Women, regardless of age experience the effects of their reproductive health throughout their lives.
Most women of fertile age regularly experience the impacts of menstruation. Depending on their age, between 17% and 90% of menstruating women experience throbbing cramps in the lower abdomen, so-called dysmenorrhea (1). For up to 15% of women suffering from dysmenorrhea, the cramps are so severe that they cannot attend work, school or other activities on a regular basis (1). Menstrual cramps are often accompanied by additional symptoms like back aches, headaches, nausea or diarrhea. Endometriosis is a more severe condition that affects 6-10% of women in the reproductive age (2). Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease in which endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus, causing pelvic pain during the menses and can even lead to infertility (2).