• Ariel B Handy, Laura C Seidman, and Laura A Payne.
• McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, United States.
• Pain Med. 2024 Jan 4; 25 (1): 788578-85.

ObjectiveThe present study sought to develop and perform the initial validation of a scale assessing sensitivity to menstrual pain and symptoms.MethodsData were taken from a larger parent study in which participants were recruited from a nationwide sample of individuals via the UniVox platform (www.univoxcommunity.com). In that study, participants were stratified by age and self-reported menstrual pain. Participants in the parent study completed 2 online surveys, one at baseline and one at a 3-month follow up. Participants who provided complete responses to the potential scale items, as well as a variety of validated questionnaires, were included in the present analyses. Final item selection was determined by factor analyses, and measures of validity and reliability were examined.ResultsFactor analyses support an 8-item scale assessing menstrual sensitivity. This scale, the Menstrual Sensitivity Index, demonstrates excellent internal consistency, good item-total correlations, and good total score test-retest reliability. Convergent validity emerged for menstrual- and pain-specific measures, and divergent validity emerged for anxiety sensitivity, anxiety, depression, nonmenstrual bodily pain, and premenstrual symptoms.ConclusionsMenstrual sensitivity is a unique construct that reflects women's attunement to and fear of menstrual symptoms, and the Menstrual Sensitivity Index is a valid and reliable measure of this construct. This scale could be useful in advancing research and clinical work targeting menstrual pain.© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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