Abstract
Background Dysmenorrhea or menstrual pain is a menstrual symptom that often occurs in almost all women of
reproductive age, especially in adolescents. Dysmenorrhea itself is the most commonly complained-of symptom of
endometriosis in adolescents. There are many factors that influence the incidence of adolescent dysmenorrhea. This
study aimed to analyze factors predisposing adolescents to dysmenorrhea.
Methods
This cross-sectional study involved 211 first-grade students at Sekolah Menengah Atas Negeri (SMA N) 1
Surakarta, selected through total sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Dysmenorrhea incidence was
the dependent variable, with independent variables including menarche age, body mass index (BMI), menstrual
regularity, menstrual cycle length, menstrual duration, family history of dysmenorrhea, breastfeeding history, and
cigarette exposure. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 25.0, using Chi-Square for bivariate and logistic regression
for multivariate analysis.
Result
The prevalence of dysmenorrhea among adolescents was 89.1%. A significant association was found between
a family history of dysmenorrhea and dysmenorrhea incidence in adolescents (OR = 5.26; 95% CI = 1.92–14.45;
p = 0.001). Prolonged menstrual cycles were also significantly associated with dysmenorrhea (OR = 3.15; 95% CI = 1.13–
8.80; p = 0.029).
Conclusion
Family history of dysmenorrhea and prolonged menstrual cycles significantly increase the likelihood of
dysmenorrhea in adolescents. These factors should be considered in managing adolescent dysmenorrhea, which can
impact daily activities and quality of life.
Keywords
Adolescent, Dysmenorrhea, Predisposition factor, Prevalence, Symptom
Predisposing factors for adolescent
dysmenorrhea in public high school students
in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia
Uki Retno Budihastuti1*, Abdurahman Laqif1, Eriana Melinawati1, Darto1, Asih Anggraeni2, Agung Sari Wijayanti1 and
Atthahira Amalia Hafiizha1
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Budihastuti et al. Middle East Fertility Society Journal (2025) 30:65
Introduction
Dysmenorrhea or menstrual pain is a menstrual symp -
tom that affects the majority of women of reproductive
age, particularly adolescents [ 1]. Among adolescents,
dysmenorrhea significantly interferes with daily activi -
ties, including school attendance and academic perfor -
mance. It is a leading cause of short-term absenteeism
and decreased classroom participation, which collec -
tively reduce effective learning outcomes such as concen-
tration, comprehension, and memory retention during
lessons [ 2, 3]. Dysmenorrhea is characterized by recur -
rent cramping pain in the lower abdomen that occurs
before or during menstruation and may be accompanied
by nausea, fatigue, headache, and mood changes [ 4]. It is
generally classified into two types, primary and second -
ary dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea occurs when
there is menstrual pain without any abnormalities in the
pelvis. Meanwhile, secondary dysmenorrhea leads to
menstrual pain with the presence of pelvic abnormalities
or other known medical conditions [5].
According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
adolescents are in the second phase of life and includes
indiciduals aged 10–19 years [ 6]. The global prevalence
of dysmenorrhoea is estimated to range between 43%
and 93% among women of reproductive age [ 7]. A meta-
analysis involving over 20,000 young women from 38
countries reported an average prevalence of 71.1%, with
particularly high rates among adolescents and university
students [ 4]. Several risk factors have been identified,
including early menarche, prolonged menstrual dura -
tion, heavy flow, family history, smoking, lack of physical
activity, stress, and low body mass index (BMI) [ 8, 9]. In
addition, psychosocial and environmental determinants
such as job-related stress, limited menstrual education,
and sociocultural stigma also contribute to the wide vari -
ation in prevalence and severity of dysmenorrhea across
populations [10].
Differences in the causes and associated factors of
dysmenorrhea are evident across countries and demo -
graphic groups. Studies among working women in Egypt
revealed strong associations with workplace stress, early
menarche, and family history, whereas research among
adolescents in China found that poor stress-coping abil -
ity significantly increased the likelihood of dysmenorrhea
[8, 11]. In contrast, studies from Pakistan and Saudi Ara -
bia demonstrated that BMI and lifestyle factors were the
most significant predictors among medical students [ 7,
9].
