Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use for Primary Dysmenorrhea among Senior High School Students in the Western Region of Ghana

Table 2

Lay representations of the definition of dysmenorrhea by some of the female students.

Participant ID	Lay representation
MHSH1	The time of the month where blood comes from the vagina
MSHS2	In my menstrual cycle, sometimes I feel like vomiting when I eat and pains in my abdomen.
MSHS3	Dysmenorrhea is when you have your menses at the age of twelve (12)
MSHS4	I know it is simply menstrual problem
MSHS5	The feeling of restlessness during a girl’s menses
MSHS6	It is the feeling of heaviness in the stomach during your period
MSHS7	The serious pain one experiences
MSHS8	When you miss your menses for some time and it starts again
MSHS9	An uncomfortable feeling in the stomach
MSHS10	Some challenges people experience when they menstruate
APGSHS1	I know dysmenorrhea is associated with painful menstruation; it feels like a spring is being pulled from your abdomen.
APGSHS2	The process of having painful cramps during menstruation
APGSHS3	Dysmenorrhea is the burning sensation one feels in the lower abdomen during menstruation.
APGSHS4	It is the tearing of the abdomen with sharp pains
APGSHS5	Pains at the waist side and knee during menstruation
APGSHS6	It is the pain or disorder felt during your menstrual period
APGSHS7	A sharp hurting pain which comes and stops and starts very painful again
APGSHS8	Dysmenorrhea is a condition whereby a female adolescent experiences severe pains at the lower abdomen which is usually called menstrual cramps
APGSHS9	The feeling of being pierced with something in your stomach during menstruation
APGSHS10	Situation where an individual misses her menses