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 Among nearly 43,000 girls and women who responded to an online
nationwide survey, 85 percent said they experienced painful cramping
during their periods, 77 percent had symptoms of mood disorders, and
71 percent suffered from tiredness or exhaustion.
More than one-third of the survey respondents said menstrual
symptoms stopped them from performing all of their normal daily
activities.
But less than half of them told their family members that menstrual
symptoms were the reason they had to cut back on daily tasks.
"We think there is a taboo on menstrual symptoms, mainly because
women think this is just a normal part of life, and they might feel
it is not accepted to openly discuss this matter," said lead study
author Dr. Mark Schoep of Radboud University Medical Center in
Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Part of the problem is that many menstrual symptoms like mood
swings, pain and exhaustion aren't easily visible and can't be
objectively identified with medical tests, Schoep said by email.
"Pain, tiredness and psychological complaints might distract women
from their daily activities so they are not able to perform on the
same level as they are used to do without these complaints," Schoep
said. "Heavy menstrual bleeding might hinder women in participating
in social and working activities."
The study relied on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
to recruit survey participants in 2017.
Roughly two in five participants said they used painkillers to
relieve menstrual symptoms.
Overall, 44 percent had spoken to their general practitioner about
menstrual symptoms, and 11 percent had been referred to a
gynecologist, researchers report in the American Journal of
Obstetrics and Gynecology.
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About one in 10 had been diagnosed with a medical condition that
could contribute to menstrual symptoms such as endometriosis,
polycystic ovary syndrome or thyroid problems.
"Women need to know that they should seek health care if they have
menstrual symptoms that affect their daily life," said Dr. Trine
Stanley Karlsson of the University Hospital Karolinska in Stockholm,
Sweden.
Sometimes a medical condition may be identified and addressed, "but
many symptoms without any underlying medical condition can be
effectively treated very easily," Karlsson, who wasn't involved in
the study, said by email.
The study wasn't a controlled experiment designed to prove whether
or how menstrual symptoms interfere with women's daily lives, and it
also didn't look at what causes those symptoms.
Still, the results should reassure women suffering from menstrual
symptoms that they aren't alone and that they may have medical
problems that can be treated, said Dr. Andrea Lukes, owner of the
Carolina Women's Research and Wellness Center in Durham, North
Carolina. Lukes is also the principal investigator in a number of
research studies relating to the menstrual cycle for several
companies - including Abbvie, Myovant, Bayer, Gynesonics, Ferring,
and Merck.
"Hopefully, this will encourage women - young and old - to discuss
options with their providers," Lukes, who wasn't involved in the
study, said by email. "Many medications exist to help reduce the
burden of a menstrual cycle, and women should feel empowered to ask
for solutions from their providers."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2VmIPdj American Journal of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, online March 15, 2019.
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