In Indonesia, dysmenorrhea remains a significant
reproductive health concern among young women.
Research conducted among medical students and adoles-
cents in Central Java and Surakarta reported prevalence
rates ranging from 79% to 91%, with significant associa -
tions found for family history, BMI, and menstrual cycle
length [7, 12]. Although the prevalence of dysmenorrhea
in adolescents is relatively high, there are still many ado -
lescents who do not receive professional treatment [13].
Apart from that, something that needs to be evaluated
in adolescents with dysmenorrhoea is identifying factors
that increase the risk of dysmenorrhoea. Previous studies
have identified several factors that influence the occur -
rence of dysmenorrhoea, both primary and secondary,
such as early age at menarche, excessive menstrual blood
volume, family history, smoking, alcohol consumption,
obesity, and other social factors [ 13, 14]. However, con -
flicting study results often emerge between studies.
This study was conducted at SMA N 1 Surakarta, one
of the leading public schools in Central Java, representing
adolescents from diverse socioeconomic and academic
backgrounds. Surakarta has also been reported to have
a high prevalence of dysmenorrhoea among female ado -
lescents, reaching 89.8% among those aged 15–17 years
[15]. This high prevalence reflects the importance of con-
ducting school-based research in this region to identify
modifiable risk factors that could inform early interven -
tion and menstrual health education programs. Thus, this
study aimed to determine the factors influencing dys -
menorrhoea among adolescents in SMA N 1 Surakarta,
with the expectation that the findings can be applied in
school-based health promotion and early preventive
efforts for adolescent dysmenorrhea.
Methods
Study design
This study employed an analytical observational approach
with a cross-sectional design to identify factors associ -
ated with adolescent dysmenorrhea. This research was
conducted at Sekolah Menengah Atas Negeri (SMA N) 1
Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. This school, founded
in 1943, is one of the leading high schools in Surakarta,
Indonesia.
Population and sample
The population in this study consisted of all female stu -
dents at SMA N 1 Surakarta, Indonesia, with a total of
222 individuals. This population was chosen because ado-
lescents in this age group are more likely to experience
menstrual problems such as dysmenorrhea, which can
interfere with daily activities and school performance.
All eligible students were invited to participate in the
study using a total sampling technique. The minimum
number of participants required was determined using
the Slovin formula with a 5% margin of error, which
resulted in a minimum of 141 respondents. This for -
mula was selected because the total population size was
known, while the population variance was unavailable. It
is commonly used in descriptive cross-sectional research
to obtain a representative sample when working with a
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Budihastuti et al. Middle East Fertility Society Journal (2025) 30:65
finite population. To increase accuracy and minimize bias
due to possible non-responses, all 222 students who met
the inclusion criteria were recruited.
Participants included female students aged 10 to 18
years who had experienced menarche and agreed to par -
ticipate voluntarily. Students with chronic or acute medi-
cal conditions that might affect menstrual patterns, such
as endocrine disorders, pelvic inflammatory disease, or
systemic illness, were not included.
All returned questionnaires were checked for com -
pleteness and consistency. Any incomplete or unclear
responses were removed during the data cleaning process
to ensure the accuracy of the final dataset.
Study instrument
Primary data were obtained through self-administered
questionnaires covering demographic information (age,
BMI, age at menarche, smoking exposure, and family
history) and menstrual characteristics related to dys -
menorrhea. The instrument consisted of two main parts.
