ABSTRACT
To determine the prevalence of dysmenorrhea among a group of women and its effect on their quality of life [QoL]. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 729 women in reproductive age in a town of western Turkey between March and April 2009. The questionnaire form was filled in by a face to face method. The severity of menstrual pain was determined by Visual Analogue Scale. The quality of life [QoL] was assessed by the Short Form-36 [SF-36]. The Chi-square test, Student t test, Analysis of Variance and Logistic Regression analysis were used for statistical analyses. A value of p<0.05 was accepted statistically significant. The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 63.6%. Not giving birth, menstrual irregularity, and a family history of dysmenorrhea were important risk factors for dysmenorrhea [p<0.05 for each one]. The domains of QoL was lower in women with dysmenorrhea when compared to women without dysmenorrhea [p<0.05]. Dysmenorrhea is a public health problem that affects quality of life