Dysmenorrhea is a common menstrual health issue affecting women of reproductive age, particularly female students. Although widely studied in Nigeria, limited data exists on the perceived effectiveness of self-management strategies among health science students. A group whose unique academic demands may influence their coping practices, future clinical decision-making, and patient education. This study aimed to investigate the severity and self-management of dysmenorrhea among female health science students in Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional design and stratified sampling technique to select responses based on a calculated sample size of respondents. A total of 240 respondents participated in the study. A semi-structured and pretested questionnaire was used for the data collection. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, and mean statistics. The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was high (83.3%) with about half experiencing dysmenorrhea every menstrual cycle. The affected respondents were found to experience mild pain (44.5%), moderate to severe (41%), and very severe pain (11%). Severity was associated with fatigue, diarrhea, nausea, headache, vomiting, and lower abdomen pain. This study also revealed the use of a combination of rest, diet, heat therapy, and over-the-counter medications as self-management strategies, however, rest was perceived to be the most effective measure. In addition, the study revealed that despite the high prevalence of dysmenorrhea, many respondents (65%) did not seek medical advice. This study highlights that dysmenorrhea is a gynecological condition that remains high among female students. Hence, a need to break the silence surrounding menstrual health through open discussions, support, improved healthcare access and education to enhance the well-being, and academic success of female health science students.
Esan et al. (Wed,) studied this question.