Perimenstrual Complaints of the Nursing Students

Purpose: The study was planned to determine the frequency of perimenstrual symptoms and factors effecting it in female students who were having education in Istanbul University Florence Nightingale College of Nursing.

Method: A 21-item questionnaire was developed by the researchers in order to evaluate the personel characteristics and premenstrual symptoms of the students. JW Taylor’s 17 item “A Daily Menstrual Symptom Rating Scale” was used to evaluate the complaints during menstruation and the validity and reliability of the scale was tested.

Results: The mean age of menarche was 13.46±1.32. The most common premenstrual complaints they experienced were sweet cravings, abdominal and groin pain, irritability-anger, lower back pain and acne, respectively. Complaints during menstruation were abdominal distension, abdominal and hip pain, breast distension/swelling and tenderness, to get angry easily and tension. The frequency of dysmenorrhea was found 81.8% and mean menstruation duration was found 5.09±1,29 days in this study. It was determined that menstrual pain effected the activities of daily life in 57.4 % of the students in our study, 33.5% of them couldn’t go out and 31.9% couldn’t go to school/work for this reason. Smoking students experienced more severe complaints before and during menstruation. Also, students from low economic status had more severe complaints during menstruation.

Conclusion: In conclusion it was determined that students experienced many complaints in the perimenstrual period and their daily life was effected negatively in this study.