Prior to conducting our study, we reviewed 2 prior
studies that investigated the efficacy of heat application in
relieving dysmenorrhea. These studies did not monitor 2
separate menstrual cycles.32,33 Use of over-the-counter/self
medication has been reported to be quite extensive in the
literature for the relief of dysmenorrhea.10,13,14 Therefore, in
order to determine the effectiveness of local low-dose heat
application, a comparison group of participants who used
over-the-counter/self medication to manage the symptoms
of dysmenorrhea was included in the study. A control group
is useful in detecting the spontaneous disappearance of
pain and other symptoms. No specific studies existed in the
literature investigating the efficacy of heat application as a
general nursing practice in relieving dysmenorrhea.