Management of primary dysmenorrhea among women attended to health care centers in Mashhad

Dysmenorrhea is one of the most common medical issues in women. Knowing about the current treatments of dysmenorrhea in the community is the first step in developing and replacing appropriate treatments. This study was conducted to determine the methods of primary dysmenorrhea management among women attending to health centers in Mashhad.
In this descriptive study, 468 menstrual cycles were evaluated in 117 women selected by multi stage sampling. Research tools were personal information questionnaire and verbal multidimensional scale which were completed after informed consent. Data was analyzed by SPSS using Chi square and descriptive statistics.
Results showed that 49.6%(232) of women used chemical medicines, 50% herbal medicine, and 21.5% (96) used "tea and rock candy". Totally 11 kinds of different herbs were used. Chi square test showed significant difference between the severity of pain; and methods of treatment (p=0.003), type of analgesics (p=0.006), and number of used analgesics (p=0. 00).
The results suggest that about 50%(232) of participants used chemical medicine and 50%(232) herbal medicines as a single therapy or as complementary medicines. Due to the widespread use of herbal medicine in the study population, it is recommended to assess their safety and effectiveness and recommending available and effective drugs.