Objective To explore the prevalence and risk factors of primary dysmenorrhea among female vocational college students in Hunan Province. Methods The relevant information of 1331 girls in higher vocational colleges from September to October 2022 was retrospectively analyzed. The incidence of primary dysmenorrhea among girls in higher vocational colleges with social demographic information, menstrual patterns and living habits was compared, and the influencing factors of primary dysmenorrhea were analyzed. Results The prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea among female students in higher vocational colleges in Hunan Province was 76.11%. Univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in the incidence of dysmenorrhea among female college students with different menarche age, mother's dysmenorrhea history, frequency of drinking sugary drinks and frequency of eating breakfast (P