Dysmenorrhea is paroxysmal pain occurring before or during menstruation. We
have developed a clinical score for quantifying dysmenorrhea based on the
intensity of each symptom. This score was used to study a population of 420
3 high-school students aged 14 to 18 years in the Herault district of Franc
e. The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 21%, 57% of the study subjects experi
enced dysmenorrhea on a regular basis, and 26% had both dysmenorrhea and pr
emenstrual syndrome. One-third of the subjects with dysmenorrhea reported a
bsenteeism from school because of their pain. A family history of dysmenorr
hea was found in 39% of the study subjects and a variety of psychological p
roblems in 24%. Dysmenorrhea was most common during the first Few years fol
lowing the menarche (84% of cases during the first two years). One-half of
cases with dysmenorrhea were untreated. Given the remarkable efficacy of pr
opionate nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs in dysmenorrhea, this finding
indicates a need for efforts to heighten the awareness of dysmenorrhea amon
g pediatricians and general practitioners.