Reasons women do not seek health care for dysmenorrhea.
Chen X Chen, Carol Shieh, Claire B Draucker and 1 others
PMID 28681499WHAT IT FOUND
Women did not seek care for period pain because they viewed it as normal, preferred self-managing, could not afford treatment, or feared dismissal.
Many assumed nothing could be done or were wary of prescriptions. Providers often reinforced these beliefs by telling patients to simply live with the pain.
Key findings
01The most common reasons for not seeking care were assuming symptoms were normal (183 participants) and preferring to self-manage symptoms (155 participants).
02Barriers included limited resources (56 participants), belief that providers would not help (32 participants), and unawareness of treatment options (31 participants).
03Health care providers contributed to the problem by telling women that dysmenorrhea symptoms were normal and something to 'live with'.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Data came from a single open-ended question on a web-based survey, so researchers could not ask follow-up questions to clarify reasons. The study only asked women who did not seek care; it did not compare them to those who did. Findings are limited to US women and may not apply to other cultural or healthcare contexts. The sample was drawn from an online survey panel, which may not represent all women with dysmenorrhea.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest or funding sources were reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that women who do not seek care for dysmenorrhea have mild symptoms. Many participants with severe pain did not seek help because they believed it was normal or feared dismissal by providers.