Abstract

Background: Dysmenorrhea is a prevalent gynecological condition affecting a significant portion of the female population. The pain associated with dysmenorrhea can be severe and disruptive. There is limited evidence on their use. Objective: We assessed analgesics use for dysmenorrhea among female undergraduate students in Nigerian universities. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study among female undergraduate students. Data was collected using an adapted and validated questionnaire. Chi-Square was used to determine the differences in proportion. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Majority of the respondents (73.1%) were young adults and (84.4%) have a regular menstrual cycle, and experienced dysmenorrhea 1-2 times in six months (36.6%), with mild to moderate pain. The most common analgesic used was NSAIDs (61.9%). Most of the respondents (95.9%) obtained their analgesics from over-the-counter (OTC) source. The students chose analgesics because of their effectiveness (75.3%) as the major factor, cost and availability (33.4%). The p-value for the levels of study was 0.010. Conclusion: NSAIDs, followed by acetaminophen and herbal remedies were the most widely used analgesics for dysmenorrhea among the subjects. Their effectiveness and cost influenced their choice of the specific analgesic medication(s).

Keywords: Dysmenorrhea, Self-medication, Undergraduate, Public health, Medicine use, Nigeria