Abstract
Introduction: Dysmenorrhea, a prevalent menstrual issue, significantly affects women's overall well-being, work efficiency, and medical resource usage. It is characterized by intense abdominal cramps accompanied by symptoms like sweating, headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and tremors, typically occurring before or during menstruation.
There are two main types: primary dysmenorrhea and secondary dysmenorrhea.
However, treatment of dysmenorrhea with pain relievers such as NSAIDS manifests unwanted side effects leading to limitations in its use. Pyridoxine, as a form of vitamin B6, presents a promising alternative approach for the individuals seeking relief from menstrual pain. It has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties that are pertinent to the pathophysiology of dysmenorrhea.
Aim of Study: To investigate the effect of pyridoxine supplementation on dysmenorrhea among female students
Methods: A questionnaire involving a sample size of 100 individuals was conducted in the University of Benin. The questionnaires consists of three sections; the first comprises of socio-demographic data. The second section consists of 10 items which collected data about various dysmenorrhea symptoms. Intervention was conducted for four distinct groups, after which the Premenstrual syndrome questionnaire was distributed to same participants to investigate the significant differences between before and after the intervention. Data collected was analysed and inferential statistics was carried out using GraphPad Instat version 3.10. P < 0.05 was interpreted as significant.
Results: From this study, a total of 86 respondents participated in the intervention out of 100 participants who participated in the pre-intervention. Pyridoxine supplementation 25mg for 7 days had a p-value of 0.040, indicating a significant difference between the pre-intervention and post-intervention. Pyridoxine supplementation 25mg for 14 days had a p-value of 0.032, indicating a significant difference between the pre-intervention and post-intervention. Pyridoxine supplementation 50mg for 7 days had a p-value of 0.052, indicating no significant difference between the pre-intervention and post-intervention. Pyridoxine supplementation 50mg for 14 days had a p-value of 0.134, indicating no significant difference between the pre-intervention and post-intervention.
Conclusion:
This study revealed that pyridoxine supplementation at a dose of 25mg once daily for either 7 or 14 days significantly reduced the symptoms of dysmenorrhea.
