Self care practices among adolescent females during dysmenorrhea at umm al qura university

Background: Dysmenorrhea refers to the symptom of painful menstruation. It can be divided into 2 broad categories: primary (occurring in the absence of pelvic pathology) and secondary (resulting from identifiable organic diseases). About 88% of adolescents with dysmenorrhea experience their first painful menstruation within the first 2 years after menarche. The consequences of untreated primary dysmenorrhea range from school absenteeism to disruption of relationships with family and friends. The aim of this study was to assess self care practices among adolescent females during dysmenorrhea at Umm Al Qura University. Subjects and Methods: A descriptive design was used. The present study was conducted at 2 faculties at Umm Al-Qura University (Faculty of Nursing and faculty of applied medical sciences).A convenient sample of 150-second year students enrolled in the above mentioned settings in the range of age 17-21 years was recruited. A self-administered questionnaire was developed by the researchers. Results: most of adolescent females suffered from dysmenorrhea (88.6%). A large proportion of adolescent females either performed incomplete or wrong practices during menstrual pain (34.0%, 24.7%) respectively. In addition, father and mother's education of 56.2% and 53.0% respectively of females who have correct practices is university or above. Moreover, correct practices increased with small family size, 81.5% of females with small family size (3-5) had correct practices. Conclusion and Recommendations: It can be concluded that a considerable proportion of adolescent females either performed incomplete or wrong practices during the pain. It is recommended to develop continuous health education programs regarding menstruation in the school that give students age- appropriate information about menstruation and its problems.