Primary dysmenorrhea and body mass index in young women

The sample of the current cross-sectional descriptive study consisted of a total of 366 young women who were students at Istanbul University Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Bakirkoy College of Health. Data were collected using a questionnaire and by measuring the young women's heights and weights. In order to investigate the relationship between BMI and primary dysmenorrhea, BMI values were categorized into three groups according to the criteria defined by the World Health Organization (WHO): underweight, normal, and overweight. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, t-test, correlation and odds ratio. The majority of the young women in the current study (97%) were between the ages of 18 and 24 years with a menarche age of approximately 13 years. Seventy-seven percent of the young women had regular menstrual cycles every 27 days with each period lasting 6 days. Eighty-eight and a half percent of the young women mentioned experiencing dysmenorrhea either occasionally or with every period, while this ratio was 68.2% for family members. The ratio of young women in the current study experiencing primary dysmenorrhea according to the primary dysmenorrhea criteria was 64.2%. Among those who have been experiencing primary dysmenorrhea, 48.1% mentioned that they start having pain 24 hours prior to their period, and 53.6% stated that the pain subsides within 24 hours from the start of their period. The level of pain was determined to be moderate for 63.5% of the young women with primary dysmenorrhea when evaluated using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The participants' average weight was approximately 58 kg, average height was approximately 162 cm, and BMI was approximately 22 kg/m2. There was no significant relationship between primary dysmenorrhea and BMI among the participants (p = 0.121; x2 = 4.220). However, comparison of weights and heights of the participants with the frequency of experiencing primary dysmenorrhea revealed that the young women with primary dysmenorrhea were 1 cm taller than those without, which was statistically significant (p = 0.048). Evaluation of the relationship between primary dysmenorrhea and the BMI groups, categorized as underweight/non-underweight, normal/abnormal, and overweight/non-overweight, revealed that there was statistically significant difference between the underweight and non-underweight groups, the former experiencing primary dysmenorrhea more frequently (p = 0.028). Bearing in mind that a BMI value below 20 is regarded as a risk factor for primary dysmenorrhea, participants with a BMI value below 20 kg/m2 experienced dysmenorrhea (p = 0.010) and primary dysmenorrhea (p = 0.016) more frequently than those with a BMI value above 20 kg/m2. In conclusion, nurses and healthcare personnel providing care to young individuals should be aware of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment methods for treating dysmenorrhea and primary dysmenorrhea. In addition, young women should be informed of the importance of a balanced diet and normal BMI when coping with dysmenorrhea. Dysmenorrhea and primary dysmenorrhea are very common in young women, and should be included more in textbooks and the media. Keywords: young women, primary dysmenorrhea, body weight, body height, body mass index.