Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40242920›Full record

SynthesisInternational health2025

Burden, impacts and management practices of dysmenorrhea among female students in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Bikila Balis, Ibsa Musa, Lemma Demissie Regassa, Deribe Bekele Dachasa, Fethia Mohammed, Abera Cheru, Eptisam Mohammed, Dureti Abdurahman, Alemayehu Deressa, Magarsa Lami and 1 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Bikila BalisSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar town, Harari Regional State, Ethiopia.
Ibsa MusaSchool of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar town, Harari Regional State, Ethiopia.
Lemma Demissie RegassaSchool of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar town, Harari Regional State, Ethiopia.
Deribe Bekele DachasaSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar town, Harari Regional State, Ethiopia.
Fethia MohammedDepartment of Psychiatry, School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar town, Harari Regional State, Ethiopia.
Abera CheruSchool of Environmental Health Science, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar town, Harari Regional State, Ethiopia.
Eptisam MohammedSchool of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar town, Harari Regional State, Ethiopia.
Dureti AbdurahmanSchool of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar town, Harari Regional State, Ethiopia.
Alemayehu DeressaSchool of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar town, Harari Regional State, Ethiopia.
Magarsa LamiSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar town, Harari Regional State, Ethiopia.ORCID 0000-0002-2871-9450
Usmael JibroSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar town, Harari Regional State, Ethiopia.ORCID 0000-0003-2798-9392

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Dysmenorrhea is a public health problem worldwide, and affects more than half of reproductive-age females in Ethiopia. Despite dysmenorrhea having being studied, this has not covered the impacts and management of dysmenorrhea. Therefore, this review aimed at critically appraising, synthesizing and presenting the evidence on the burden, impacts and management methods of dysmenorrhea among females in Ethiopia. International databases (SCOPUS, CINAHL, CAB Abstract, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, Google and Google Scholar) and lists of references were employed to search literature in Ethiopia. The overall burden of dysmenorrhea was presented using a random-effects model for the reported proportion by forest plot using STATA version 18. The heterogeneity of the studies was determined using p=0.05 for I2 statistics. In addition, sensitivity analyses were performed to examine the stability of pooled values in the presence of outliers. Furthermore, Egger's regression test and funnel plot were performed to check for potential publication bias. A total of 20 studies and a population of 8713 were included in the review. The overall burden of dysmenorrhea among females was 73% (95% CI 68 to 77%), with I2=96.04. Psychological problems (59.9%), poor concentration (42.3%) and absenteeism from the class (41.3%) were the common impacts of dysmenorrhea, and bed rest (54%), use of painkillers (41.5%) and hot drinks (41.3%) were commonly practiced treatments by participants. Around three out of four females experienced dysmenorrhea. Enhancing social support may reduce stress; and behavioral interventions such as mind-body awareness and relaxation training are believed to help decrease the risk of depression by alleviating dysmenorrhea. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapy have played a crucial role in its management. But the literature offers controversial scientific proof, and imply that high-quality trials are needed to make conclusive recommendations for better management methods of dysmenorrhea.

Indexed as

Cost of IllnessDysmenorrheaStudentsAdolescentEthiopiaFemaleHumansYoung AdultdysmenorrheaEthiopiafemalesmeta-analysissystematic review

Identifiers

PMID40242920
PMCPMC12406797

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.