Table 1.
Socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits and the menstrual pattern of the study participants (N = 550)
| Characteristic | n (%)a | Dysmenorrhea | Pc | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No n = 105 (19.1%)b |
Yes n = 445 (80.9%)b |
|||
| Academic specialization | 0.003d | |||
| Medical | 275 (50) | 39 (14.2) | 236 (85.8) | |
| Non-medical | 275 (50) | 66 (24) | 209 (76) | |
| Academic level | 0.46 | |||
| Undergraduate | 478 (86.9) | 89 (18.6) | 389 (81.4) | |
| Postgraduate | 72 (13.1) | 16 (22.3) | 56 (77.7) | |
| Age (mean = 21.82, SD = ± 2.77, range = 18–30) | 0.11 | |||
| 18–24 | 463 (84.2) | 83 (17.9) | 380 (82.1) | |
| > 25 | 87 (15.8) | 22 (25.2) | 65 (74.8) | |
| BMI category (Kg/m2, mean = 22.2, SD = ± 3.38, range = 15.2–37.5) | 0.21 | |||
| Underweight (< 18.5) | 59 (10.7) | 7 (11.8) | 52 (88.2) | |
| Normal weight (18.5–24.9) | 394 (71.6) | 84 (21.3) | 310 (78.7) | |
| Overweight (25–29.9) | 78 (14.2) | 11 (14.1) | 67 (85.9) | |
| Obese (≥ 30) | 19 (3.5) | 3 (15.8) | 16 (84.2) | |
| Marital status | 0.01 | |||
| Single | 514 (93.5) | 92 (17.9) | 422 (82.1) | |
| Married | 36 (6.5) | 13 (36.1) | 23 (63.9) | |
| Parity | < 0.001d | |||
| No | 522 (94.9) | 93 (17.8) | 429 (82.2) | |
| Yes | 28 (5.1) | 12 (42.8) | 16 (57.2) | |
| Smoke | 0.21 | |||
| No | 413 (75.1) | 84 (20.3) | 329 (79.7) | |
| Yes | 137 (24.9) | 21 (15.3) | 116 (84.7) | |
| Alcohol | 0.84 | |||
| No | 502 (91.3) | 95 (18.9) | 407 (81.1) | |
| Yes | 48 (8.7) | 10 (20.8) | 38 (79.2) | |
| Family history of dysmenorrhea | < 0.001d | |||
| No | 262 (47.6) | 73 (27.8) | 189 (72.2) | |
| Yes | 288 (52.4) | 32 (11.2) | 256 (88.8) | |
| History of weight loss attempt within the last year | 0.001d | |||
| No | 251 (45.6) | 63 (25.1) | 188 (74.9) | |
| Yes | 299 (54.4) | 42 (14) | 257 (86) | |
| Exercise (mean time = 1.32 h/week, SD = ± 2.55, range = 0–21) | 0.01d | |||
| No | 295 (53.6) | 55 (18.6) | 240 (81.4) | |
| Once to twice weekly | 158 (28.7) | 32 (20.2) | 126 (79.8) | |
| Three to four times weekly | 63 (11.5) | 8 (12.7) | 55 (87.3) | |
| Five to six times weekly | 18 (3.3) | 2 (11.2) | 16 (88.8) | |
| On daily basis | 16 (2.9) | 8 (50) | 8 (50) | |
| Menarcheal age (mean = 12.35 years, SD = ± 1.34) | 0.32 | |||
| 9–11 (early onset) | 129 (23.5) | 20 (15.5) | 109 (84.5) | |
| 12–14 (Normative onset) | 395 (71.8) | 80 (20.2) | 315(79.8) | |
| 15–16 (Late onset) | 26 (4.7) | 5 (19.2) | 21 (80.8) | |
| Period regularity | 0.43 | |||
| Irregular | 77 (14) | 12 (15.5) | 65 (84.5) | |
| Regular | 473 (86) | 93 (19.6) | 380 (80.4) | |
| Menstrual cycle length (mean = 28.52 days, SD = ± 3.51, range = 20–45) | 0.09 | |||
| 21–35 days | 520 (94.5) | 103 (19.8) | 417 (80.2) | |
| < 21 or > 35 days | 30 (5.5) | 2 (6.6) | 28 (93.4) | |
| Length of menstrual flow (mean = 6.04 days, SD = ± 1.35, range = 2–14) | 0.56 | |||
| Normal (3–7 days) | 504 (91.6) | 98 (19.4) | 406 (80.6) | |
| Abnormal (< 3 or > 7 days) | 46 (8.4) | 7 (15.2) | 39 (80.8) | |
| The intensity of menstrual blood flow | < 0.001* | |||
| Light | 31 (5.6) | 13 (41.9) | 18 (58.1) | |
| Moderate | 412 (74.9) | 86 (20.8) | 326 (79.1) | |
| Heavy | 107 (19.5) | 6 (5.6) | 101 (94.4) | |
BMI body mass index, SD standard deviation
aPercentages for the columns
bPercentages for the row
cUnivariate analysis was conducted to test the associations between variables with PD
dStatistically significant (P < 0.05)