Teenagers who suffer from mild or severe pain are likely to develop research.
The researchers said that the results should be an invitation to wake up to improve menstruation education, reduce the stigma, and ensure young people get effective and early treatment.
Academics at Oxford University analyzed data from more than 1100 participants in A longitudinal study of parents and children It was found that, compared to those who did not suffer from painful menstruation, those who suffer from severe pain in the period of dysmenorrhea at the age of 15 have a 76 % higher risk of chronic pain by the age of 26, while those who suffer from mild pain in the period were 65 % more likely to develop chronic pain as adults.
While previous research focused on pelvic pain, the authors say that this study, which is funded by the Medical Research Foundation and published in Lancet Child & Tovalescent Health Journal, is the first to reveal a link between the pain of adolescents and chronic pain in other parts of the body.
Moderate pain is severely associated with the risk of chronic pain in the lower back and abdomen. But the results also revealed that compared to those who did not have dysmenorrhea, adolescents with severe pain in the period were more than twice that were likely to have chronic headache or chronic knees, wrist, hand, foot or ankle pain in adulthood, and they were 81 % and 78 % more than hip and upper pain, respectively.
While anxiety and depression can play a role in the development of chronic pain as an adult, the study found that this is a simple factor.
The researchers believe that the greatest “nervous flexibility” during adolescence can make teenage brains more sensitive to frequent pain signals, which can change how pain in the brain.
“It is possible that the experience of mild or extreme pain can change the structure of the brain and how it works in response to painful stimuli, making chronic pain more likely in the future,” said Dr. Rachel Reed-Kakan, the main researcher at Oxford University.
“We have long known that pain could disrupt the lives of young people, which affects their social development, education and mental health,” said Katie Vincent, a professor of women’s pain at Oxford University and the first author of the study.
“However, we know that most young people do not ask for help to the pain of the period and that those who do this may be rejected, eliminated or told that it is normal. This study shows that the teenager’s pain may also constitute physical health in the future.”
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In response to the results, Professor Rani Thakar, head of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecology, said that the period “should not prevent you from going to work or school.”
“If you have severe pain that does not improve with the pain relief without a prescription and affects your daily life, then talk to your doctor-you may need to refer to a gynecologist.
“Many women and girls currently live with exhausted menstruation pain. We need better awareness, the most comprehensive education and the fastest diagnosis – especially for those who have deprived or marginalized societies. We call on the government to update Women’s Health Strategy Improving the care of health conditions of menstruation should be a priority within this. “
Janet Lindsay, CEO of the well -being of the charitable woman, who runs Just a period The campaign said: “For a long time, the girls used to suffer pain, which led to a delay in diagnosis, the separation of symptoms, and the continuous shame about menstruation,” the campaign said.
“If we fail to take the pain of the teenage period very seriously, we risk storing lifetime of health and chronic pain for millions of women. By investing in education, awareness and support during the school years, we can empower young people, improve women’s health results, end the stigma course once and forever.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said: “All women and girls It deserves to be listened to and treated with respect. The pain of the period, which can be severe, should never be rejected, and women only see “tolerance.”
“We know that women deserve better, which is why we convert the obligations in a women’s health strategy into tangible work, already connecting 4.9 million additional dates, handling gynecological waiting lists using the private sector, and from October of this year, which makes contraceptives in emergency situations empty in pharmacies.”