title: [Dysmenorrhea: patience, pills or hot-water bottle?].
abstract: Which treatments are used for dysmenorrhea and with what reported outcome? A questionnaire was sent to 2400 students and apprentices, following the "retrospective treatment-outcome" method. The response rate was 22%. Most frequent treatments used are ibuprofene (53%), paracetamol (51%), hormonal contraception (40%), hot-water bottle (or hot pad) (35%), food supplements or medicinal plants (23%). Physicians only discuss a tiny proportion of dysmenorrhea treatment in their consultation, because it is mostly a matter of self-treatment, with the family as the source of information in 80% of the cases. Rather surprising because not mentioned in most official guidelines, hot-water bottle (or hot pad) appears as the treatment followed by the best reported outcome (satisfactory in 92% of users).
authors.affiliation: Institut universitaire de médicine sociale et préventive - Unité d'évaluation des soins, Lausanne. bertrand.graz@chuv.ch
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Graz
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Savoy
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Buclin
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bonvin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D004412:Dysmenorrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013607:Tablets; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013607:Tablets