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The Prevalence and Educational Impact of Pelvic and Menstrual Pain in Australia: A National Online Survey of 4202 Young Women Aged 13-25 Years.
J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2020 Oct; 33(5):511-518.JP

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To explore the prevalence and impact of dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain and menstrual symptoms on young women at school or in tertiary education.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Cross-sectional online survey in Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 4202 adolescent and young women (13-25 years of age; median age 17 years), having reached menarche, living in Australia and currently attending school (n = 2421) or tertiary education (n = 1781).

INTERVENTIONS

Online survey hosted by Qualtrics between November 2017 to January 2018. Data were collected on sociodemographic data, menstrual cycle characteristics, dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, and educational and social impact.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Information on menstrual and pelvic pain impact, academic absenteeism and presenteeism, impact on non-academic activities and interactions with teaching staff.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Dysmenorrhea was reported by 92% of respondents. Dysmenorrhea was moderate (median 6.0 on a 0-10 numeric rating scale) and pain severity stayed relatively constant with age [rs(3804) = 0.012, P = .477]. Noncyclical pelvic pain at least once a month was reported by 55%. Both absenteeism and presenteeism related to menstruation were common. Just under half of women reported missing at least one class/lecture in the previous three menstrual cycles. The majority of young women at school (77%) and in tertiary education (70%) reported problems with classroom concentration during menstruation. Higher menstrual pain scores were strongly correlated with increased absenteeism and reduced classroom performance at both school and in tertiary education. Despite the negative impact on academic performance the majority of young women at school (60%) or tertiary education (83%) would not speak to teaching staff about menstruation.

Links

Publisher Full Text (DOI)

Authors+Show Affiliations

Armour M
NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia; Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: m.armour@westernsydney.edu.au.
Ferfolja T
Centre for Educational Research, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
Curry C
Centre for Educational Research, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
Hyman MS
NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia; Department of Sociology/Anthropology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT, USA.
Parry K
NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
Chalmers KJ
School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia; IIMPACT in Health, University of South Australia, SA, Australia.
Smith CA
NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia; Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
MacMillan F
Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia; School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
Holmes K
Centre for Educational Research, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.

MeSH

AbsenteeismAdolescentAdolescent HealthAdultAustraliaCross-Sectional StudiesDysmenorrheaEducational StatusFemaleHumansPrevalenceSeverity of Illness IndexSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung Adult

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

32544516

Citation

Armour, Mike, et al. "The Prevalence and Educational Impact of Pelvic and Menstrual Pain in Australia: a National Online Survey of 4202 Young Women Aged 13-25 Years." Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, vol. 33, no. 5, 2020, pp. 511-518.
Armour M, Ferfolja T, Curry C, et al. The Prevalence and Educational Impact of Pelvic and Menstrual Pain in Australia: A National Online Survey of 4202 Young Women Aged 13-25 Years. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2020;33(5):511-518.
Armour, M., Ferfolja, T., Curry, C., Hyman, M. S., Parry, K., Chalmers, K. J., Smith, C. A., MacMillan, F., & Holmes, K. (2020). The Prevalence and Educational Impact of Pelvic and Menstrual Pain in Australia: A National Online Survey of 4202 Young Women Aged 13-25 Years. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 33(5), 511-518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpag.2020.06.007
Armour M, et al. The Prevalence and Educational Impact of Pelvic and Menstrual Pain in Australia: a National Online Survey of 4202 Young Women Aged 13-25 Years. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2020;33(5):511-518. PubMed PMID: 32544516.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - The Prevalence and Educational Impact of Pelvic and Menstrual Pain in Australia: A National Online Survey of 4202 Young Women Aged 13-25 Years. AU - Armour,Mike, AU - Ferfolja,Tania, AU - Curry,Christina, AU - Hyman,Mikayla S, AU - Parry,Kelly, AU - Chalmers,K Jane, AU - Smith,Caroline A, AU - MacMillan,Freya, AU - Holmes,Kathryn, Y1 - 2020/06/13/ PY - 2020/02/13/received PY - 2020/04/21/revised PY - 2020/06/08/accepted PY - 2020/6/17/pubmed PY - 2020/12/17/medline PY - 2020/6/17/entrez KW - Absenteeism KW - Dysmenorrhea KW - Education KW - Pelvic pain KW - Presenteeism SP - 511 EP - 518 JF - Journal of pediatric and adolescent gynecology JO - J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol VL - 33 IS - 5 N2 - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To explore the prevalence and impact of dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain and menstrual symptoms on young women at school or in tertiary education. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional online survey in Australia. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 4202 adolescent and young women (13-25 years of age; median age 17 years), having reached menarche, living in Australia and currently attending school (n = 2421) or tertiary education (n = 1781). INTERVENTIONS: Online survey hosted by Qualtrics between November 2017 to January 2018. Data were collected on sociodemographic data, menstrual cycle characteristics, dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, and educational and social impact. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Information on menstrual and pelvic pain impact, academic absenteeism and presenteeism, impact on non-academic activities and interactions with teaching staff. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Dysmenorrhea was reported by 92% of respondents. Dysmenorrhea was moderate (median 6.0 on a 0-10 numeric rating scale) and pain severity stayed relatively constant with age [rs(3804) = 0.012, P = .477]. Noncyclical pelvic pain at least once a month was reported by 55%. Both absenteeism and presenteeism related to menstruation were common. Just under half of women reported missing at least one class/lecture in the previous three menstrual cycles. The majority of young women at school (77%) and in tertiary education (70%) reported problems with classroom concentration during menstruation. Higher menstrual pain scores were strongly correlated with increased absenteeism and reduced classroom performance at both school and in tertiary education. Despite the negative impact on academic performance the majority of young women at school (60%) or tertiary education (83%) would not speak to teaching staff about menstruation. SN - 1873-4332 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/32544516/The_Prevalence_and_Educational_Impact_of_Pelvic_and_Menstrual_Pain_in_Australia:_A_National_Online_Survey_of_4202_Young_Women_Aged_13_25_Years_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -