This study aimed to evaluate the factors related to the severity of menstrual pain in Turkish women with primary dysmenorrhea (PD). The study included 504 women with PD aged 18 years or older. A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), a self-developed structured questionnaire, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) were used to measure outcomes. Multiple multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors related to the severity of menstrual pain. In this model, categorical menstrual pain severity levels (mild, moderate, and severe) were considered as dependent variables and the category of "severe menstrual pain" was determined as the reference category. p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The individuals were divided into 3 groups according to their VAS scores: mild-pain group (n = 132, 26.19%), moderate-pain group (n = 189, 37.50%), and severe-pain group (n = 183, 36.30%). BMI increase (OR = 1.10 and OR = 1.09), decreased chocolate consumption (OR = 1.88), menstruation duration (OR = 2.48) and menstrual pain duration (OR = 1.33 and OR = 1.61), and increased physical activity level (OR = 1.10) were found to increase the tendency to have less severe pain. The positive family history (OR = 0.35), a decrease in the age of menarche (OR = 0.47), the presence of irregular menstruation (OR = 0.36), and decreased quality of life (OR = 0.98 for NHP pain and emotional reaction) were found to be associated with a reduced likelihood of less severe pain (p < 0.05). In Turkey as well as in the rest of the world, PD is an important public health problem and many factors are associated with menstrual pain in Turkish women.
Keywords: Dysmenorrhea; Menarche; Menstrual pain; Menstrual problems; Pain intensity.