Some 40 percent of Korean women suffer from menstrual disorders, including painful cramps, heavy bleeding and premenstrual syndrome, survey showed Sunday.

According to the report titled “Menstruation Management in Korean Women," published by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, and Korea University College of Medicine, over 40 percent of Korean women suffer from menstrual disorders, such as painful cramps during menstruation, premenstrual syndrome occurring prior to menstruation, prolonged menstrual periods, excessive bleeding during a normal-length period, bleeding at irregular intervals or the absence of menstruation.

The report looked at 3,098 women of reproductive age last year. Of the total, nearly 70 percent or 2,137 were teenagers and the rest or 961 were adults, respectively.

Over 42 percent of teenagers said they had dysmenorrhea while 46.1 percent of adults said they had experienced severe premenstrual syndrome.

Despite the fact that menstrual disorders have become common, Korean women appeared to be reluctant to go to women's clinics even if they had symptoms, the report suggested, without elaborating on the reasons for this.

“If you suffer from menstrual disorders, there is a possibility that the cause is endometriosis or uterine myoma. It is important to visit obstetrics and gynecology clinics on a regular basis to be diagnosed and treated at the right time,” the report said.