Dysmenorrhea (Period Pain) and its Impact on the Health-Related Quality of Life of Adolescent Girls Seminar

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Dysmenorrhea, or period-related pelvic pain, is a highly prevalent complaint among adolescent girls. Previous research has shown that up to 92% of girls (<18 years) report some form of menstrual pain, which is often poorly managed. Although evidence suggests that dysmenorrhea can have a profound negative impact on many aspects of adolescents’ lives, research on this topic is still in its infancy. The findings from a systematic review have highlighted the need for further, methodologically rigorous research investigating the impact of dysmenorrhea on the lives of young girls and their families here in the UK. Therefore, the current thesis aims to investigate the impact of dysmenorrhea on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of English adolescent girls. Qualitative explorations of dysmenorrhea from the perspectives of adolescents and their mothers show that dysmenorrhea can have a profound, negative impact on all aspects of HRQoL including physical, psychological, social and school functioning, and well-being. Finally, a quantitative study is currently being carried out to investigate what psychosocial (pain coping-strategies, somatisation) factors predict quality of life outcomes in adolescents experiencing dysmenorrhea of varying severities.