Self-care strategies for the management of primary dysmenorrhea among young women in Asir region, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Dysmenorrhea is a global public health issue that affects around three-quarters of young women and is categorized into primary and secondary. Primary dysmenorrhea is characterized by painful menstrual cramps and it is not linked to any underlying uterine pathology. The global prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea has been estimated to range from 45-95% of women of reproductive age. Dysmenorrhea negatively impacts the quality of life of young women and commonly contributes to absences from work and school. This study was conducted to examine the self-management practices for primary dysmenorrhea among female undergraduate students in the Asir region. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study has followed a cross-sectional design using a web-based self-administered questionnaire. A total of 391 students agreed to participate in the study and completed the questionnaire. RESULTS: Around 82% (n=322) of the participants reported experiencing menstrual pain in the last three menstruations (dysmenorrhea). Just below two-thirds (62.1%) were current users of analgesics for managing menstrual pain. Paracetamol (70.4%) was the most commonly used analgesic, followed by Ibuprofen (45.7%). However, about 67% of the respondents were current users of complementary and alternative therapies (CATs) for managing dysmenorrhea. The participants indicated that their reasons for using CATs included reducing the need for analgesics (82%), safety (53.3%), efficacy (46%), availability (35.6%), recommendation from others (19.9%) and cost (7.3%). Just above half of the study participants indicated that CATs are less effective than analgesics. Around 74% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that CATs are safer than analgesics in relieving menstrual pain. CONCLUSIONS: Community pharmacists are one of the most accessible healthcare practitioners that offer a wide range of health services and consultations. Collaboration between educational institutions and community pharmacies could play a role in promoting self-care practices among young women.

Assessment of knowledge and practice of mammography and breast self-examination among the general female population in Asir region of KSA.

OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and an increasing burden in terms of incidence, morbidity and mortality. It accounts for about 28.7% of all new cancers in women. In 2015, the Saudi cancer registry shows that breast cancer was graded first among women and it accounts for 16.7% of all cancers reported among Saudi nationals. This study was designed to assess breast cancer screening knowledge and practices among women in the Asir region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study recruiting 1,021 female participants was performed. The variables included breast cancer knowledge, socio-demographic features, breast self-examination knowledge and practice. Descriptive statistics was used to compare and analyze the collected data while chi-square test was used to check the statistical significance among the selected variables. Saudi married women from Asir region were the participants of this cross-sectional study. RESULTS: Our findings suggested that participants had a satisfactory level of knowledge about breast self-examination and mammograms at a rate of > 90% and 44.76% respectively. Over 90% of participants had good breast self-exam knowledge, however, only 6.37% was always performed breast self-examination. Similarly, nearly 40% of participants performed mammograms, while 40.5% were unaware. Leaflets and doctors were the primary sources of information for participants regarding the information of breast cancer screening. CONCLUSIONS: Breast self-examination is a crucial approach to the timely detection of breast cancer and is subsequently critical for effective treatment. From the findings of this study we concluded that most women in the Asir region have a good awareness of breast cancer screening methods. However, either screening of self-examination or mammogram for breast cancer was not carried out thoroughly and regularly. This means that we must continue to emphasize the importance of primary health care in the earliest stages of breast cancer.