SynthesisBMC women's health2026
Prevalence and associated factors of primary dysmenorrhea among women in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC women's health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- "We don't complain; it's just part of being a woman": frequency, knowledge, and sociocultural beliefs about dysmenorrhoea in a South African university cohort.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPrimary dysmenorrhea, painful menstruation without underlying pelvic pathology, is a prevalent gynecological issue affecting adolescents and young women. Despite its high burden in Sub-Saharan Africa, regional estimates of prevalence and associated factors remain limited. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize evidence on the prevalence and determinants of primary dysmenorrhea among women in Sub-Saharan Africa.
methodsA comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, HINARI, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and university repositories was conducted for studies published between 2008 and 2025. Cross-sectional studies reporting prevalence and/or associated factors of primary dysmenorrhea among SSA women were included. Data extraction and quality appraisal followed the Joanna Briggs Institute tools. Pooled prevalence and associations were estimated using random- or fixed-effects models in STATA 17, with heterogeneity assessed using I², Cochrane Q-test, and publication bias assessed using funnel plots, and Egger’s test.
resultsSixty-five studies with 28,813 participants from 12 Sub-Saharan African countries were analyzed. The pooled prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea was 73.49% (95% CI: 70.95–76.03). Significant predictors included family history of dysmenorrhea (OR = 5.20; 95% CI: 3.28–7.12), irregular menstrual cycles (OR = 2.57; 95% CI: 1.67–3.48), and short cycle length (< 21 days; OR = 3.31; 95% CI: 1.88–5.83), whereas sexual intercourse was associated with lower odds (OR = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.11–0.68). Subgroup analyses indicated variation across countries, and sensitivity analyses confirmed robustness.
conclusionPrimary dysmenorrhea affects nearly three-quarters of women in Sub-Saharan Africa and is influenced by family history of dysmenorrhea, irregular menstrual cycles, short cycle length, and sexual intercourse.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.