Effect of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing on intensity of primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized controlled trial

A common disorder among women during reproductive age is dysmenorrhea. It has a chronic cyclic nature and a positive association with psychological distress. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of desensitization based on eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) on dysmenorrhea intensity. A randomized controlled trial comprising 88 female university students randomly divided in two groups of intervention (EMDR therapy for two 60-min sessions, and control) was conducted based on the balanced blocks randomization method. The main outcome assessed was intensity of dysmenorrhea. Other outcomes were menstrual pain duration, menstrual distress, and the need to take analgesics. All outcomes were assessed at three time points (before intervention, and one and two months after the intervention). Data were evaluated using analysis of variance for repeated measures, Cochran test, and McNemar test (at p < .05). Repeated measures ANOVA–ANCOVA analysis indicated that EMDR significantly reduced dysmenorrhea intensity in the intervention group compared to controls at both follow-ups (p < 0.001), with a large group-by-time interaction effect (F = 16.99, p < 0.001). Pain duration also decreased significantly at the second two-month follow-up (p = 0.003). Menstrual phase distress showed marked improvements post-intervention (p < 0.001). The need to take analgesics was also reduced for participants in EMDR group compared to control group (p < .001). These findings suggest EMDR is effective in alleviating key dysmenorrhea symptoms, particularly pain intensity, menstrual phase-specific distress, and the need to take analgesics. Iranian Center of Clinical Trials registration with reference code of IRCT20180823040851N1 in 06-10-2018.