The first part contained 35 items assessing demographic
data, menstrual history (regularity, cycle length, duration
of menstruation), menstrual pain (location, intensity on
a 1–10 scale, duration, and impact on daily activities),
family history of dysmenorrhea, and smoking expo -
sure. The second part included questions on psychoso -
cial background, adapted from the International Child
Abuse Screening Tool for Children (ICAST-C), to iden -
tify environmental and emotional stress factors poten -
tially related to menstrual pain. Dysmenorrhea status was
measured using the Verbal Multidimensional Scoring
System (VMSS), which classifies pain as mild, moderate,
or severe according to its impact on daily activities and
the need for medication. Respondents reporting men -
strual pain of any intensity were categorized as having
dysmenorrhea. Content validity of the modified ques -
tionnaire was reviewed by six obstetrics-gynecology spe -
cialists and one public-health expert, yielding a Content
Validity Index (CVI) of 0.91. A pilot test involving twenty
students demonstrated good reliability with a Cronbach’s
alpha of 0.87.
Statistical analysis
The data were then subjected to univariate, bivariate,
and multivariate analysis. Bivariate analysis uses the chi-
squared statistical test, with a p-value < 0.05 considered
significant. Then, the odds ratio (OR) is calculated, where
the OR value and confidence interval (CI) are used to
assess the significance of the relationship. Variables with
p < 0.25 in the bivariate analysis (Table 2) were included
in the multivariate logistic regression model to identify
independent predictors of dysmenorrhea. Data were ana-
lyzed using the SPSS 25 edition software (SPSS Inc. Chi -
cago, IL, USA).
Variable and measurement
Dependent variable
Dysmenorrhea
The dependent variable in this study was dysmenor -
rhea, defined as menstrual pain experienced during
menstruation. Respondents were classified as having
dysmenorrhea if they reported pain occurring before
or during menstruation. The variable was categorized
dichotomously into:
Yes: respondents who experienced menstrual pain,
No: respondents who did not experience menstrual
pain.
This variable was measured through a structured ques -
tionnaire using self-reported data from participants.
Independent variables
Age
Age was recorded as a continuous variable based on the
respondent’s age at the time of data collection. Partici -
pants were grouped into categories (15, 16, 17, and 18
years).
Body Mass Index (BMI)
BMI is an anthropometric measurement carried out by
dividing the value of body weight (kg) by the square of
body height (m 2). In this study, the numerical scale was
converted into ordinal categories. The underweight cat -
egory is if the BMI is 24.9. In this
study, the BMI variable was divided into dichotomous
categories, namely normal BMI (18.5–24.9) and abnor -
mal ( 24.9).
Age at Menarche
Menarche was defined as the age when a girl experienced
her first menstrual period. Early menarche was identified
when menstruation occurred before the age of 12 years
[16]. The variable was divided into two categories: <12
years and ≥ 12 years.
Menstrual Regularity
Menstrual regularity was determined based on partici -
pants’ self-reported menstrual cycle patterns during the
last six months.
Regular: cycles occurring at consistent intervals (21–35
days).
Irregular: cycles varying by more than seven days from
month to month.
Menstrual cycle length
The menstrual cycle is between the first day of a period
and the day before the next period begins. The menstrual
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Budihastuti et al. Middle East Fertility Society Journal (2025) 30:65
cycle lasts around 28 days but can vary between 21 and
35 days. This study divided variables into categorical vari-
ables: menstrual cycles ≤ 27 days and > 27 days.
Duration of Menstruation
Normal menstrual duration is approximately 3–7 days.
This study divided variables into categorical variables:
menstrual duration ≤ 7 days and > 7 days.
Family History of Dysmenorrhea
A family history of dysmenorrhea was defined as the
presence of similar menstrual pain among first-degree
female relatives, specifically the participant’s mother or
sister [ 17]. The variable was categorized as no (if there
was none) and yes (if there was a family history).
History of Smoking Exposure
The low level of active smoking and the increase in pas -
sive smoking among children make this study take
variables regarding cigarette exposure in adolescents
(second-hand smoke) [ 18]. Exposure to second-hand
smoke was evaluated with one question with two answer
options: “yes” and “no” .
Ethical consideration
This study obtained ethical approval from the Health
Research Ethics Committee of Dr. Moewardi Gen -
eral Hospital (Number 994/IV/HREC/2024). Written
informed consent was obtained from all participants
and their parents/guardians. Participants were informed
about the study’s objectives, anonymity was ensured, and
participation was voluntary. All collected data were kept
confidential and used solely for research purposes.
