Strengths and limitations
Our study of the prevalence of dysmenorrhea represents a major update of French data on the subject, the last one dating from 1984. The high number of participants (953 girls) with an excellent participation rate (none of the selected girls refused to participate), and the methodology are all parameters that ensure the accuracy of the sample. However, there remain a few limitations to our study. As it was a cross-sectional study, the girls were only asked about their cycles during the past year and our results do not describe the progression of dysmenorrhea over time. Finally, we also had to deal with memory bias that was difficult to overcome, as many girls did not know, or even remember, which pharmacological treatment they had used for their dysmenorrhea.