Prevalence, Management, and Impact of Dysmenorrhea on the Lives of Nurse and Midwife Trainees in Northern Ghana

Table 1

Characteristics of respondents.

Variables	Frequency (n = 303)	Percent (%)
Age (years)
Mean ± SD	22.61 ± 2.35
<20	8	2.6
20–24	243	80.2
25+	52	17.16
Marital status
Single	277	91.4
Married	26	8.6
Have given birth before
No	280	92.4
Yes	23	7.6
Age at first menstruation (years)
9–11	13	4.3
12–14	171	56.4
15+	119	39.3
Nature of menstrual cycles
Regular	235	77.6
Irregular	68	22.4
Duration of menstruation (days)
1–3	39	12.9
4–5	172	56.8
>5	92	30.4
Blood flow during menstruation
Normal bleeding (7–10 pads used)	230	75.9
Abundant bleeding (>10 pads used)	45	14.9
Reduced bleeding (7 pads used)	28	9.2
Respondents’ history of some gynecological conditions
Gynecological surgeries	5	1.7
Genital malformation	2	0.7
Vaginal candidiasis	68	22.4
Urinary tract infections	27	8.9
Respondents’ previous diagnosis
Endometriosis	6	2.0
Polycystic ovary syndrome	2	0.7
Pelvic inflammatory disease	13	4.3
Previously treated for Chlamydia trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae
No	281	92.7
Yes	22	7.3
Result of the Papanicolaou test
Normal	34	11.2
Inflammation	3	1.0
Never took this test	266	87.8
Sexual activity
Active	194	64.0
Inactive	109	36.0
Contraceptive use
Oral contraceptives	86	28.4
IUD	4	1.3
Coitus interruptus	25	8.3
Pain during sexual intercourse
No	239	78.9
Yes	64	21.1
Sexual intercourse during menstruation
No	276	91.1
Yes	7	2.3
Occasionally	20	6.6
Premenstrual syndrome
No	35	11.5
Yes	229	75.6
Occasionally	39	12.9
Regular physical activity
No	138	45.5
Yes	165	54.5
Sleep duration (hours)
<5	107	35.3
5–9	175	57.8
10+	21	6.9
Family history of dysmenorrhea
No	191	63.0
Yes	112	37.0

Source: field data (2022).