The study was approved by Institutional Review Board (IRB) of
Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University School of Medicine.
Women were recruited for the study from the School of Nursing
between 2002 and 2005. The participants eligible for the trial were
aged 15–40 years with primary dysmenorrhea. Our criterion for
making a diagnosis of primary dysmenorrhea was based on selfreported
severe, painful cramps just before or during menstruation.
Patients referred to the outpatient clinic of obstetrics and
gynecology with persistent pain were invited to take part in the
study. Women were excluded if they had irregular menstrual
cycles or secondary dysmenorrhea. We collected baseline data on
participant demographics including age, height and weight, and on
menstrual cycle characteristics such as age at menarche and length
of menstrual cycle.