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

Table 2

Prevalence of dysmenorrhea among nurse and midwife trainees.

Variables	Frequency	Percent (%)
Experiences painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea)
No	101	33.3
Yes	202	66.7
Onset of dysmenorrhea (n = 202)
From the first period	104	51.5
1 year after first menstruation	40	19.8
1–3 years after	25	12.4
4 years or more	33	16.3
When does pain start
First day of menstruation	130	64.3
Day before menstruation	43	21.3
More than two days before menstruation	29	14.4
Frequency of pain occurrence
<35% of menstrual cycles	54	26.7
35–70% of menstrual cycles	61	30.2
>70% of menstrual cycles	18	8.9
At each period	69	34.2
Location of most intense pain
Pelvis and lower abdomen	198	98.0
Lumbar level	1	0.5
Thighs	3	1.5
Intensity of pain
Easy	4	2.0
Moderate	96	47.5
Severe	102	50.5
Experience intense pains during a stressful period
No	51	25.2
Yes	151	74.8
Intensity of pain has reduced since the beginning of sexual life
No	169	83.7
Yes	33	16.3
Duration of pain
Few hours	29	14.4
One hour	52	25.7
Two days or more	121	59.9

Source: field data (2022).