Result
A total of 211 respondents from 222 target populations
met the inclusion and exclusion criteria in this study.
The prevalence of dysmenorrhoea among female stu -
dents at SMA N 1 Surakarta was 89.10% (188 out of 211
respondents). Respondents in this study were mostly 16
years old. Half of the research respondents had a nor -
mal-weight BMI, with 68.20% of respondents experienc -
ing menstruation at the age of more than 12 years. 119
respondents admitted experiencing a menstrual cycle of
> 27 days, and 59.20% experienced a regular cycle. 63.50%
of respondents admitted to having a duration of ≤ 7 days.
More than half of the respondents (62.10%) had a history
of close family, such as a mother or sister, experiencing
dysmenorrhea. The characteristics of the research sub -
jects can be seen in Table 1.
Based on bivariate analysis in this study, it was found
that there was a significant relationship between fam -
ily history and the incidence of dysmenorrhoea. A fam -
ily history of dysmenorrhoea in mothers and sisters has
a 4.09 times higher risk of experiencing dysmenorrhoea
in adolescents (OR = 4.09; 95% CI = 1.59–10.53; p = 0.002).
This study found that factors such as BMI, menarche age,
menstrual regularity, menstrual cycle, duration of men -
struation, and history of smoking exposure did not have
a significant relationship with the incidence of adolescent
dysmenorrhea. The results of the bivariate analysis can be
seen in Table 2.
The results of the multivariate analysis (Table 3)
showed that adolescents with a positive family history
of dysmenorrhoea had a significantly higher likelihood
of experiencing dysmenorrhoea compared with those
without such a history (OR = 5.26; 95% CI: 1.92–14.45;
p = 0.001). Moreover, the menstrual cycle was also sig -
nificantly associated with dysmenorrhea, where ado -
lescents with a menstrual cycle length of < 27 days had
a 3.15 times higher risk of experiencing dysmenorrhea
compared with those with a normal cycle length ≥ 27 days
(95% CI = 1.13–8.80; p = 0.029).
Table 1 Baseline characteristics of participants in SMAN 1
Surakarta based on risk factors
Characteristics n = 211 (%) Dysmenorrhea
Yes No
n % n %
Age (year) 15.67 ± 0.53
15 74 (35.10) 60 81.10 14 18.90
16 133 (63.00) 125 94.00 8 6.00
17 3 (1.40) 3 100.00 0 0.00
18 1 (0.50) 1 100.00 0 0.00
BMI 20.23 ± 3.70
Abnormal ( 24.9) 96 (45.50) 84 87.50 12 12.50
Normoweight (18.5–24.9) 115 (54.50) 105 91.30 10 8.70
Menarche Age (year)
< 12 67 (31.80) 61 91.00 6 9.00
≥ 12 144 (68.20) 128 88.90 16 11.10
Menstrual Regularity
Reguler 125 (59.20) 114 91.20 11 8.80
Irreguler 86 (40.80) 75 87.20 11 12.80
Menstrual cycle (day)
≤ 27 92 (43.60) 86 93.5 6 6.50
> 27 119 (56.40) 103 86.6 16 13.40
Duration of Menstruation (days)
≤ 7 134 (63.50) 119 88.8 15 11.20
> 7 77 (36.50) 70 90.9 7 9.10
Family History of Dysmenorrhea
Yes 131 (62.10) 124 94.70 7 5.30
No 80 (37.90) 65 81.30 15 18.80
History of Smoking Exposure
Yes 104 (49.30) 95 91.30 9 8.70
No 107 (50.70) 94 87.90 13 12.10
BMI Body mass index
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Budihastuti et al. Middle East Fertility Society Journal (2025) 30:65
Discussion
This study found that the prevalence of dysmenorrhoea
in teenagers at SMA N 1 Surakarta was relatively high.
