Abstract

The study aimed to determine the prevalence of dysmenorrhea and its associated factors among female medical
students at Kampala international University–western campus. A descriptive cross sectional study design was
conducted in order to determine the prevalence of dysmenorrhea and its associated factors among female medical
students at Kampala International University Ishaka. A cross sectional study is chosen due to its ability to provide
quantitative data. The study was conducted among female medical students that is; those offering certificate,
diploma and bachelor nursing at Kampala International University western campus Ishaka. The study sampled
259 respondents to represent the whole population. The data collected was statistically analyzed and documented
using Microsoft Excel. The excel file was imported into a software Statistical Package Social Sciences (SPSS)
version 21. Among the respondents 6.9% had experience their first menstrual period at age of 12, 37.8% of the
respondents experience at age of 12-14, 44.8% of the respondents experience at age 15-16 while 10.4% of the
respondents experience at age of 16. It was concluded that prevalence of the dysmenorrhea is high in our study
population. So, from the study it can be concluded that dysmenorrhea is a very common problem among girls, such
high prevalence makes dysmenorrhea a significant public health problem among young students that demands
some attention from policy makers. The recommended that enlightenment programmes should be organized
periodically by the school health nurses on the various management strategies for menstrual disorders and how to
use them effectively.
Keywords: dysmenorrhea, menstrual period and disorders