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Menstrual Pain Intervention Among Students

NCT07155291 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 46

Last updated 2025-09-04

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Dysmenorrhea, or menstrual pain, is a prevalent issue among female students, which negatively influences students' productivity, academic performance, and quality of life.

This study explores a non-pharmaceutical physiotherapy method that has shown potential to decrease menstrual cramping, but research on its efficacy remains limited. The intervention is a visceral abdominal self-massage.

Because individuals tend to respond differently to physiotherapy methods, the investigators aim to assess the effect of performing the self-massage regularly on the self-reported perception of menstrual pain and related symptoms of female students in Germany, with a series of N-of-1 trials.

N-of-1 trials lasting up to 60 days are conducted with participants who regularly experience dysmenorrhea. Participants undergo a control (A) and an intervention phase (B), with a probable second control phase (A) depending on the individual cycle lengths and study start. Daily symptoms are recorded via the StudyU smartphone application. The baseline questionnaire collects demographic, lifestyle, and menstrual history information to identify potential effect modifiers. The intervention's effects will be estimated across individual and population levels. Participants will receive access to an analysis of their data.

The results may benefit individual well-being and contribute to the exploration of a more holistic approach to menstrual health.

Conditions

  • Dysmenorrhea
  • Dysmenorrhea Primary
  • Dysmenorrhea Secondary
  • Dysmenorrhea Symptom

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Abdominal Self-Massage

Daily self-administered visceral abdominal massage consisting of circular motions and pressure point techniques, performed for 5-20 minutes in total based on participant preference. The massage includes two parts: belly exercises (10 exercises) and pelvic exercises (3 exercises), with each exercise repeated 5-10 times or until the area feels relaxed. The app provides instructional videos and written step-by-step guides with drawings in English and German. Participants are recommended to use oil/cream, find a comfortable position, and integrate the massage into a daily routine.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Potsdam

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Stefan Konigorski, Dr. rer. nat. · Hasso-Plattner-Institut

  • Valeria Tisch, Master's Student · Hasso-Plattner-Institut

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
45 Years
Sex
FEMALE
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-09-30
Primary Completion
2026-01-31
Completion
2026-01-31

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07155291 on ClinicalTrials.gov