Introduction and objective:
The aim of the study was to assess the impact of heat therapy using plaster with therapeutic mud, hot water bottle and hot bag with cherry pits on the quality of life of young women with dysmenorrhea.

Material and methods:
Thirty women with dysmenorrhea aged 18–34 (median: 22.50 years, first quartile: 21.00 years, and third quartile: 23.75 years) were randomly assigned to three groups: group 1 – used a plaster with therapeutic mud, group 2 – hot water bottle, and group 3 – a hot bag with cherry pits. Basic data was collected using a questionnaire. Therapy started 3–5 days before menstruation, warm compress was applied three times (once a day) for 20 minutes in the lower abdomen or lumbar region, depending on where women experienced more pain during menstruation. Using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) to assess pain level and the Likert scale to assess quality of life, menstruation after heat therapy was compared with previous cycles.

Results:
Women with dysmenorrhea experienced changes in the perception of lower abdominal and lumbar pain post-heat therapy. Based on VAS, a significantly lower level of lumbar pain was observed post mud therapy vs. pre-therapy (p-value=0.013). A significantly lower level of lower abdominal pain post vs. pre-therapy using a hot bag with cherry pits was reported (p-value=0.006). Moreover, 46.7% of women were satisfied with the therapy, and 93.3% would like to continue heat therapy in the following months. Quality of life according to the Likert scale improved in 9 women in Group 1, 8 women in Group 2 and 7 women in Group 3. However, no statistical significance between groups was demonstrated (p-value=0.877).

Conclusions:
According to the preliminary results, heat therapy applied a few days before menstruation can reduce dysmenorrhea and may be a good addition to pharmacological treatment.