Dysmenorrhea among Female Medical Students of Bayero University Kano

Background: Dysmenorrhea is the occurrence of painful menstruation of sufficient magnitude so as to incapacitate day-to-day activities and may require medication. It is one of the common complaints and often debilitating condition that affect women of reproductive age worldwide. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of dysmenorrhea among female medical students of Bayero university, Kano as well as to determine the socio-demographic characteristics and self-management strategies of dysmenorrhea employed by the female medical students. Methods: It was a cross sectional study conducted among female medical students of Bayero University Kano. Aself-administered questionnaire was used in extracting the data. Researcher met with students at their free time in the university hostels. The weight of each student was taken by an electronic personal scale CAMRY MODEL: EB9360 CERTIFIED BY SGS with maximum capacity of 150 kg. A pre-marked wall centimeter measurement was used to take the height of the students from the head to the heel. Results: Two hundred and seventeen (217) medical students were interviewed of which majority of the respondents 75.6% reported dysmenorrhea. The mean age of the respondents was 21.2 ± 2.29 years. The average age at menarche was 12.8 ± 1.12 years. Most respondents 92.1% were single, 81.6% of the respondents experienced regular menses while 54.8% of respondents had duration of menstrual flow between 6-8 days. Conclusion: Dysmenorrhea is a major cause of monthly discomfort among female medical students in Bayero University Kano, often associated with fatigue and nervousness.