STATUS OF DYSMENORRHEA AND MENSTRUAL HYGIENE AMONG WOMEN RESIDING IN AN URBAN SLUM AT PATNA DISTRICT
Abstract
Introduction: Dysmenorrhea or painful menstruation is defined as painful cramps that begin a few hours before the onset of bleeding and may persist for hours or days. It may be either primary (occurs typically between 17 and 22 years of age) when there It is commonly associated with associated symptoms such as lower back pain, nausea, vomiting, headache, diarrhea, and fatigue. The cause of primary dysmenorrhea has yet to be established.
Material and Method: A cross sectional study was carried out for six months from March 2017 to September 2017 at the Shastri nagar slum near the Urban Health and training centre (UHTC) under the department of community medicine of IGIMS Patna. The study units were women of reproductive age group of 18 to 45 years. The sample size was selected by convienient sampling technique. A total 400 female were included in the study. A house to house survey was done for twice a week for six months. All women of reproductive age group who gave verbal consent to participate in the study were included in the study and those female who showed non co-operative attitude or un-willingness to participate were excluded.
Result: A total of 65 % of the women had dysmenorrhoea during their menstrual cycle about 60 % of the women had irregular cycle where as regular cycle was seen in 40% of the female.
Conclusion:Women should be educated about the indications of disease, signs of disease, cause and impact of the disease and also on when and where to seek healthcare.
Key words: Dysmenorrhea, Menstrual cycle, Irregular cycle, Menstrual hygiene, Urban slum, Patna District
