The relationship between traditional medicine constitutional types and dysmenorrhea in female students at the Faculty of Traditional Medicine at University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

Objectives: Dysmenorrhea is a prevalent health issue that significantly affects the quality of life for women in their reproductive years, particularly among female students studying traditional medicine. These individuals, given their specific learning and living conditions, are at an elevated risk of experiencing menstrual pain. Traditional Medicine emphasizes the connection between dysmenorrhea and an individual's body constitution. Recognizing and adjusting one's body constitution can be beneficial in both preventing and supporting the treatment of this condition. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the traditional medicine constitutional types and dysmenorrhea in female students at the Faculty of Traditional medicine at University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted on 305 female students at the Faculty of Traditional medicine at University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City. The traditional medicine constitutional types were recorded based on standardized Vietnamese version of Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire. Female students are diagnosed with dysmenorrhea if they exhibit signs of abdominal pain or a sensation of heaviness in the abdomen during menstruation over the previous year.

Results: Female students with dysmenorrhea accounted for 77.4%. The prevalences of Qi-stagnation, Phlegm-dampness, Damp-heat, and Yin-deficiency constitutional types were significantly different between female students with and without dysmenorrhea (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Dysmenorrhea is a common gynecological problem among female students at the Faculty of Traditional Medicine, with a prevalence rate of 77.4%. The constitutional types of Qi-stagnation, Phlegm-dampness, Damp-heat, and Yin-deficiency are associated with dysmenorrhea in female medical students.