Objective: to understand the influence of dietary habits in the presence and intensity of dysmenorrhoea, to find out the types of food preferred during menstruation, and the beliefs regarding the relationship between nutrition and menstrual pain.
Method: a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 18-to-45-year-old female Nursing students from a university in Barcelona (Spain) (N= 74). An online survey was administered on the frequency of use of different food groups, suffering dysmenorrhea, dietary preferences during menstruation, and perceptions of types of food as damaging or beneficial for pain. Non-parametric statistical tests were conducted, with a p≤ 0,05 significance.
Results: the study included 67 women (90.5%); 61.2% of them suffered dysmenorrhea. Not eating ready-made meals, cakes, soft drinks, and some spices, contributed to not suffering dysmenorrhoea (p< 0.05). On the other hand, eating curcuma and cakes encouraged its development (p< 0.05). There was also a higher proportion of women with moderate pain among those who ate avocado, and more women with mild vs. severe pain when eating snacks. The spices causing milder or no pain were curcuma and caraway, while oregano was the spice causing higher pain. 76.1% preferred chocolate or sweets during menstruation, followed by 38.8% with fruit and vegetables, and 29.9% with fast food, even though they believed fruit and vegetables were more beneficial.
Conclusions: diets with low sugar content, and rich in non-saturated fats and certain spices, result in an effective non-pharmacological treatment for dysmenorrhea. Studies are required with larger samples in order to draw conclusions with stronger outcomes.