Identificar la asociación entre dismenorrea primaria y ausentismo académico en las estudiantes de primer y segundo ciclo de la Carrera de Medicina de la Universidad de Cuenca 2023

Abstract

Background: dysmenorrhea is a disease that affects the female sex that has had a great impact on the personal development of women worldwide, with women of childbearing age being the most affected, its impact in the academic area has repercussions on the economy, competitiveness and personal development, however, is an underestimated and undervalued health problem. Objective: to identify the association between primary dysmenorrhea and academic absenteeism in first and second cycle students of the medical degree at the University of Cuenca 2023. Methods: a prospective cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out using a validated questionnaire for the detection of dysmenorrhea. Results: the study sample was 170 students, 70% reported symptoms compatible with dysmenorrhea, 80% were between 18 and 21 years of age, and 70% had a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 with an average of 20.1. In addition, it was found that 62% of the women reported academic absenteeism, 53% did not attend academic activities for 1 to 2 days, 53% of the affected women had a moderate degree of affectation. Conclusions: Dysmenorrhea is a pathology with a high impact on academic limitations in medical students who are between 18 and 21 years of age due to academic absenteeism, a situation that must be considered due to the repercussions of the disease on the academic development of students.