Background: Dysmenorrhea is the pain associated with menstrual cycle. It has a prevalence between 60 and 93%. Different factors have been associated such as age at menarche, body mass index, exercise, smoking, maternal history of dysmenorrhea among others. Materials and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study, based on an anonymous survey of 127 students from the school of medicine and psychology at the Universidad del Rosario. Results: The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 73%, and 67% of participants presenting menstrual pain reported they take medication for pain relief, 42% was self medicated. The 44. 6% of respondents with dysmenorrhea have been absent from their academic or social work, with a percentage of school absenteeism due to pain from 74. 5% in at least 1 day. The maternal history of dysmenorrhea was positively associated with the onset of illness in adolescents (P 0. 02). Conclusions: Dysmenorrhea is a disease with a high prevalence and significant impact on school absenteeism. The maternal history of dysmenorrhea was the only factor positively associated in this study. Larger scale studies are needed in order to establish the impact on life quality of patients and to determine other associated factors.
