Top

Published in:

01-09-2019 | Laparoscopy | Original Article

A longitudinal study of adolescent dysmenorrhoea into adulthood

Authors: Benita Knox, Yi Chen Ong, Mardiha Abu Bakar, Sonia R Grover

Published in: European Journal of Pediatrics | Issue 9/2019

Abstract

Dysmenorrhoea is the most common gynaecological symptom in adolescents. Secondary dysmenorrhoea is mostly due to endometriosis. There are no known follow-up studies of dysmenorrhoea into adulthood. Cases of endometriosis often have a long history of dysmenorrhea; however, studies to date have been retrospective. This longitudinal cohort study aimed at analysing the long-term outcomes of dysmenorrhoea and associated rate of endometriosis identified in this cohort. Participants of a study of adolescents seen for dysmenorrhoea were followed-up at an average of 10.24 years. Of those contactable (74), 70 (94.6%) were included. As adults, 19 (27.1%) had slight or no pain with menstruation. Increased age of menarche was found to be associated with no menstrual pain in adulthood (OR 2.10, p = 0.034). No adolescent characteristic studied was found to be associated with severe or very severe dysmenorrhoea as an adult. At follow-up, 13 young women (18.6%) had been diagnosed with endometriosis. All cases of endometriosis were mild. The use of the oral contraceptive pill as an adolescent and feeling an improvement in symptoms with treatment as an adolescent were found to be associated with a diagnosis of endometriosis.

Conclusion: These findings are important for counselling adolescents regarding this common presentation.

What is Known:

•Dysmenorrhoea is the most common gynaecological complaint for adolescents

What is New:

•Dysmenorrhoea from adolescence resolves in 1 in 4 of young women and no adolescent characteristics predict severe or very severe pain with menstruation in adults.

•Only 1 in 5 of women were found to have endometriosis (all mild disease), despite a mean of 10 years of preceding dysmenorrhoea.

Available only for authorised users

Audebert A, Lecointre L, Afors K, Koch A, Wattiez A, Akladios C (2015) Adolescent endometriosis: report of a series of 55 cases with a focus on clinical presentation and long-term issues. J Minim Invasive Gynecol 22(5):834–840. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmig.2015.04.001 CrossRefPubMed

Barnhart KT, Schreiber CA (2009) Return to fertility following discontinuation of oral contraceptives. Fertil Steril 91(3):659–663CrossRef

Chantler I, Mitchell D, Fuller A (2009) Actigraphy quantifies reduced voluntary physical activity in women with primary dysmenorrhea. J Pain 10(1):38–46CrossRef

Chapron C, Souza C, Borghese B, Lafay-Pillet MC, Santulli P, Bijaoui G, Goffinet F, de Ziegler D (2011) Oral contraceptives and endometriosis: the past use of oral contraceptives for treating severe primary dysmenorrhea is associated with endometriosis, especially deep infiltrating endometriosis. Hum Reprod 26(8):2028–2035. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/der156 CrossRefPubMed

Chen C, Kwekkeboom K (2015) How do women deal with dysmenorrhea? J Pain 1(4):S32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2015.01.141 CrossRef

Chen CH, Lin YH, Heitkemper MM, Wu KM (2006) The self-care strategies of girls with primary dysmenorrhea: a focus group study in Taiwan. Health Care Women Int 27(5):418–427CrossRef

Cheong Y, Tay P, Luk F, Gan HC, Li TC, Cooke I (2008) Laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis: how often do we need to re-operate? J Obstet Gynaecol 28(1):82–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443610701811761 CrossRefPubMed

De Sanctis V, Soliman A, Bernasconi S, Bianchin L, Bona G, Bozzola M, Buzi F, De Sanctis C, Tonini G, Rigon F, Perissinotto E (2015) Primary dysmenorrhea in adolescents: prevalence, impact and recent knowledge. Pediatr Endocrinol Rev 13(2):512–520PubMed

De Sanctis V, Soliman AT, Elsedfy H, Soliman NA, Elalaily R, El Kholy M (2016) Dysmenorrhea in adolescents and young adults: a review in different countries. Acta Biomed 87(3):233–246

10.

Farland LV, Tamimi RM, Eliassen AH, Spiegelman D, Hankinson SE, Chen WY, Missmer SA (2016) Laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis and breast cancer in the Nurses’ Health Study II. Obstet Gynecol 128(5):1025–1031. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000001684 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

11.

Giudice LC, Kao LC (2004) Endometriosis. Lancet 364(9447):1789–1799. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(04)17403-5 CrossRefPubMed

12.

Guo S-W (2009) Recurrence of endometriosis and its control. Hum Reprod Update 15(4):441–461. https://doi.org/10.1093/humupd/dmp007 CrossRefPubMed

13.

