Supporting young women with menstrual pain - Experiences of midwives working at youth clinics

BACKGROUND: Menstrual pain is relatively common among young girls. Many girls turn to youth clinics when seeking care for menstrual problems. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to describe midwives' experiences of supporting girls with menstrual pain. METHODS: This is a qualitative study with an inductive approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 midwives working at Swedish youth clinics. Interviews were held inSeptember 2021. The recordings were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Two main themes, consisting of three subthemes each, emerged: Guiding and educating young women about menstrual pain and Striving toward pain relief. It was important to the midwives to increase young women's knowledge of menstrual pain and coping strategies, and to guide them in finding a method for menstrual pain relief. Hormonal contraceptives were often a natural choice and an effective method for pain relief, although the midwives occasionally faced resistance from young women or their mothers when recommending this. The midwives also referred to a gynecologist if needed. CONCLUSION: The results highlight that midwives working at youth clinics have an important role in the care of young women with menstrual pain. The midwives found it important to increase young women's knowledge about menstrual pain and coping strategies, since they had noticed knowledge gaps in these areas. The results suggest a need to improve education about menstrual pain and coping strategies for young women, preferably in school and in cooperation with healthcare professionals.