A Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Acupressure on Menstrual Discomforts Among Adolescent Girls

Dysmenorrhoea is the most common gynecological disorder among adolescents with a prevalence of 60 - 93%. According to United States of America (USA) based studies, 42% of affected adolescents describe their menstrual pain as severe, 33% as moderate and 25% as mild. A number of studies have shown that in 10 - 15% of female students, dysmenorrhoea interferes with daily activities including school activities. Dysmenorrhoea accounts for 600 million lost work hours and US $ 2 billion in lost productivity annually¹¹. Objectives of the study were to, (i) identify the adolescent girls with menstrual discomfort. (ii) find the association between menstrual discomforts and selected variables such as onset of menarche, family support, dietary pattern, exercise, socio economic status, family history of dysmenorrhea, sleep pattern and academic performance. (iii) determine the effect of acupressure technique on severity of menstrual discomforts among adolescent girls in terms of reduction in menstrual discomforts as measured by menstrual discomfort severity assessment scale. In order to achieve the objectives of the study it was essential to carry out the research in two phases. In phase I, survey approach was used and in phase II evaluative approach is used. The intervention given was Acupressure procedure. Results indicated that acupressure was an effective technique in reducing the menstrual discomforts among adolescent girls.