Teenagers who experience moderate or severe period pain are significantly more likely to develop chronic pain as adults, a new study has found. Researchers at the University of Oxford analysed data from over 1,100 participants and discovered that those with severe dysmenorrhoea at age 15 had a 76% higher risk of chronic pain by age 26, while those with moderate pain faced a 65% increased risk.
The study, published in the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health and funded by the Medical Research Foundation, is the first to link adolescent period pain to chronic pain in other parts of the body, not just the pelvis. Compared to those without painful periods, teenagers with severe period pain were more than twice as likely to develop chronic headaches or pain in the knees, wrists, hands, feet or ankles in adulthood. They also had an 81% higher risk of hip pain and a 78% higher risk of upper back pain.
Lead researcher Dr Rachel Reid-McCann suggested that repeated pain signals during adolescence could alter brain structure and function, making chronic pain more likely. “It is possible that the experience of moderate or severe period pain can alter the brain structure and how it functions in response to painful stimuli,” she said. Senior author Professor Katy Vincent added that while period pain is known to disrupt young lives, this study shows it may also shape future physical health.
Professor Ranee Thakar, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, called for better awareness and faster diagnosis, noting that “too many women and girls are currently living with debilitating menstrual pain.” Janet Lindsay, chief executive of Wellbeing of Women, warned that failing to take teenage period pain seriously risks “storing up a lifetime of ill health and chronic pain for millions of women.”
