Survey study, 2010
How common is period pain in adolescent Asian girls and what does it affect?
Three-quarters of adolescent girls in Malaysia had period pain. It affected their concentration in class for over half, limited their social activities for half, caused about one in five to miss school, and caused poor school performance in one in eight.
What they did
Researchers asked 1092 girls from 15 secondary schools in Malaysia across three ethnic groups about period pain and how it affected their lives.
What they found
74.5% of girls who had started their period experienced period pain. Of those with pain: 51.7% said it affected their concentration at school, 50.2% said it limited their social activities, 21.5% said they missed school, and 12.0% said it caused poor school performance. Only 12.0% had seen a doctor about it, and 53.3% did nothing. The impact varied between ethnic groups.
What it means for you
Period pain is extremely common in teenage girls in Malaysia and significantly affects school and social life. Most girls do not see a doctor or take action. The main limit is that this only studied girls in Malaysia, so results may differ elsewhere.
74.5%
experienced period pain
51.7%
pain affected concentration in class
12.0%
had consulted a physician
About the study
- Original title
- Dysmenorrhea in a multiethnic population of adolescent Asian girls
- Authors
- Wong LP, Khoo EM
- Journal
- International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics
- Year
- 2010
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 1,092
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2009.09.018
Topics
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