Nutraceuticals: A Potential Therapeutic Approach Using Natural Ingredients Towards Relieving Menstrual Pain among Young Bangladeshi Women

Abstract

Introduction: Nutraceuticals are substances considered as foods/parts of foods that provide medical and health benefits in terms of disease prevention and treatment. Nutraceutical is generally extracted from herbal products, matched with dietary supplements and diet-specific nutrients, and reduce dysmenorrhea and menstrual cramping. Asia has a profound history of using nutraceuticals for many remedies. Especially, Iranian ethnobotany and Chinese herbal medicine have been used for treating primary dysmenorrhea for centuries. Objective: To assess perceived knowledge, attitude and common practices among young women on using nutraceuticals as predefined food or herbs, assuming they are effective pain relievers during menstrual cramps. Methods and Materials: This observational study explored the knowledge, attitudinal trend, and practice level (KAP) of nutraceuticals used by 130 randomly selected girls from 18-25 years old suffering from regular/recurrent menstrual pain. Data were randomly collected from four women's colleges in Dhaka city using a pre-tested close-ended questionnaire between November 2022 to January 2023, with written consent. Data Analysis Plan: Primary data were recorded, cross-checked, and entered into SPSS version 22. A P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.  Results: Of the 130 participants, most were between 21 and 26 years of age, and most (68.5%) were graduate. Among them, half (51.5%) had moderate, and 31.5% had severe menstrual cramping. There was no association between being overweight and having a menstrual cramp (p=0.63). Almost 30% (n=38) of participants reportedly took some herbal medicines and/or nutraceuticals to relieve their menstrual pain. While 36 strongly believed that taking herbal remedies in their primary dysmenorrhea gave them relief from pain than those who did not (p>0.001). Conclusion: The study found a plausible association between taking nutraceuticals during primary dysmenorrhea or menstrual cramping and getting better relief.