Determinants of dysmenorrhoea among female adolescents: results from a community-based cohort study in Amsterdam

Research question: What is the contribution of sociodemographic, psychosocial, lifestyle and reproductive factors up to the age of 11–12 years to the occurrence of dysmenorrhoea at age 15–16 years within the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD) study? Design: Data of 1038 female adolescents were used. Participants’ baseline characteristics were obtained using self-reported questionnaires up to the age of 11–12 years, as well as the obstetric information of their mothers during pregnancy. Dysmenorrhoea was assessed at the age of 15–16 years, and was deemed to be present if an adolescent reported menstrual abdominal and/or back pain and therefore took medication and/or hormonal contraception. Using a backward selection approach, potential determinants of dysmenorrhoea were selected and multivariable associations were determined. Results: The overall prevalence of dysmenorrhoea was 49.5% among the participants. Intake of 3–4.5 sugar-sweetened beverages/day (P = 0.035) and higher gynaecological age (i.e. years since menarche) (P < 0.001) were significantly associated with higher occurrence of dysmenorrhoea in the final model, which explained 8.1% of the total variance in the occurrence of dysmenorrhoea. No significant associations were found between the occurrence of dysmenorrhoea and sociodemographic or psychosocial factors. Conclusions: This investigation of various potential risk factors for dysmenorrhoea suggests that diet and reproductive factors are particularly important predictors of the occurrence of dysmenorrhoea among young adolescents. Specifically, intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and higher gynaecological age were predictive of the occurrence of dysmenorrhoea. Other lifestyle factors were also identified as possible risk factors. Using this knowledge, effective strategies can be developed to reduce the burden of dysmenorrhoea among adolescents, and to provide appropriate care for those suffering from the condition.