Table 2 Participants’ sociodemographic characteristics, menstrual characteristics and health conditions, stratified by age (N = 19,385)

Gender

 Women

3904 (94.0%)

6537 (96.8%)

6443 (97.8%)

1822 (97.8%)

< 0.001

 Non-binary/other

251 (6.0%)

216 (3.2%)

144 (2.2%)

41 (2.2%)

Trans

 Yes

107 (2.6%)

38 (0.6%)

10 (0.2%)

3 (0.2%)

< 0.001

 No

3986 (95.9%)

6663 (98.7%)

6553 (99.5%)

1853 (99.5%)

 Don’t know

62 (1.5%)

52 (0.8%)

24 (0.4%)

7 (0.4%)

Country of birth

 Spain

3859 (94.4%)

6232 (93.6%)

5988 (92.8%)

1666 (92.0%)

0.001

 Other

231 (5.6%)

423 (6.4%)

466 (7.2%)

144 (8.0%)

Administrative situation

 Spanish nationality

3989 (96.3%)

6428 (95.5%)

6294 (95.8%)

1781 (96.0%)

< 0.001

 Permanent residency

102 (2.5%)

209 (3.1%)

241 (3.7%)

67 (3.6%)

 Temporal residency

42 (1.0%)

79 (1.2%)

19 (0.3%)

5 (0.3%)

 No permit/in process

9 (0.2%)

17 (0.3%)

15 (0.2%)

2 (0.1%)

Employment situation

 Working full-time/part-time

1319 (31.7%)

5014 (74.2%)

4811 (73.0%)

1430 (76.8%)

< 0.001

 Self-employed

70 (1.7%)

671 (9.9%)

868 (13.2%)

225 (12.1%)

< 0.001

 Studying full-time/part-time

3112 (74.9%)

1116 (16.5%)

320 (4.9%)

52 (2.8%)

< 0.001

 Unemployment, COVID19, retirement and other benefits

293 (7.1%)

661 (9.8%)

594 (9.0%)

139 (7.5%)

< 0.001

 Unpaid carer/houseworker

134 (3.2%)

341 (5.0%)

448 (6.8%)

97 (5.2%)

< 0.001

Completed education

 Primary education

40 (1.0%)

29 (0.4%)

93 (1.4%)

52 (2.8%)

< 0.001

 Secondary education

2377 (57.3%)

1264 (18.7%)

1333 (20.3%)

476 (25.6%)

 University education

1733 (41.8%)

5450 (80.8%)

5149 (78.3%)

1332 (71.6%)

Caregiver

 No

3987 (96.8%)

5416 (80.7%)

2520 (38.4%)

541 (29.1%)

< 0.001

 Yes

130 (3.2%)

1295 (19.3%)

4048 (61.6%)

1316 (70.9%)

Financial problems < 12 months

 Always/Many times

505 (12.8%)

978 (14.7%)

611 (9.4%)

151 (8.2%)

< 0.001

 Some/A few times

1399 (35.6%)

2164 (32.4%)

1820 (27.9%)

495 (26.9%)

 Never

2029 (51.6%)

3533 (52.9%)

4090 (62.7%)

1195 (64.9%)

Self-rated health

 Excellent

289 (7.0%)

470 (7.0%)

393 (6.0%)

110 (5.9%)

< 0.001

 Very good

1661 (40.4%)

2789 (41.4%)

2387 (36.3%)

593 (31.9%)

 Good

1789 (43.5%)

2948 (43.7%)

3188 (48.5%)

940 (50.6%)

 Fair

374 (9.1%)

492 (7.3%)

550 (8.4%)

187 (10.1%)

 Poor

29 (0.7%)

42 (0.6%)

55 (0.8%)

27 (1.5%)

Age at menarche [M (SD)]

12.2 (1.4)

12.3 (1.5)

12.5 (1.5)

12.6 (1.6)

< 0.001

 ≤10

372 (9.2%)

540 (8.1%)

460 (7.1%)

119 (6.5%)

< 0.001

 11–12

2092 (51.7%)

3299 (49.5%)

2980 (45.7%)

753 (40.9%)

 13–15

1507 (37.2%)

2660 (40.0%)

2894 (44.4%)

895 (48.6%)

 ≥16

78 (1.9%)

159 (2.4%)

188 (2.9%)

74 (4.0%)

Menstrual bleeding abundance

 < 25 ml

664 (16.0%)

1198 (17.7%)

1103 (16.7%)

370 (19.9%)

0.001

 25–80 ml

2822 (67.9%)

4370 (64.7%)

3894 (59.1%)

988 (53.0%)

< 0.001

 > 80 ml

736 (17.7%)

1233 (18.3%)

1513 (23.0%)

441 (23.7%)

< 0.001

Menstrual blood clots

 No

2585 (62.2%)

4293 (63.6%)

4284 (65.0%)

1239 (66.5%)

0.002

 Yes

1570 (37.8%)

2460 (36.4%)

2303 (35.0%)

