Tahir Amina, Naseer Bisal, Shafaq Fizza
Under Department of Pharmacology, MBBS, King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan.
BMC Womens Health. 2025 May 19;25(1):234. doi: 10.1186/s12905-025-03777-1.
Dysmenorrhea is a common gynecological complaint, affecting a significant percentage of menstruating women. The mainstay for the treatment of dysmenorrhea is NSAIDs and hormonal contraceptives while complementary and alternative therapies (CATs) are adjunct to it. This study investigates the perception of female medical students with dysmenorrhea towards the use of painkillers and CATs.
We conducted this cross-sectional study among female medical students of Lahore by circulating the Google Forms-based questionnaire. Correlation analysis and logistic regression were applied using SPSS and descriptive statistics were given in frequencies and percentages.
Out of 202 participants, 76.7%(n = 155) experienced dysmenorrhea. 46%(n = 93) of the respondents reported using painkillers; paracetamol being the most common. 68.8% (n = 139) used CATs; bed rest and hot compresses were most used. The most common reason for using painkillers was their effectiveness (61.6%), followed by availability (42.5%). For CATs, the reason of choice included to reduce the need for analgesic (58%) and safety (38.3%). About 40.1% of respondents believed CATs were less effective than painkillers. 84.1% agreed that long-term consumption of painkillers causes stomach ulcers or kidney damage. The factors that led to CATs not being preferred over painkillers included less information about them (33.7%), time-consuming (25.7%), and the concept of non-effectiveness (20.3%). Uni-variate logistic regression analysis showed that students with severe dysmenorrhea had higher odds of using painkillers as compared to the students who had mild dysmenorrhea. (OR: 6.319, 95% CI: 3.244-12.309, P = 0.000).
The prevalence of the use of CATs is high among female students as compared to painkillers and hormonal contraceptives (first-line). The reason for choosing CATs included reducing the need for analgesics, safety, and availability. Females should be encouraged to use the first-line therapies after consultation with doctors; for the effective management of dysmenorrhea and improvement of their quality of life.
痛经是一种常见的妇科问题，影响着相当比例的经期女性。痛经的主要治疗方法是使用非甾体抗炎药（NSAIDs）和激素避孕药，而补充和替代疗法（CATs）则作为辅助手段。本研究调查了患有痛经的女医学生对止痛药和补充与替代疗法的看法。
我们通过发放基于谷歌表单的问卷，对拉合尔的女医学生进行了这项横断面研究。使用SPSS进行相关性分析和逻辑回归，并以频率和百分比给出描述性统计结果。
在202名参与者中，76.7%（n = 155）经历过痛经。46%（n = 93）的受访者报告使用过止痛药；对乙酰氨基酚是最常用的。68.8%（n = 139）使用过补充与替代疗法；卧床休息和热敷是最常用的。使用止痛药的最常见原因是其有效性（61.6%），其次是可得性（42.5%）。对于补充与替代疗法，选择的原因包括减少对镇痛药的需求（58%）和安全性（38.3%）。约40.1%的受访者认为补充与替代疗法比止痛药效果差。84.1%的人同意长期服用止痛药会导致胃溃疡或肾损伤。导致补充与替代疗法不如止痛药受欢迎的因素包括对其了解较少（33.7%）、耗时（25.7%）以及无效的观念（20.3%）。单变量逻辑回归分析表明，与轻度痛经的学生相比，重度痛经的学生使用止痛药的几率更高。（比值比：6.319，95%置信区间：3.244 - 12.309，P = 0.000）。
与止痛药和激素避孕药（一线治疗方法）相比，补充与替代疗法在女学生中的使用 prevalence 较高。选择补充与替代疗法的原因包括减少对镇痛药的需求、安全性和可得性。应鼓励女性在咨询医生后使用一线治疗方法，以有效管理痛经并改善生活质量。