This is in line with other research conducted in various
countries, such as studies in France, where the prevalence
of dysmenorrhoea in adolescents was 92.9% [ 19], Sweden
89% [ 20], and Ghana 68.1% [ 19]. A meta-analysis study
conducted by Wang et al. revealed that the prevalence of
dysmenorrhoea, especially primary dysmenorrhoea, in
students throughout the world in 2022 was 66.1%, and
this prevalence was higher than in previous years [ 14].
This indicates that dysmenorrhoea is a gynecological
health issue that often occurs in women of reproductive
age, both teenagers and young adults, and needs more
attention. Other studies involving students, such as those
in Turkey, were 83.3% [20], Lebanon had a prevalence of
80.9% [21], Zimbabwe had 75,9% [ 22], Spain 74.8% [ 23],
Ethiopia 51.5% [ 24] and China 41.7% [ 25]. The varia -
tion in prevalence in several studies in various countries
is possible due to differences in the demographics of
research respondents, the age criteria of respondents
used in a study, and socioeconomic factors.
Family history of dysmenorrhoea for both mother and
sister had a significant relationship in this study (OR
= 5.26; 95% CI: 1.92–14.45; p = 0.001). This aligns with
previous research where family history was a risk factor
for dysmenorrhoea, with odds ratios varying from 1.68
to 3.29 [21, 22, 24, 25]. This is possible due to the role of
genetics [ 26], wherein studies of both primary and sec -
ondary dysmenorrhoea populations, chromosome 1p13.2
was identified as being close to the nerve growth factor
locus, which is associated with the severity of pain and
can increase the body’s sensitivity to pain [ 27]. Apart
from that, the behavior of the family, especially the
mother, can also influence the perception of pain because
children learn behavior from their mother when suffer -
ing from dysmenorrhea [ 21]. Thus, early education and
counseling interventions targeting both adolescents and
Table 2 Results of bivariate analysis of factors associated with adolescent dysmenorrhoea
Independent Variables Dysmenorrhoea OR (CI 95%) p-value
Yes No
N % n %
BMI (kg/m2)
Abnormal ( 24.9) 84 87.50 12 10.00 1.50
(0.62–3.64)
0.368
Normoweight (18.5–24.9) 105 91.30 10 8.70
Menarche Age (year)
< 12 61 91.00 6 9.00 0.79
(0.29–2.11)
0.633
≥ 12 128 88.90 16 11.10
Menstrual Regularity
Reguler 114 91.20 11 8.80 0.66
(0.27–1.59)
0.351
Irreguler 75 87.20 11 12.80
Menstrual cycle (day)
≤ 27 86 93.50 6 6.50 0.45
(0.17–1.20)
0.103
> 27 103 86.60 16 13.40
Duration of Menstruation (days)
≤ 7 119 88.80 15 11.20 1.26
(0.49–3.24)
0.630
> 7 70 90.90 7 9.10
Family History of Dysmenorrhea
Yes 124 94.70 7 5.30 4.09
(1.59–10.53)
0.002*
No 65 81.30 15 18.80
History of Smoking Exposure
Yes 95 91.30 9 8.70 0.69
(0.28–1.68)
0.406
No 94 87.90 13 12.10
Based on chi-square test; *, significantly associated at p-value < 0.05, BMI: body mass index
Table 3 Results of multivariate logistic regression analysis of
predisposing factors for adolescent dysmenorrhoea
Independent Variable OR CI 95% p
Lower
Limit
Upper
Limit
Menstrual Cycle (< 27 days)a 3.15 1.13 8.80 0.029*
Family History of Dysmenorrhea
(Yes)b
5.26 1.92 14.45 0.001*
Constant 13.15 - - 0.000
n observation = 211
Nagelkerke R2 = 13.7%
−2 Log likelihood = 126.53
*Significant at p-value < 0.05
aReference category: menstrual cycle ≥27 days (normal)
bReference category: no family history of dysmenorrhea
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Budihastuti et al. Middle East Fertility Society Journal (2025) 30:65
their mothers are essential to reduce dysmenorrhoea
severity and improve pain management strategies.
