Managing the pain of primary and secondary dysmenorrhoea

Abstract

Dysmenorrhoea, pain during menstruation, affects 40-95 per cent of menstruating women, and has been reported as the most common causes of regular absenteeism among young women. There are two types of dysmenorrhoea: primary and secondary. Primary dysmenorrhoea is a painful menstruation with no detectable organic disease and is more common in adolescent women. Secondary dysmenorrhoea is painful menstruation that is frequently associated with a pelvic pathology. The symptoms that present with dysmenorrhoea, the management and treatment options that are available, and the implications for nursing practice are discussed.