Girls with painful periods are twice as probable than their peers will have symptoms of anxiety or depression

About half of teenage girls experience the moderate to weighty pain. The mechanical force of the uterus, shrinking and inflammatory chemicals, such as prostaglandins, contribute to this pain.

Moderate to a forceful period of pain significant influence in everyday life. Girls with era pain are three to five times more likely than their peers to Miss School or University, and two to five times they will miss social and physical activity more often.

Our new research Girls were found with periodic pain reported a higher level of mental stress as teenage adults, even after taking into account previous mental health problems and socio -economic factors.

What is the first?

Menstrual pain has been rejected and insufficiently treated. Women report that some healthcare providers have perception that stress, anxiety or depression cause their pain.

However, participants of our experiences from the surveyed told us that periodic pain tips to mental stress. As one woman explained:

Sanity [is] Often used by healthcare professionals to reduce my symptoms and make me feel as if I had untreated mental health conditions, which cause my problems instead of my physical pain.

Earlier studies suggest a two -way relationship between pain and mental health. AND Study of almost 15,000 teenagers In the case of chronic pain, an increased risk of anxiety and life depression was found. One sec Our previous research In the case of pelvic pain in adults, it has shown that mental suffering may worsen functional pain over time.

Studies examining the relationship between mental health and pain in teenagers with periodic pain are restricted, and the direction of the relationship is still unclear.

Let’s take an example of Ruby, which represents a combination of clinical cases:

Ruby was the captain of NetBall in 6 years, but painful periods led to the abandonment of the team in 8 years. In 10 years she met with friends. At the age of 17, she felt as if her mental health was getting worse and was closed in the fight against her own body. Ruby saw her family doctor and was told to take Nurofen and move because fear and depression caused chronic pain.

While the research associated mental health and pain perception, we decided to determine the direction of this cell: do difficulties in mental health lead to pain of the period? Does the pain of the period also contribute to the problems of mental health?

Our up-to-date study

We used Data from longitudinal research of Australian children, also known as growing up in Australia, who follow the lives of 10,000 children and their families since 2004. We used data that followed 1600 girls who reported periods from 14, 16 and 18 years elderly.

Parents reported symptoms of anxiety and depression when the girls were 14-16 years elderly. Youthful women reported these symptoms at the age of 18 and levels of mental stress at the age of 20–21.

This multi -stage study allowed us to look at how menstrual pain and mental health appear together and change over time at an significant stage of teenage women’s life.

While conditions such as endometriosis (which causes tissue similar to the one that the uterus to grow outside the uterus) may be associated with pelvic pain, including pain in the period, the examination did not ask participants about endometriosis or pain -related diagnoses. This is not part of our study.

About half of the participants felt moderate to forceful pain.

We found The girls who had painful periods were much more exposed to the symptoms of anxiety and depression aged 14, 16 and 18 compared to those who did not have painful periods.

At the age of 14, teenage people who experienced painful periods had about twice as much as exposed to symptoms of anxiety and depression, compared to peers who claimed that their periods were not painful, but only a little painful.

These teenagers also reported a higher level of mental stress as teenage adults, even after taking into account previous mental health problems and socio -economic factors.

Youthful people who reported the pain of the period by teenagers more often experience “moderate” mental stress in early adulthood. On the other hand, teenagers who did not feel pain from the period more often experienced “bland” mental stress in early adulthood.

Importantly, we have shown that the pain of the period often occurs before the development of mental health problems – not the other way around. This suggests that pain pain can be a risk factor for future mental health problems.

Discoveries emphasize the importance of identification of teenagers who experience the pain of the period. Many teenagers consider Age pain is something they have to wear and not seek facilitate.

What can you do with the pain of the period?

We recommend early treatment of the period of the period with different diversity options.

The treatment of pain during the first throw includes:

• anti -inflammatory, such as ibuprofen, which are available without a prescription
• Seeing your family doctor to discuss hormonal therapiessuch as an oral contraceptive pill.

Additional strategies to deal with periodic pain may include:

Improved Menstrual education It is needed for teenagers to recognize when their menstrual experience is unusual, and know where they can access support.

Some programs Provide menstrual education in schools and social groups. This education should be extended to families and employees of health support and well -being to facilitate early recognition and intervention.

Finally, further research is needed to confirm whether pain from the period immediately reduces the risk of long -term symptoms of mental health.