The impact of dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome on academic performance of college students, and their willingness to seek help

Abstract

Objective: To reveal the characteristics and prevalence of dysmenorrhea and Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) among college students and to investigate their impact on their academic performance.

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2017 and January 2018 at Koç University, Turkey. An online survey that included multiple-choice and short paragraph questions was prepared. Female students aged between 18 and 27 years were invited with an email to provide online informed consent to proceed to the survey.

Results: The final analysis included 352 students. The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was found as 90.1%. Fifty-six percent of the participants reported lower academic performance during menstruation. However, only 32.8% of the students with dysmenorrhea presented to the gynecology clinic. The prevalence of PMS alone and with dysmenorrhea was 71.3% and 65.9%, respectively. The most common symptom among those who reported affected academic performance was depression (prevalence of 27.5%). However, only 19.9% of students with PMS consulted a healthcare professional.

Conclusion: Symptoms of dysmenorrhea and PMS are generally neglected by students. Quality of life can be affected more than estimated. Considering the reluctance to disclose menstrual disorders, health care providers should be aware of them and ask women about their symptoms during routine visits.

Keywords: Dysmenorrhea; academic performance; pelvic pain; premenstrual syndrome; survey.

Figure 1

Dysmenorrhea prevalence