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PERSPECTIVE article

Front. Reprod. Health
Sec. Adolescent Reproductive Health and Well-being
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/frph.2024.1418269

Adolescent dysmenorrhoea in general practice: tensions and uncertainties

Provisionally accepted
Sharon Dixon Sharon Dixon 1,2*Neda Taghinejadi Neda Taghinejadi 3Claire Duddy Claire Duddy 2Flora Holloway Flora Holloway 4Katy Vincent Katy Vincent 3Sue Ziebland Sue Ziebland 2
  • 1 University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
  • 2 Nuffield Department of Primary Health Care Health Sciences, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, United Kingdom
  • 3 Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, United Kingdom
  • 4 University of York, York, United Kingdom

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Abstract: This Perspectives article reflects on findings from our systematic review about adolescent dysmenorrhoea(1), drawing on sociology of diagnosis theory(2). We consider tensions and uncertainties between presentation with symptoms of dysmenorrhoea and processes of symptom categorisation and diagnosis in adolescents, tracing these through research and clinical guidance, considering possible implications for clinical practice. We argue that challenges in distinguishing between primary and secondary dysmenorrhoea in research translate into challenges in differentiation in clinical practice. We argue that framing this distinction as clear cut and straightforward belies the well-documented challenges in diagnosis of endometriosis, and that not recognising uncertainty and complexity inherent in this task may benefit neither clinicians nor patients.

    Keywords: Adolescent & youth, Dysmenorrhoea, Period pain, medical sociology, Sociology of Diagnosis

    Received: 16 Apr 2024; Accepted: 28 Jun 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Dixon, Taghinejadi, Duddy, Holloway, Vincent and Ziebland. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Sharon Dixon, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.