Prevalence of dysmenorrhea and associated factors and its effect on daily academic activities among female undergraduate students of Hawassa University College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa, Ethiopia.

Background: Dysmenorrhea is pain during menstrual flow and is the most common gynecologic complaint in reproductive-age girls. The severity of dysmenorrhea ranges from mild to severe pain during menstruation, which affects their academic activities. Objective: To assess the prevalence and associated risk factors of dysmenorrhea and its effects on academic activities among Hawassa University students from April 1-30/2021. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted and a systematic random sampling technique was used to select 348 study participants. Standardized self-administered questionnaires were used to obtain relevant data. The severity of pain was assessed using a verbal multidimensional scoring system and Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) methods. The collected data was entered into Epi info version 7 and exported to SPSS version 21 for analysis and then descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were performed. Results: The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 80% (277). Of those affected by dysmenorrhea, using the verbal multidimensional scoring system, 47.6% (132) were found to have mild pain, 39.7% (110) had moderate pain, and 12.6% (35) had severe pain. However, using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), 21.7% (60) were found to have mild pain, 33.2% (92) had moderate pain, 37.5% (104) had severe pain, and 7.6% (21) had very severe pain. It was found to have a negative effect on academic activity, such as loss of concentration in class ( Conclusion: Dysmenorrhea is prevalent in this study and has a significant impact on academic activities. Family history of dysmenorrhea, being sexually active, and the presence of depression are associated factors.