Hadfield R, Mardon H, Barlow D, Kennedy S (1996) Delay in the diagnosis of endometriosis: a survey of women from the USA and the UK. Hum Reprod 11(4):878–880CrossRef

14.

Harlow SD, Park M (1996) A longitudinal study of risk factors for the occurrence, duration and severity of menstrual cramps in a cohort of college women. B J Obstet Gynaecol 103(11):1134–1142CrossRef

15.

Husby GK, Haugen RS, Moen MH (2003) Diagnostic delay in women with pain and endometriosis. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 82(7):649–653CrossRef

16.

Iacovides S, Avidon I, Baker FC (2015) What we know about primary dysmenorrhea today: a critical review. Hum Reprod Update 21(6):762–778. https://doi.org/10.1093/humupd/dmv039 CrossRefPubMed

17.

Jamieson D, Steege JF (1996) The prevalence of dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, pelvic pain, and irritable bowel syndrome in primary care practices. Obstet Gynecol 87(1):55–58CrossRef

18.

Janssen EB, Rijkers AC, Hoppenbrouwers K, Meuleman C, D’Hooghe TM (2013) Prevalence of endometriosis diagnosed by laparoscopy in adolescents with dysmenorrhea or chronic pelvic pain: a systematic review. Hum Reprod Update 19(5):570–582. https://doi.org/10.1093/humupd/dmt016 CrossRefPubMed

19.

Jarrell J, Brant R, Leung W, Taenzer P (2007) Women’s pain experience predicts future surgery for pain associated with endometriosis. J Obstet Gynaecol Can 29(12):988–991. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1701-2163(16)32689-5 CrossRefPubMed

20.

Ju H, Jones M, Mishra G (2014) The prevalence and risk factors of dysmenorrhea. Epidemiol Rev 36(1):104–113. https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxt009 CrossRefPubMed

21.

Ju H, Jones M, Mishra GD (2015) A U-shaped relationship between body mass index and dysmenorrhea: a longitudinal study. PLoS One 10(7) (no pagination)):e0134187CrossRef

22.

Klein JR, Lift IF (1981) Epidemiology of adolescent dysmenorrhea. Pediatrics 68(5):661–664PubMed

23.

Knox B, Azurah AGN, Grover SR (2015) Quality of life and menstruation in adolescents. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol 27(5):309–314. https://doi.org/10.1097/GCO.0000000000000199 CrossRefPubMed

24.

Latthe P, Latthe M, Say L, Gülmezoglu M, Khan KS (2006) WHO systematic review of prevalence of chronic pelvic pain: a neglected reproductive health morbidity. BMC Public Health 6(1):177. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-6-177 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

25.

Liu DT, Hitchcock A (1986) Endometriosis: its association with retrograde menstruation, dysmenorrhoea and tubal pathology. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 93(8):859–862CrossRef

26.

Macer ML, Taylor HS (2012) Endometriosis and infertility: a review of the pathogenesis and treatment of endometriosis-associated infertility. Obstet Gynecol Clin N Am 39(4):535–549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ogc.2012.10.002 CrossRef

27.

Magrina JF (2002) Complications of laparoscopic surgery. Clin Obstet Gynecol 45(2):469–480CrossRef

28.

Marjoribanks J, Ayeleke RO, Farquhar C, Proctor M (2015) Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev (7). doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001751.pub3

29.

Moen MH, Stokstad T (2002) A long-term follow-up study of women with asymptomatic endometriosis diagnosed incidentally at sterilization. Fertil Steril 78(4):773–776. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0015-0282(02)03336-8 CrossRefPubMed

30.

Ohde S, Tokuda Y, Takahashi O, Yanai H, Hinohara S, Fukui T (2008) Dysmenorrhea among Japanese women. Elsevier Science B.V, Amsterdam., ItalyCrossRef

31.

Osman A, Barrios FX, Kopper BA, Hauptmann W, Jones J, O’Neill E (1997) Factor structure, reliability, and validity of the pain catastrophizing scale. J Behav Med 20(6):589–605. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1025570508954 CrossRefPubMed

32.

Parker M, Sneddon A, Arbon P (2010) The menstrual disorder of teenagers (MDOT) study: determining typical menstrual patterns and menstrual disturbance in a large population-based study of Australian teenagers. BJOG 117(2):185–192CrossRef

33.

Proctor M, Farquhar C (2006) Diagnosis and management of dysmenorrhoea. BMJ: Brit Med J 332(7550):1134–1138CrossRef

34.

Rogers PA, D’Hooghe TM, Fazleabas A, Gargett CE, Giudice LC, Montgomery GW, Rombauts L, Salamonsen LA, Zondervan KT (2009) Priorities for endometriosis research: recommendations from an international consensus workshop. Reprod Sci 16(4):335–346. https://doi.org/10.1177/1933719108330568 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

35.

