Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Local Literature
This chapter reviewed some related relative and studies which is
relevant to the research. The review dealt with foreign and local literatures
that were considered significant in the current study regarding the coping
mechanisms of adolescent who experienced dysmenorrhoea.
According to the study of Tomoko Fujiwara and Rieko Nakata
(2007), they conducted research on young Japanese College Students
with Dysmenorrhea Have High Frequency of Irregular Menstruation. The
goal of the study is to estimate the current status of young women with
menstrual disorders, the relation among dysmenorrhea, irregular
menstruation and premenstrual symptoms was investigated by a
questionnaire. Subjects ranging from 18 to 20 years old were recruited
from 522 female students at Ashiya College in Japan. The intensity of
dysmenorrhea was classified into 3 grades (score 1, not requiring
analgesic; score 2, painful, requiring analgesic; score 3, painful, not
relieved by analgesic). All participants were further divided into subsequent
groups as having premenstrual symptoms or not and those having regular
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or irregular menstruation. Dysmenorrhea scores in the students with
premenstrual symptoms or irregular menstruation were significantly higher
than those without these symptoms. There was no significant relation in
the incidence between premenstrual symptoms and irregular menstruation.
These findings suggest that considerable numbers of young women with
dysmenorrhea are associated with premenstrual symptoms.
In conclusion to their study, it confirmed that considerable numbers
of young women in Japan have irregular menstruation and premenstrual
symptoms. Although this study did not show any significant relation
between irregular menstruation and premenstrual symptoms, female
students reporting premenstrual symptoms also complained of higher
intensity of menstrual pains. From these findings, this study notably
suggests that some organic diseases causing dysmenorrhea are latently
proceeding in young Japanese women with premenstrual symptoms. Since
dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome may influence QOL in women
not only in the present but also in the future, these results should be noted
from the perspective of future reproductive function.
Foreign Literature
United States
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Dysmenorrhea may affect more than half of menstruating women, and its
reported prevalence has been highly variable. A survey of 113 patients in a
family practice setting showed a prevalence of dysmenorrhea of 29-44%,
but prevalence rates as high as 90% in women aged 18-45 years have
been reported.1 The use of oral contraceptives (OCs) and nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), both of which are effective in
ameliorating symptoms of primary dysmenorrhea, may confound the
prevalence.
Primary dysmenorrhea peaks in late adolescence and the early 20s.
The incidence falls with increasing age and with increasing parity. The
prevalence and severity of dysmenorrhea in porous women are reportedly
significantly lower in many but not all studies. No significant difference with
respect to prevalence and severity of dysmenorrhea was found between
nulligravid women and those in whom pregnancy had been terminated by
either spontaneous or induced abortion.
In an epidemiologic study of an adolescent population (aged 12-17
y), Klein and Litt reported a prevalence of dysmenorrhea of 59.7%. Of
patients reporting pain, 12% described it as severe; 37%, as moderate;
and 49%, as mild. Dysmenorrhea caused 14% of patients to miss school
frequently. Although black adolescents reported no increased incidence of
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