One of the characteristics of menstruation is the men -
strual cycle, which appears to have a significant relation -
ship with dysmenorrhoea in adolescents. In this study, a
menstrual cycle of >27 days had a 3.15 times higher risk
of dysmenorrhoea in adolescents. This is in line with pre-
vious research where menstrual cycles of more than 29
days were more likely to experience dysmenorrhoea than
those 35 days is a risk factor
for primary dysmenorrhoea in adolescents [28].
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecolo -
gists (ACOG) and several studies have identified that
abnormal menstrual cycles are more common in ado -
lescents. This is caused by the immaturity of the HPO
axis pathway at puberty, even though adolescents have
experienced menarche [ 29]. Puberty begins with the
first release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)
from the hypothalamus, which induces the production of
follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hor -
mone (LH) from the anterior pituitary. During puberty,
the feedback mechanism and response of the ovarian fol -
licles to hormonal stimulation are still not sensitive, caus-
ing the luteal phase of the ovarian cycle to become longer
and ovulation to fail. The presence of anovulatory cycles
causes abnormally long menstrual cycles in adolescents
[30– 32].
Women who experience abnormal menstrual cycle
length usually experience anovulation and low progester-
one secretion. Decreased progesterone secretion causes
excessive activation of the cyclooxygenase (COX) and
lipooxygenase (LOX) pathways. This causes excessive
production of prostaglandins, prostacyclins, A2 throm -
boxane, and leukotrienes, increasing the intensity of dys -
menorrhea [33, 34].
Apart from the menstrual cycle, other menstrual
characteristics such as menstrual regularity, menstrual
duration, and age at menarche were also examined in
this study. Different from previous studies, menstrual
regularity and age at menarche do not have a significant
relationship with the incidence of dysmenorrhoea in ado-
lescents. Several previous studies have shown that men -
strual irregularity has a significant relationship with the
occurrence of dysmenorrhoea [ 19], as well as the age of
menarche [20, 22]. A study conducted on 4606 Chinese
students found that age at menarche < 12 years and irreg-
ular menstrual cycles increased the risk of dysmenor -
rhoea by 1.16 and 1.22 times [ 25]. A possible underlying
reason is the fact that girls experiencing early menarche
have longer exposure to uterine prostaglandins, result -
ing in a higher prevalence of dysmenorrhea [ 35]. One
of the reasons why the results in this study are different
from other studies may be due to the small number of
teenagers experiencing menarche who are under 12 years
old. Our findings are equivalent to the results observed
by Acheampogn et al., who found no difference in the
age of menarche between adolescents with dysmenor -
rhea and non-dysmenorrhea [19]. Further research with a
larger and more diverse adolescent population is needed
to clarify these relationships.
Another study also said that irregular menstrual
cycles increase by up to 2.34 times. This is possible due
to excessive prostaglandin production in the endome -
trium, which causes increased uterine contractions and
arterial vasoconstriction, resulting in ischemic pain [ 24].
Although the analysis did not find any significance, ado -
lescents with irregular cycles in this study were 59.2%,
which may indicate that there are still many adolescents
in this study whose HPO axis is still immature.
In this study, we also did not find a significant relation -
ship between menstrual duration and the occurrence of
dysmenorrhoea in adolescents ( p = 0.630). The relation -
ship between menstrual duration and dysmenorrhoea
remains contradictory. Several studies say that menstrual
duration is a risk factor for dysmenorrhea, where men -
strual duration ≥ 7 days has a 1.6 times higher chance
of experiencing dysmenorrhea ( p 5 days had 1.9 times the risk of developing dysmen-
orrhoea [ 35]. However, a recent study in 2019 in Ghana
concluded that there was no significant relationship
between menstrual duration and dysmenorrhea ( p >0.01)
[19]. This study was strengthened by another study in
2021, which also stated that there was no significant
relationship between menstrual duration and dysmenor -
rhoea (p = 0.56) [21].