Sanfilippo J, Erb T (2008) Evaluation and management of dysmenorrhea in adolescents. Clin Obstet Gynecol 51(2):257–267CrossRef

36.

Shadbolt NA, Parker MA, Orthia LA (2013) Communicating endometriosis with young women to decrease diagnosis time. Health Promot J Austr 24(2):151–154. https://doi.org/10.1071/HE12915 CrossRefPubMed

37.

Signorello LB, Harlow BL, Cramer DW, Spiegelman D, Hill JA (1997) Epidemiologic determinants of endometriosis: a hospital-based case-control study. Ann Epidemiol 7(4):267–741CrossRef

38.

Stratton P, Khachikyan I, Sinaii N, Ortiz R, Shah J (2015) Association of chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis with signs of sensitization and myofascial pain. Obstet Gynecol 125(3):719–728. https://doi.org/10.1097/aog.0000000000000663 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

39.

Strik C, Stommel MW, Schipper LJ, van Goor H, Ten Broek RP (2016) Risk factors for future repeat abdominal surgery. Langenbeck's Arch Surg 401(6):829–837. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00423-016-1414-3 CrossRef

40.

Sundell G, Milsom I, Andersch B (1990) Factors influencing the prevalence and severity of dysmenorrhoea in young women. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 97(7):588–594CrossRef

41.

Treloar SA, Bell TA, Nagle CM, Purdie DM, Green AC (2010) Early menstrual characteristics associated with subsequent diagnosis of endometriosis. Am J Obstet Gynecol 202(6):534.e531–534.e536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2009.10.857 CrossRef

42.

Unsal A, Ayranci U, Tozun M, Arslan G, Calik E (2010) Prevalence of dysmenorrhea and its effect on quality of life among a group of female university students. Ups J Med Sci 115(2):138–145CrossRef

43.

Vercellini P, Fedele L, Arcaini L, Bianchi S, Rognoni MT, Candiani GB (1989) Laparoscopy in the diagnosis of chronic pelvic pain in adolescent women. J Reprod Med 34(10):827–830PubMed

44.

Viganò P, Parazzini F, Somigliana E, Vercellini P (2004) Endometriosis: epidemiology and aetiological factors. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol 18(2):177–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2004.01.007 CrossRefPubMed

45.

Vignali M, Bianchi S, Candiani M, Spadaccini G, Oggioni G, Busacca M (2005) Surgical treatment of deep endometriosis and risk of recurrence. J Minim Invasive Gynecol 12(6):508–513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmig.2005.06.016 CrossRefPubMed

46.

Vincent K, Warnaby C, Stagg CJ, Moore J, Kennedy S, Tracey I (2011) Dysmenorrhoea is associated with central changes in otherwise healthy women. Pain 152(9):1966–1975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2011.03.029 CrossRefPubMed

47.

Wang L, Wang X, Wang W, Chen C, Ronnennberg AG, Guang W, Huang A, Fang Z, Zang T, Wang L, Xu X (2004) Stress and dysmenorrhoea: a population based prospective study. Occup Environ Med 61(12):1021–1026. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.2003.012302 CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

48.

Weissman AM, Hartz AJ, Hansen MD, Johnson SR (2004) The natural history of primary dysmenorrhoea: a longitudinal study. BJOG 111(4):345–352CrossRef

49.

Wong LP (2011) Attitudes towards dysmenorrhoea, impact and treatment seeking among adolescent girls: a rural school-based survey. Aust J Rural Health 19(4):218–223CrossRef

50.

Yosef A, Allaire C, Williams C, Ahmed AG, Al-Hussaini T, Abdellah MS, Wong F, Lisonkova S, Yong PJ (2016) Multifactorial contributors to the severity of chronic pelvic pain in women. Am J Obstet Gynecol 215(6):760.e761–760.e714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2016.07.023 CrossRef

Title: A longitudinal study of adolescent dysmenorrhoea into adulthood
Authors: Benita Knox
Yi Chen Ong
Mardiha Abu Bakar
Sonia R Grover
Publication date: 01-09-2019
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keywords: Laparoscopy
Endometriosis
Dysmenorrhoea
Published in: European Journal of Pediatrics / Issue 9/2019
Print ISSN: 0340-6199
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1076
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-019-03419-3

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

A longitudinal study of adolescent dysmenorrhoea into adulthood

Abstract

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 9/2019

Gastroschisis at school age: what do parents report?

Hyponatremia in children under 100 days old: incidence and etiologies

Lung ultrasound in children with pneumonia: interoperator agreement on specific thoracic regions

Correspondence on “Ultrasound as diagnosis tool for grading bronchiolitis. Where are your limits lost?”

Medical care for migrant children in Europe: a practical recommendation for first and follow-up appointments

Isolated antenatal hydronephrosis with renal pelvis antero-posterior diameter ≤ 20 mm