Non-Pharmacological Treatments of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A systematic Review

Primary dysmenorrhea is one of the most prevalent problems of women of reproductive age, which affects their quality of life and their social activity and being able to treat dysmenorrhea is very important subject of various researches. Regarding to multiple factors related to primary dysmenorrhea and importance of non-pharmacological treatment in women’s state of life, this study’s aim was a systematic review of papers regarding non-pharmacological treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. Non- pharmacological treatment method is one of the options of women with primary dysmenorrhea. The aim at this study is determining the concepts and definition of non- pharmacological treatments of primary dysmenorrhea according to previous studies.  At first  all trials (n=5462) related to keywords (treatment, therapy, painful menstruation and primary dysmenorrhea,) searched for English databases including; Google, Google scholar, PubMed, Ernbase, ClNAHL, Psyclnfo,  and  Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews covering the period from 2010 through  April 2019 . Then papers related to non-pharmacological treatments for primary dysmenorrhea selected and analyzed (n=2101). Regarding to inclusion and exclusion criteria, articles related to non- pharmacological treatments of primary dysmenorrhea (Acupuncture, Heat Therapy, Psychotherapy, Massage Therapy, Hypnotism, Physiotherapy, Trans Cutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation(TENS))   were   found   and   analyzed   (n=12).  Predefined   inclusion   and   exclusion criteria were: papers related to non-pharmacological treatment and primary dysmenorrhea, in English, of original type, and all the papers were free full text. The PRISMA guidelines were conformed in accomplishing this review. Data were collected based on study specifications, results of non-pharmacological treatment, prevalence rates and factors related to primary dysmenorrhea. Non-pharmacological treatment for primary dysmenorrhea is so vital and can have significant role in health improvement of women. So, paying more attention to benefits of non-pharmacological treatments in primary dysmenorrhea is necessary. The results of the present study showed that all mentioned methods are effective on decreasing the severity of the symptoms of primary dysmenorrhea.