The role of water intake in the severity of pain and menstrual distress among females suffering from primary dysmenorrhea: a semi-experimental study

BACKGROUND: Dysmenorrhea is the most common health problem among women of reproductive age. The aim of the present study was to investigate the modifying role of water intake in menstrual distress and severity of pain among young female adolescents. METHOD: A semi-experimental study was conducted on a sample of undergraduate female students aged 18–30 years in Isfahan, Iran from 2016 to 2019. Volunteers who had history of suffering from primary dysmenorrhea and drank less than 1600 ml water per day were assigned into water intake (n = 70) and control (n = 70) groups. Participants could select the group in which they desired to be considered. The water intake group was asked to drink water regularly based on a protocol for two menstrual periods while the control group did not receive any form of intervention. Demographic information and menstrual characteristics and severity of menstrual pain (based on a visual analogue scale), were obtained using a short questionnaire. The data were compared between and within two groups before and after intervention using chi-square test, Mann–Whitney U test, and the Friedman’s analysis of variance. RESULTS: The mean age (SD) of participants was 22.0 (2.7) years and 77 students reported normal duration of menstrual bleeding. The number of students who had normal duration of menstrual bleeding (4–6 days) in water intake group increased after intervention (39 vs. 49 after first and 46 after second cycles of menstruation). However, the interval of menstrual cycle did not change significantly in either groups. Considerable decrease in using pain killer was observed in water intake group (p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed between control and water intake groups before intervention in pain intensity (pain mean score 7.64 vs. 7.06), but within group comparison showed that pain intensity was significantly decreased among water intake group (p < 0.0001) while for control group only a significant decrease was observed for the first day of menstrual bleeding. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that water intake might have modifying role in reducing menstrual bleeding duration, pain killer utilization, and pain intensity during menstrual period. TRIAL REGISTRATION: IRCT20180708040377N1, 16 April 2020, Retrospectively registered, at https://www.irct.ir/trial/32446