Dysmenorrhoea: Pain relief strategies among a cohort of undergraduates in Nigeria

Background: Most women experience some pain during menstruation. This pain most times affects their normal daily activity and quality of life depending on its duration and severity. There are various strategies used in menstrual pain management which differ with individuals. Aim: This study investigates various management options of dysmenorrhoea among female undergraduates in Nigeria. Methods: A total of 285 questionnaires were distributed in four faculties using purposive and convenience sampling. The response rate was 86%. The returned 245 questionnaires were analysed using frequency tables and chi-square analysis. Results: Findings indicated that the average age of the respondents was 22 years and most (70.6%) of the respondents experienced moderate or severe pain during menstruation. A null hypothesis tested at significant level of 0.05 suggested that relationship between age and pain intensity is not significant. Most (51%) of the respondents reported that dysmenorrhoea limits their activities. Conclusion: The various strategies adopted by the females are drugs, relaxation/rest, warm bath, exercise, diet modification and herbal remedies but the most effective are drugs, warm bath, rest and exercise. The most widely used strategies of pain relief were drugs, exercise, warm bath and rest. It was recommended that, both health workers and women should adopt a multidisciplinary approach in managing dysmenorrhoea. This is because respondents combine various methods to achieve results.