[Survey on the Actual Awareness of Menstrual Pain and Gynecological Diseases among Female University Students in their 20s] Approximately 1 in 2 women with menstrual pain has never visited a gynecologist.

This time, the Creage Tokyo Ladies Dock Clinic (Location: Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), a women's comprehensive health check-up clinic, conducted a "Survey on the Actual Awareness of Menstrual Pain and Gynecological Diseases" targeting 200 female university students in their 20s, in conjunction with "Uterus Day" on April 9th.

**Background of the Survey**
April 9th is "Cervical Cancer Prevention Day (Uterus Day)." Originating from the Japanese wordplay 4 (shi) 9 (kyu) for uterus, it was established to improve the screening rate for cervical cancer and to spread and enlighten correct knowledge. Cervical cancer frequently affects young women in their 20s and 30s. While there is a growing trend to add cervical cancer screening as an option to corporate health check-ups, gynecological examinations are not included in university regular health check-ups, limiting opportunities for female university students to get screened. To understand the actual situation, Creage Tokyo conducted a "Survey on the Actual Awareness of Menstrual Pain and Gynecological Diseases" targeting 200 female university students nationwide.

**Survey Summary**
* **"Experiencing menstrual pain, but never visited a gynecologist"**
About 70% of the 200 respondents experienced menstrual pain. Furthermore, about 30% of them had missed classes due to the pain. However, it was revealed that 57% of the 140 people with menstrual pain had never visited a gynecologist.
* **"More than half unaware of disease risks hidden behind menstrual pain."**
About half of the 200 respondents (54%) answered "didn't know" that strong menstrual pain could hide diseases such as endometriosis and uterine fibroids. Even among the 140 people actually suffering from menstrual pain, 46% said "didn't know" about the disease risk, highlighting a reality where even with pain, the connection to illness is not recognized.
* **"While awareness of cervical cancer risk is spreading, some aspects are still unknown."**
About 70% of the 200 respondents recognized that cervical cancer is common among young women in their 20s and 30s. Also, about 50% recognized that there is still a risk of contracting cervical cancer even if vaccinated with the HPV vaccine, indicating that a certain level of "cervical cancer" risk awareness has spread. On the other hand, 44% answered "didn't know" that anyone with sexual experience is at risk of contracting the disease, revealing that some aspects are still unknown.
* **"About half are unaware of the contents of 'transvaginal ultrasound' and 'cervical cytology,' and only a little over 10% have undergone these examinations."**
About 49% answered "don't know" about the contents of both "cervical cytology," used to check for cervical cancer, and "transvaginal ultrasound," used to diagnose conditions like endometriosis and uterine fibroids. Meanwhile, only a little over 10% had actually undergone both examinations, indicating that while risk awareness is progressing, there is almost no contact with specific examinations.

**"Experiencing menstrual pain, but never visited a gynecologist"**
Among 200 female university students in their 20s, 70% (140 people) answered that they had experienced menstrual pain. The discomfort experienced included "missing classes" (about 30%), "unable to cope without over-the-counter medicine" (about 30%), "missing part-time jobs or club activities" (about 20%), and "pain so severe they couldn't sleep at night" (about 10%), indicating widespread interference with studies and daily life.
On the other hand, among the 140 people suffering from menstrual pain, 57% (80 people) answered that they had "never visited a gynecologist/obstetrician." The most common reason for not visiting was "no opportunity or timing" (25%), followed by "seems expensive" (23%), and "don't think it's a serious illness" (19%). The background for not seeking medical attention despite experiencing pain revealed not only the high hurdles to visiting a doctor but also the reality of underestimating menstrual pain as "not something to go to the hospital for."

**"More than half unaware of disease risks hidden behind menstrual pain."**
Among the 200 respondents, about half, 54% (108 people), answered "didn't know" that strong menstrual pain could hide diseases such as endometriosis and uterine fibroids. Even when focusing on the 140 people actually suffering from menstrual pain, 46% (65 people) answered "didn't know" about the disease risk, highlighting a reality where even with pain, the connection to illness is not recognized. Furthermore, 34% (68 people) answered that they didn't know any disease names such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, or ovarian cysts. Looking at the individual recognition rates of disease names, "endometriosis" was 46%, "uterine fibroids" was 41%, and "ovarian cancer" was 45%, showing that recognition of endometriosis and uterine fibroids, which are deeply related to menstrual pain, remains low compared to cancer awareness.

**"While awareness of cervical cancer risk is spreading, some aspects are still unknown."**
Among the 200 respondents, 65.5% (131 people) recognized that cervical cancer frequently affects young women in their 20s and 30s.