RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Determine prevalence and intensity of primary dysmenorrhea in a sample of French women and assess impact on daily life and Quality of Life, care pathway and pain management METHODS: This cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted from December 19th2018 through January 10th2019 among a representative sample of 3001 French women aged 16 to 50. RESULTS: 2375 women (79%) reported having pain during menstruation, currently or in the past. 52% reported being currently affected, 27% had been affected in the past and 21% never suffered. Among younger women under 24, 66% reported current dysmenorrhea. Mean rating of pain intensity, evaluated on a visual analog scale from 0 to 10, was 6 + 1.9 in women presently having dysmenorrhea and 42% reported rating between 7 and 10. The impact on daily life was strong and there was a significant reduction of SF-36 scores in women experiencing dysmenorrhea. Among the 79% of women affected by dysmenorrhea, (current or past) 53% never used any medication and respectively 58% and 66% never sought medical advice. CONCLUSION: Dysmenorrhea is very frequent in France with a significant impact on daily life and Quality of Life. There is a real inadequacy in the recognition and the management of this pathology, too often considered as common by the patients. There is a strong need for better information of the women and to raise the awareness of first line health-care professionals that any dysmenorrhea and especially severe dysmenorrhea must be accurately assessed and managed with the available therapeutic means.