Different study results regarding behavioral risk factors
associated with dysmenorrhoea were found. Although
some studies did not find a relationship between
unhealthy lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, low BMI
(25), some studies reported a
strong positive correlation [ 20, 21, 25]. Based on previ -
ous literature, women with a low BMI (thin) or obesity
have a high risk of dysmenorrhoea [ 37]. Thin and obese
adolescents are also known to have a higher degree of
dysmenorrhea pain compared to groups of normal-
weight and overweight adolescents [ 38]. However, a sys -
tematic review and meta-analysis study in 2022 argued
that only the underweight group had an increased risk
of dysmenorrhoea. In contrast, no significant relation -
ship was found for the overweight and obese groups
[39]. Our study found that there was no significant cor -
relation between abnormal BMI and the incidence of dys-
menorrhoea, as well as the history of smoking exposure,
respectively, p = 0.368 and p = 0.406. Previous evidence
has stated that there is a significant relationship between
women who smoke actively and dysmenorrhoea [ 40,
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Budihastuti et al. Middle East Fertility Society Journal (2025) 30:65
41]. However, there is still little literature that discusses
women who are exposed to cigarette smoke/passive
smoke. One study found that women who smoke pas -
sively increased their risk of dysmenorrhoea 1.32 times
[42].
This study has provided a comprehensive overview of
the predisposing factors for dysmenorrhea in adoles -
cents, covering various aspects, starting from menstrual
characteristics to lifestyle. However, researchers are
aware of the limitations of the research. First, the sample
taken has the potential not to represent all teenagers in
the Surakarta City area because this research was only
conducted at one center for upper secondary education
(SMA). Second, the cross-sectional design precludes
causal inference and is susceptible to recall bias in self-
reported menstrual characteristics and lifestyle factors.
Third, several potentially relevant covariates were not
measured, and the content validity index of the newly
developed questionnaire was not formally calculated.
Therefore, long-term, multi-center studies with more
standardized risk factor measurements are needed for
future research to estimate the true impact and generate
robust evidence.
Conclusion
The prevalence of dysmenorrhoea among adolescents at
SMA N 1 Surakarta was 89.1%. A shorter menstrual cycle
and a positive family history of dysmenorrhea were sig -
nificantly associated with dysmenorrhea among adoles -
cents. These factors should be taken into account when
assessing adolescents who present with menstrual pain.
Considering that dysmenorrhea can interfere with school
activities and reduce quality of life, health-care providers
and school-based health services may consider routine
assessment of menstrual pain and provision of appropri -
ate management and education on menstrual health.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank SMA N 1 Surakarta for permitting research
and Universitas Sebelas Maret for its financial support through the Penelitian
Hibah Grup Riset (Hgr-UNS) B research scheme.
Authors’ contributions
URB: Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervision, Funding Acquisition,
Writing – Original Draft, Review & Editing. AL: Data Curation, Formal
Analysis, Funding Acquisition, Review & Editing. EM: Investigation, Project
Administration, Validation, Funding Acquisition. D: Software, Data Collection,
Funding Acquisition. AA: Visualization, Literature Review, Funding Acquisition,
Review & Editing. ASW: Resources, Ethics Approval, Project Administration.
AAH: Questionnaire Distribution, Statistical Analysis, Writing – Original Draft.
Funding
This research received grant funding from Universitas Sebelas Maret through
the Penelitian Hibah Grup Riset (Hgr-UNS) B research scheme with contract
number 194.2/UN27.22/PT.01.03/2024.
Data availability
The datasets studied are available from the corresponding author upon
reasonable request.
Declarations
Ethics approval and consent to participate
This research has received ethical approval from the ethics committee of Dr.
Moewardi General Hospital with number 994/IV/HREC/2024. Written informed
consent was obtained from all participants and their parents/guardians.
Consent for publication
All participants provided written informed consent to publish anonymized
data in this manuscript.
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Received: 9 July 2025 / Accepted: 28 November 2025
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