Abstract : Prevalence of dysmenorrhea among adolescents was high but study on how dysmenorrhea affects their daily routine has not been clearly reported. A randomized cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted on female students from 15 colleges and universities across three states in Malaysia. The questionnaire comprised of participants’ demography, general information on their menstrual flow and characteristics of the dysmenorrhea. Visual Analog Scale was used to assess the severity of the pain. Results showed that the average age of menarche and the duration of painful menses for all participants was 12.4 ± 1.2 SD (standard deviation) year-old and 3.0 ± 2.2 days, respectively. The severity of pain was rated at 5.1 ± 2.0. More than 80% of participants have had regular menstruation and about 60% have had dysmenorrhea regularly. Participants who had regular period were more likely had dysmenorrhea. Despite having pain, participants were refrained themselves from taking medication but not restrict participants from performing physical activities, not applied medical leave or absent from their learning activities. Participants who suffering period pain were more likely to have female family members who also has had similar encounter. Severity of dysmenorrhea among participants was significantly correlated with the number of pad changed. More severe of dysmenorrhea, more heavily the menses was. As a conclusion, the prevalence of dysmenorrhea remains high but not severely rated among female university students in Malaysia. Risk factors such as regular menstruation and positive family history of dysmenorrhea may significantly deteriorate the menstrual pain but physical activity may ease dysmenorrhea