Depok-Dysmenorrhea is defined as painful menstrual cramps and is one of the most common gynecological disorders among women of productive age. In addition to affecting physical health, dysmenorrhea often significantly reduces the quality of life and productivity of young women, even being a reason for absence from school, work, and other activities.
For this reason, the Physiotherapy study program, Vocational Education Program, Universitas Indonesia (UI) held Dysmenorrhea Gymnastics Education (SENADI) for female adolescents at the Yatashi Private Islamic High School in Bogor City. The activity is part of a community service program called Sepanjang Hayat Bergerak Bersama Fisioterapi (Sehat Bestari).
This program is a manifestation of the real contribution of the role of physiotherapy in overcoming health complaints in the community, one of which is in the field of women’s health and reproduction. This is supported by data from the Basic Health Research (Riskesdas) of the Indonesian Ministry of Health in 2018 which showed that the prevalence of dysmenorrhea in Indonesia reached 64.25%, consisting of primary dysmenorrhea of 54.89% and secondary dysmenorrhea of 9.36%.
(Photo: Physiotherapy students explain about women’s reproductive health)
The head of the community service team, Faizah Abdullah, S.St., S.Ft., M.Biomed., said, “Despite its high prevalence rate, dysmenorrhea is often not treated properly and is ignored, considering that many young women prefer to remain silent without seeking a medical approach. This is because dysmenorrhea is considered a shameful and taboo condition. In addition, many lay people assume that pain is an inevitable response to menstruation that must be tolerated.”
The activity supported by the Directorate of Community Service and Empowerment (DPPM) UI was held on September 17, 2024. Faizah added that the exercise education aimed to provide understanding and awareness to the community about the importance of women’s health, especially on the problem of dysmenorrhea. “This education is a step to increase awareness of the importance of women’s health. Based on the data collection that we have done before starting the event on MA Yatashi students in Bogor City, more than 60% experience dysmenorrhea which has an impact on activities and quality of life,” said Faizah.
The counseling, according to Faizah, aims to raise awareness that the pain that young women have been feeling is a health problem that can be overcome by doing simple actions, such as specific exercises for dysmenorrhea. The exercises created by the Physiotherapy students cover all parts of the body, but focus on the core muscles. These exercises can be done once a day and before the menstrual period with a time of approximately 6-7 minutes per session and repeated twice. In addition, these menstrual pain prevention exercises can be done independently and may be done by every woman who is still menstruating.
(Photo: Community service activities of the Physiotherapy study program at MA Yatashi, Bogor City)
The enthusiasm of the young women who participated in this activity was quite high, seen from the many questions and interactions of the participants. Nafisha, a student of MA Yatashi Bogor City, said that the exercise education gave her new insight into dealing with menstrual pain. “Previously I didn’t realize that menstrual pain was a common thing. However, it turns out that we can handle the pain with special dysmenorrhea exercises,” said Nafisha.
Director of UI Vocational Education Program, Padang Wicaksono, S.E., Ph.D, said that the series of community service activities carried out by lecturers and students of the Physiotherapy study program in several regions are concrete steps in improving the quality of life and health of the community. “Through these various community service activities, we hope that the community will benefit directly and apply the education provided to their daily lives,” said Padang.
