Diagnosis and treatment of primary dysmenorrhea

Abstract

Dysmenorrhea is defined as a cramping pain in the lower abdominal area related to menstruation and categorized into two types; primary and secondary. Primary dysmenorrhea is defined as painful menses with normal ovulatory cycles and without pelvic lesion. While, secondary dysmenorrhea is defined as severe dysmenorrhea that does not respond to medication and requires appropriate diagnosis of possible pelvic abnormalities. Severe dysmenorrhea adversely affects quality of life and daily activities for women in reproductive age. Therefore, health care providers should be more seriously engaged with providing appropriate management options for symptomatic relief of dysmenorrhea. The options include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), combined oral contraceptive pill (OCP), and dietary supplements. In addition, there are some simple, safe and effective non-medical approaches to reduce dysmenorrhea symptoms such as local application of heat and exercise.