Scientific Knowledge Graph of Dysmenorrhea: A Bibliometric Analysis from 2001 to 2021 (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Dysmenorrhea, including primary and secondary, is defined as pain in the lower abdomen occurring before or during menstruation. It was reported that dysmenorrhea accounted for 600 million lost work hours and $2 billion lost productivity annually. The loss in working hours and school days induced by dysmenorrhea has affected national economy. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to provide valid data on the scientific progress of this disease through bibliometric analysis, which may help researchers to know its status and pick up the most active hotspots and trends quickly. METHODS We retrieved literatures on WOSCC from Jan 1st, 2001 to Dec 31th, 2021 and finally acquired 944 papers. Bibliometric analysis software CiteSpace was used in combination with VOSviewer. RESULTS The research trend over the last 21 years in dysmenorrhea can be evaluated through the number of papers in each year. An upward trend in articles continued in this field on the whole. Through the map, China contributed the most, followed by The United States and Turkey. For institutions, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine in China contributed most, followed by National Yang-Ming University in Taiwan, China, and Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. Hsieh JC and Hellman KM were both the most prolific author with 14 articles. We can find 5 major research groups, respectively with Hsieh JC, Hellman KM, Zhu J, Liang F and Dun W as the core of the group. Dawood MY is the most famous author and the most frequently cited author with 488 citations. Advances in pathogenesis and management for primary dysmenorrhea wrote by Dawood MY was most cited of 197 citations and most influential. Pathophysiology, the potential central mechanism, syndrome, evaluation index, diagnosis to adenomyosis-associated dysmenorrhea, treatment, et al, were the main trends and hotspots. CONCLUSIONS The cooperative relationships among authors, countries, and institutions, as well as research hotspots and trends in the field of dysmenorrhea were presented, which can guide scholars to look for new research directions. Further and closer cooperation among authors, institutions, and countries in the future is expected to accelerate the development of dysmenorrhea research.