Association of primary dysmenorrhea with anthropometrical and socio-economic factors in Polish university students.

AIMS: To examine the prevalence and factors correlated with primary dysmenorrhea in young female subjects.

METHODS: Cross-sectional research was conducted among 1305 female university students aged 19-25 years. The following measurements were taken: height, body mass, waist circumference, hip circumference, the length of index and ring finger. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on menstrual pains, the characteristics of the menstrual cycles (regularity, duration), the number of the days of menstrual bleeding, age at menarche, overall health and socio-economic status of the subjects.

RESULTS: The prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea (PD) in the group was 64.85%, of which 69.60% reported mild pain, and 30.40% moderate and severe pain. PD occurs more frequently both in women with excess and insufficient level of abdominal adiposity. PD occurred more frequently in women who experience first menstruation at earlier age than in women with average and late age at menarche. The prevalence of PD grew along with mother's education and fell along with father's education. Painful menstruations occurred most commonly in women from large families. The impact of the age at menarche and the presence of abnormal body mass and abnormal level of abdominal adiposity on the prevalence of painful menstruation was also confirmed by the results of logistic regression analysis. The risk of PD is the highest in women whose finger 4 is longer than finger 2.

CONCLUSION: The results suggest that healthy body mass and lack of abdominal obesity may reduce the risk of PD.