624 (33.5%)

Menstrual bleeding duration

 < 2 days

33 (0.8%)

98 (1.5%)

129 (2.0%)

56 (3.0%)

< 0.001

 2–7 days

3820 (92.1%)

6252 (92.7%)

6061 (92.1%)

1632 (88.2%)

 > 7 days

294 (7.1%)

395 (5.9%)

388 (5.9%)

162 (8.8%)

Menstrual cycle duration

 < 21 days

311 (7.7%)

437 (6.6%)

588 (9.0%)

191 (10.6%)

< 0.001

 21–35 days

3158 (78.1%)

5534 (83.1%)

5686 (86.8%)

1451 (80.2%)

 > 35 days

574 (14.2%)

690 (10.4%)

275 (4.2%)

168 (9.3%)

Menstrual pain

 Low intensity (1–3)

733 (18.1%)

1677 (25.3%)

2574 (39.8%)

890 (48.8%)

< 0.001

 Moderate intensity (4–7)

2102 (51.8%)

3245 (49.0%)

2784 (43.0%)

661 (36.2%)

 High intensity (8–10)

1224 (30.2%)

1700 (25.7%)

1111 (17.2%)

273 (15.0%)

Menstrual pain management

 Use of analgesics

3079 (75.9%)

4607 (69.6%)

4167 (64.4%)

1125 (61.6%)

< 0.001

 Use of natural remedies

2458 (60.6%)

3999 (60.4%)

2861 (44.2%)

568 (31.1%)

< 0.001

 Yoga/Meditation or physical activity

24 (0.6%)

71 (1.1%)

55 (0.8%)

10 (0.5%)

0.027

 Resting, self-care (including through nutrition)

34 (0.8%)

97 (1.5%)

141 (2.2%)

24 (1.5%)

< 0.001

 Sex (including masturbation)

8 (0.2%)

30 (0.5%)

19 (0.3%)

2 (0.1%)

0.037

 Cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD), or alcohol use

6 (0.1%)

24 (0.4%)

13 (0.2%)

1 (0.1%)

0.031

 Alternative medicine

2 (0.0%)

19 (0.3%)

20 (0.3%)

3 (0.2%)

0.033

 Accessing the emergency room

6 (0.1%)

4 (0.1%)

2 (0.0%)

2 (0.1%)

0.164

 Physiotherapy/Osteotherapy

1 (0.0%)

5 (0.1%)

9 (0.1%)

1 (0.1%)

0.234

 Transcutaneous electric stimulation

1 (0.0%)

4 (0.1%)

2 (0.0%)

0 (0.0%)

0.595

 Cannot afford menstrual pain management products

17 (0.4%)

13 (0.2%)

7 (0.1%)

3 (0.2%)

0.008

 I do not do anything

823 (20.3%)

1176 (17.8%)

1342 (20.7%)

378 (20.7%)

< 0.001

 I experience no menstrual pain

218 (5.4%)

422 (6.4%)

642 (9.9%)

238 (13.0%)

< 0.001

 I do not know what to do

200 (4.9%)

227 (3.4%)

88 (1.4%)

11 (0.6%)

< 0.001

Premenstrual symptoms

 Always/Many times

2552 (68.2%)

4331 (70.5%)

4068 (67.7%)

1058 (61.9%)

< 0.001

 Some/A few times

1011 (27.0%)

1562 (25.4%)

1641 (27.3%)

537 (31.4%)

 Never

179 (4.8%)

250 (4.1%)

302 (5.0%)

113 (6.6%)

Gynecological and systemic health conditions

 Anemia

987 (23.8%)

2047 (30.3%)

2287 (34.7%)

637 (34.2%)

< 0.001

 Iron deficiency

1413 (34.0%)

2860 (42.4%)

3355 (50.9%)

973 (52.2%)

< 0.001

 Uterine myomas

17 (0.4%)

234 (3.5%)

786 (11.9%)

417 (22.4%)

< 0.001

 Endometrial polyps

43 (1.0%)

222 (3.3%)

502 (7.6%)

222 (11.9%)

< 0.001

 Endometriosis/adenomyosis

60 (1.4%)

307 (4.5%)

421 (6.4%)

137 (7.4%)

< 0.001

 Polycystic ovary syndrome

464 (11.2%)

1312 (19.4%)

1089 (16.5%)

207 (11.1%)

< 0.001

 Premenstrual syndrome/dysphoric premenstrual disorder

410 (9.9%)

952 (14.1%)

971 (14.7%)

296 (15.9%)

< 0.001

 Gynaecological cancers (ovary or fallopian tube, urine and cervical)

2 (0.0%)

37 (0.5%)

54 (0.8%)

14 (0.8%)

< 0.001

 Breast cancer

1 (0.0%)

6 (0.1%)

36 (0.5%)

31 (1.7%)

< 0.001

 No diagnosis

1846 (44.4%)

1983 (29.4%)

1463 (22.2%)

412 (22.1%)

< 0.001