Tsonis Orestis, Gkrozou Fani, Barmpalia Zoi, Makopoulou Annamaria, Siafaka Vassiliki
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospitals of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Int J Womens Health. 2021 Mar 17;13:327-336. doi: 10.2147/IJWH.S264023. eCollection 2021.
This narrative review aims to identify alternative ways to improve the symptoms of primary dysmenorrhea (PD).
PD refers to endometrial painful cramps during the premenstrual period. This condition affects a lot of women worldwide and is accompanied with absenteeism and high economic costs, thus, risk-free, and effective therapeutic approaches are needed. Pharmacological agents such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and oral contraceptive pills (OCPs), which are widely prescribed for these women, demonstrate adequate efficacy in alleviating pain and discomfort. The long natural course of the disease dictates remedies that focus on lifestyle changes and on improvement of Quality-of-Life (QoL) for women suffering with PD.
Five major search engines, namely MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched for articles published prior to October 2020 focused in PD. A total of 74 paper were included.
Physical activity, for instance yoga, aromatherapy massage, and other forms of relaxation, vitamins and dietary changes, acupressure and acupuncture,a and some psychological interventions are just few of the proposed health behavior targeted approaches in cases of PD. This review focuses on lifestyle changes and alternative methods that could potentially result in minimizing symptoms of PD and in improving overall QoL for these patients, by providing current scientific evidence on their efficacy.
Complementary and alternative medicine practices (CAM) are widely accepted by women. International literature provides controversial scientific evidence, thus further studies need to be conducted in order to prove or disregard their efficacy in cases of PD.
本叙述性综述旨在确定改善原发性痛经（PD）症状的替代方法。
PD是指月经前期子宫内膜疼痛性痉挛。这种情况影响着全球众多女性，并伴有旷工和高昂的经济成本，因此，需要无风险且有效的治疗方法。非甾体抗炎药（NSAIDs）和口服避孕药（OCPs）等药物被广泛开给这些女性，在缓解疼痛和不适方面显示出足够的疗效。该疾病漫长的自然病程决定了治疗方法应侧重于生活方式的改变以及改善患有PD的女性的生活质量（QoL）。
在五个主要搜索引擎，即MEDLINE、PubMed、EMBASE和Cochrane图书馆中搜索2020年10月之前发表的聚焦于PD的文章。共纳入74篇论文。
体育活动，如瑜伽、芳香疗法按摩和其他形式的放松、维生素和饮食改变、指压和针灸，以及一些心理干预只是针对PD提出的少数健康行为靶向方法。本综述侧重于生活方式的改变和替代方法，这些方法可能通过提供关于其疗效的当前科学证据，来减轻PD症状并改善这些患者的整体QoL。
补充和替代医学实践（CAM）被女性广泛接受。国际文献提供了有争议的科学证据，因此需要进行进一步研究以证明或否定其在PD病例中的疗效。
