Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Physical Therapy - Department of Physical Therapy for Gynecology and Obstetrics

Back ground and objective: Dysmenorrhea is a common gynecological complaint among females with a major effect on work efficiency and quality of life. The most common symptoms are pain in the lower abdomen and back may reach to inner thighs, and other symptoms may occur such as breast tenderness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, and headache. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of progressive relaxation training versus aromatherapy on primary dysmenorrhea. Subjects and methods: Forty virgin girls were included in the study. Their age ranged from 16-25 years. They were randomly divided into two equal groups: Group (A): received progressive relaxation training. Group (B): Received aromatherapy patients of both groups were evaluated for pain using VAS scale and cortisol level using serum cortisol level blood test .assessment was done before and after successive eight weeks of treatment for both groups. Results: Post treatment results revealed that there was a significant improvement in (VAS) scores and serum cortisol level in both groups ,however the difference between groups was non-significant there was a significant decrease in VAS score and serum cortisol level in each group. Conclusion: Aromatherapy has the same beneficial effect of progressive relaxation training on improvement of pain in primary dysmenorrhea

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