EVALUATION OF DYSMENORRHEA AMONG WOMEN AND ITS IMPACT ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN A REGION OF WESTERN TURKEY

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of dysmenorrhea among a group of women and its effect on their quality of life (QoL). Methodology: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 729 women in reproductive age in a town of western Turkey between March and April 2009. The questionnaire form was filled in by a face to face method. The severity of menstrual pain was determined by Visual Analogue Scale. The quality of life (QoL) was assessed by the Short Form-36 (SF-36). The Chi-square test, Student t test, Analysis of Variance and Logistic Regression analysis were used for statistical analyses. A value of p 0.05 was accepted statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 63.6%. Not giving birth, menstrual irregularity, and a family history of dysmenorrhea were important risk factors for dysmenorrhea (p 0.05 for each one). The domains of QoL was lower in women with dysmenorrhea when compared to women without dysmenorrhea (p 0.05). Conclusion: Dysmenorrhea is a public health problem that affects quality of life.