impact of primary dysmenorrhea on the studies of post-pubertal high school students in Bafoussam. Method: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive and analytic study design using a two-stage sampling method; the first stage was by convenience to choose the school, and the second stage was consecutive to recruit the students. Data was collected using a semi-structured pretested self-report and anonymous questionnaire. Analysis was done using software IBM^?SPSS statistics version 23 for windows. Categorical variables were summarised in to frequencies and percentages while the comparison of categorical variables was done using a Chi-square test, and a p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: our sample size was 898 and the mean age of our respondents (±SD) was 17.6 (±1.6) years. The prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea was 71.9%, with 11.6% mild pain, 52.5% moderate pain and 35.9% severe pain on a visual analogue scale. Over 38% did not attempt pain-relieving measures while others took analgesics, traditional preparations, heat packs among others. Among these students, 39% reported school absenteeism due to pain, other impacts were decreased attention in class, inability to study at home during pain and punishment from school authorities for failing to fulfil certain duties like assignments not done or absenteeism because of pain. Though a greater proportion of students without dysmenorrhea had pass scores than their counterparts, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Given these findings, school officials may benefit from considering dysmenorrhea in the context of improving their school attendance rates and academic performance of their students.

Primary Dysmenorrhoea, High School, Students, Impact, Academic Performance

Ako, T. , Obichemti, E. , Florent, F. and Pierre, W. (2022) Primary Dysmenorrhea; Prevalence, Treatment Practices and Impact among High School Students in 2 Secondary Schools in Bafoussam. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 12, 731-759. doi: 10.4236/ojog.2022.128064.