A Smartphone App for Women With Primary Dysmenorrhea

NCT ID: NCT03432611

Last Updated: 2019-07-31

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

UNKNOWN

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

594 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2018-02-19

Study Completion Date

2021-03-31

Brief Summary

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With a randomized, pragmatic study the effectiveness of a smartphone app for menstrual pain in 18-34-year-old women with primary dysmenorrhea will be investigated.

Detailed Description

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Smartphone apps may be useful to guide and support individuals in self-management strategies. Primary dysmenorrhea is a very common problem for women. With a randomized, pragmatic study the investigators aim to evaluate whether a smartphone app for women with menstrual pain is effective in reducing menstrual pain in 18-34-year-old women with primary dysmenorrhea. For this the investigators compare the complete smartphone app with two control versions of this app. The complete app provides evidence-based self-care information and instructions for self-acupressure in menstrual pain, the control intervention I includes self-care information, but no instructions for self-acupressure, and control intervention II includes instructions for self-acupressure, but no self-care information. The investigators aim to observe 594 women with primary dysmenorrhea over 12 menstruation cycles. The primary outcome is the mean pain intensity on the days with pain during the 6th menstruation after randomization using a numerical rating scale (NRS; 0=no pain; 10=strongest pain imaginable). Women are eligible when they suffer from primary dysmenorrhea, are between 18 and 34 years old, not pregnant and do not plan to be pregnant within the next 12 months.

Conditions

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Primary Dysmenorrhea

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

randomized, three-armed pragmatic study
Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Complete app

198 women with primary dysmenorrhea who receive an app which includes a self-care information feature and a self-acupressure feature.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Self-care information feature

Intervention Type OTHER

The self-care feature offers information on self-care for menstrual pain. The following topics are shown: exercise, dietary supplementation, heating pad/hot water bottle, yoga, and information on when to consult a doctor and how primary dysmenorrhoea is often treated. Notifications from the app which can be deactivated remind women of surveys and activities.

Self-acupressure feature

Intervention Type OTHER

The acupressure feature offers detailed written and multimedia descriptions of an acupressure used for menstrual pain. Three acupressure points are described, which should be massaged bilaterally twice a day up to five times a day on the 5 days before menstruation and during menstruation. Each point should be massaged for 2 minutes. A timer for the acupressure and notifications from the app which can be deactivated remind women of surveys and acupressure.

Control intervention I

198 women with primary dysmenorrhea who receive an app for menstrual pain which includes the self-care information feature, but not the self-acupressure feature.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Self-care information feature

Intervention Type OTHER

The self-care feature offers information on self-care for menstrual pain. The following topics are shown: exercise, dietary supplementation, heating pad/hot water bottle, yoga, and information on when to consult a doctor and how primary dysmenorrhoea is often treated. Notifications from the app which can be deactivated remind women of surveys and activities.

Control intervention II

198 women with primary dysmenorrhea who receive an app for menstrual pain which includes the self-acupressure feature, but not the self-care information feature.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Self-acupressure feature

Intervention Type OTHER

The acupressure feature offers detailed written and multimedia descriptions of an acupressure used for menstrual pain. Three acupressure points are described, which should be massaged bilaterally twice a day up to five times a day on the 5 days before menstruation and during menstruation. Each point should be massaged for 2 minutes. A timer for the acupressure and notifications from the app which can be deactivated remind women of surveys and acupressure.

Interventions

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Self-care information feature

The self-care feature offers information on self-care for menstrual pain. The following topics are shown: exercise, dietary supplementation, heating pad/hot water bottle, yoga, and information on when to consult a doctor and how primary dysmenorrhoea is often treated. Notifications from the app which can be deactivated remind women of surveys and activities.

Intervention Type OTHER

Self-acupressure feature

The acupressure feature offers detailed written and multimedia descriptions of an acupressure used for menstrual pain. Three acupressure points are described, which should be massaged bilaterally twice a day up to five times a day on the 5 days before menstruation and during menstruation. Each point should be massaged for 2 minutes. A timer for the acupressure and notifications from the app which can be deactivated remind women of surveys and acupressure.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Female, aged 18-34 years
* Dysmenorrhea, defined as self-reported menstrual cramps or pain during every menstrual cycle which started during the teenage years
* No prior history of a gynecological disease that is known to be a reason for the dysmenorrhea
* Not more than 5 days with menstrual pain outside the menstrual period itself
* Menstruation within the last six weeks and a cycle length of 3 to 6 weeks
* Moderate or severe pain, defined as a score equal to or higher than 6 on a numeric rating scale (NRS, 0 to 10) for the worst pain intensity during the last menstruation
* Informed consent
* Possession of an iPhone
* Willingness and ability to input and share anonymous data through the study app
* The willingness to see a doctor when 1) pain is getting worse than usual, 2) pain medication is not helping, and 3) when the pain is still present well before or well after the period.

Exclusion Criteria

* Known pregnancy
* Pregnancy already planned for the forthcoming 12 months
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

34 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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University of Zurich

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Charite University, Berlin, Germany

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Claudia M. Witt

Prof. Dr. med.

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Claudia M. Witt, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Charite University, Berlin, Germany

Daniel Pach, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Charite University, Berlin, Germany

Locations

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Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Berlin, , Germany

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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Germany

Central Contacts

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Daniel Pach, MD

Role: CONTACT

004930450529068

Iris Bartsch

Role: CONTACT

004930450529132

Facility Contacts

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Daniel Pach, MD

Role: primary

030450529027

Role: backup

References

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Wang J, Rogge AA, Armour M, Smith CA, D'Adamo CR, Pischke CR, Yen HR, Wu MY, More AOO, Witt CM, Pach D. International ResearchKit App for Women with Menstrual Pain: Development, Access, and Engagement. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2020 Feb 11;8(2):e14661. doi: 10.2196/14661.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 32058976 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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smartAID-18

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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