COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN GYNAECOLOGICAL PATIENTS WITH DYSMENORRHEA

Introduction: The normal physiological course of monthly menstruation is an important component of female health prevention and promotion in the childbearing age. Acupuncture, moxibustion and auriculotherapy are promising non-pharmaceutical alternative for dysmenorrhea management. Purpose: to study and evaluate the capability of Chinese treatment methods - acupuncture, moxibustion and auriculotherapy suitable for pain syndrome management among patients with dysmenorrhea. Material and Methods: Material: 44 women with primary dysmenorrhea, mean age of 26 years, divided into two groups. Complementary medicine methods were applied in the "Outpatient clinic for unconventional methods for favourable effect upon the individual health" - Sofia, and at the University Center for Eastern Medicine, Medical University "Prof. Dr Paraskev Stoyanov", within the two-year research period. Methods: document and content analysis; clinical, sociological and statistical methods. Results: The research on quality of life in the experimental group establishes an increase in the overall self-assessment (44,18 points) and in the following domains: "Physical" by 19,409 points, "Psychological" by 12,591 points, "Social relationships" by 3,909 points and "Environment" by 7,50 points. The comparative characteristics of the data from the overall self-assessment of both groups and domains indicate an increase in the overall self-assessment by 66,52%, in the domain "Physical" by 50,06%, in the domain "Psychological" by 60,23%, in the domain "Social relationships" by 87,38% and in the domain "Environment" by 79,37%. Conclusion: The implementation of complementary medicine in dysmenorrhea management should be interpreted as a modern approach to treatment and female health promotion and prevention to achieve optimal quality of life.