Study finds link between teenage period pain and chronic adult pain

Teenagers who have moderate or severe period pain are much more likely to develop chronic pain as adults, according to research.

- Anna Bawden

Researchers said the findings should serve as a wake-up call to improve menstrual education, reduce stigma, and ensure young people have access to effective support and treatment early on.

Academics at the University of Oxford analysed data from more than 1,100 participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children and found that, compared with those who did not have painful menses, those with severe period pain (dysmenorrhoea) at 15 years old had a 76% higher risk of chronic pain by the age of 26, while those with moderate period pain were 65% more likely to have chronic pain as adults.

While previous research has focused on pelvic pain, this study, funded by the Medical Research Foundation and published in Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, is the first to reveal a link between teenage period pain and chronic pain in other parts of the body.