Menstrual management and the impact of primary dysmenorrhea intensity on quality of life: A cross-sectional study in Chilean women

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Published on 15 de mayo de 2025 | http://doi.org/10.5867/medwave.2025.04.3013

Menstrual management and the impact of primary dysmenorrhea intensity on quality of life: A cross-sectional study in Chilean women

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Distribution according to overall intensity of perceived menstrual pain.

Dimensions			Overall intensity of perceived menstrual pain				Pearson’s chi-square p value
			Mild/moderate		Severe/extreme
			(n = 165)		(n = 227)
			n	%	n	%
Rest and quality of life related to menstrual health
Rest		Little/no effect	61	37.0%	15	6.6%	< 0.001
		Regularly affected	56	33.9%	64	28.2%
		Quite a lot/very much affected	48	29.1%	148	65.2%
Mobility		I have no problems walking	74	44.8%	47	20.7%	< 0.001
		I have some problems walking	66	40.0%	53	23.3%
		I have to stay in bed	25	15.2%	127	55.9%
Personal care		I have no problems washing or dressing myself	110	66.7%	81	35.7%	< 0.001
		I have some problems washing or dressing myself	43	26.1%	68	30.0%
		I am unable to wash or dress myself	12	7.3%	78	34.4%
Daily activities		I have no problems performing my usual activities	72	43.6%	19	8.4%	< 0.001
		I have some problems performing my usual activities	74	44.8%	77	33.9%
		I am unable to perform my usual activities	19	11.5%	131	57.7%
Discomfort		I have no discomfort	27	16.4%	1	0.4%	< 0.001
		I have moderate discomfort	56	33.9%	25	11.0%
		I have severe discomfort	82	49.7%	201	88.5%
Anxiety/depression		I am not anxious or depressed	44	26.7%	27	11.9%	< 0.001
		I am moderately anxious or depressed	60	36.4%	46	20.3%
		I am very anxious or depressed	61	37.0%	154	67.8%
Presenteeism
Dimension: avoid distraction	Q.1 Menstrual pain makes it harder for me to cope with the stress of household chores. work. or study.	Disagree/strongly disagree	31	18.8%	7	3.1%	< 0.001
		Indifferent	53	32.1%	56	24.7%
		Agree/strongly agree	81	49.1%	164	72.2%
	Q.3 Menstrual pain has prevented me from enjoying my work/study.	Disagree/strongly disagree	38	23.0%	10	4.4%	< 0.001
		Indifferent	44	26.7%	39	17.2%
		Agree/strongly agree	83	50.3%	178	78.4%
	Q.4 I feel discouraged from completing some work/study activities because of my menstrual pain.	Disagree/strongly disagree	30	18.2%	9	4.0%	< 0.001
		Indifferent	42	25.5%	33	14.5%
		Agree/strongly agree	93	56.4%	185	81.5%
Dimension: task completion	Q.2 Despite menstrual pain. I was able to complete my usual tasks.	Agree/strongly agree	1	0.6%	16	7.0%	< 0.001
		Indifferent	29	17.6%	98	43.2%
		Disagree/strongly disagree	135	81.8%	113	49.8%
	Q.5 Despite menstrual pain. I was able to concentrate on achieving my goals.	Agree/strongly agree	25	15.2%	29	12.8%	< 0.001
		Indifferent	38	23.0%	38	16.7%
		Disagree/strongly disagree	102	61.8%	148	65.2%
	Q.6 Despite menstrual pain. I felt energetic enough to complete my usual tasks.	Agree/strongly agree	19	11.5%	9	4.0%	< 0.001
		Indifferent	51	30.9%	43	18.9%
		Disagree/strongly disagree	95	57.6%	175	77.1%
Sexual function
Arousal and desire	How often do you feel sexually aroused during your menstrual period?	Almost always/always	17	10.3%	9	4.0%	0.682
		Sometimes	31	18.8%	47	20.7%
		Never/almost never	117	70.9%	171	75.3%
	How often do you want to engage in sexual activity with your partner during your menstrual period?	Not applicable (no partner in the last 6 months)	30	18.2%	44	19.4%	< 0.001
		Almost always/always	56	33.9%	49	21.6%
		Sometimes	35	21.2%	39	17.2%
		Never/almost never	44	26.7%	95	41.9%
	How often do you maintain your desire for self-exploration during menstruation?	Not applicable (never practiced)	51	30.9%	64	28.2%	0.129
		Almost always/always	48	29.1%	58	25.6%
		Sometimes	18	10.9%	27	11.9%
		Never/almost never	48	29.1%	78	34.4%
Orgasm	How often do you have an orgasm with a partner during your period?	Not applicable (no partner/does not practice during menstruation)	65	39.4%	107	47.1%	0.006
		Almost always/always	65	39.4%	53	23.3%
		Sometimes	18	10.9%	41	18.1%
		Never/almost never	17	10.3%	26	11.5%
	How often do you have an orgasm through self-stimulation during your period?	Not applicable (never practices/does not practice during menstruation)	66	40.0%	81	35.7%	0.022
		Almost always/always	59	35.8%	63	27.8%
		Sometimes	20	12.1%	32	14.1%
		Never/almost never	22	13.3%	49	21.6%
Satisfaction	How often do you maintain enjoyment or pleasure in your sex life with your partner during your menstrual period?	Not applicable (no partner/does not practice during menstruation)	65	39.4%	107	47.1%	0.075
		Almost always/always	79	47.9%	84	37.0%
		Sometimes	13	7.9%	24	10.6%
		Never/almost never	8	4.8%	12	5.3%
	How often, compared to the rest of the month? Do you experience pain during sexual activity with your partner?	Not applicable (no partner/does not practice during menstruation)	65	39.4%	107	47.1%	0.003
		Never/almost never	67	40.6%	58	25.6%
		Sometimes	19	11.5%	38	16.7%
		Almost always/always	14	8.5%	24	10.6%
	How often do you feel sexually and emotionally misunderstood by your partner because of your menstrual pain?	Not applicable (no partner in the last 6 months)	30	18.2%	44	19.4%	0.011
		Never/almost never	103	62.4%	108	47.6%
		Sometimes	16	9.7%	50	22.0%
		Almost always/always	16	9.7%	25	11.0%

Notes: Data linked to variables related to rest, quality of life related to menstrual health, presenteeism, and sexual function (n = 392). Pearson’s chi-square p value for sexual function.

Source: Prepared by the authors using the compiled data.