Dysmenorrhea may contribute to increased chronic pain risk

A recent study suggests that dysmenorrhea is a possible risk factor for chronic pain development among menstruating women.

The study used data from the national Midlife in the United States cohort, which included 874 community-dwelling women aged 25–74 years at baseline when dysmenorrhea was measured. All of them were followed for 10 years for the development of chronic pain.

Researchers applied modified Poisson regression models controlled for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors to evaluate associations. Results showed that among women who were menstruating at baseline, self-reported dysmenorrhea conveyed a 41-percent (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 6–88) increased likelihood of developing chronic pain.

Furthermore, women with dysmenorrhea were more likely to experience chronic pain in more body regions (≥3 vs 1–2 regions vs none: odds ratio [OR], 1.77, 95 percent CI, 1.18–2.64) as well as greater pain interference (high- vs low-interference vs none: OR, 1.73, 95 percent CI, 1.15–2.59).

Among women who had already undergone menopause at baseline, there was no evidence of an association between their history of dysmenorrhea and subsequent risk of chronic pain development.

The findings support the temporality of dysmenorrhea and chronic pain development. As such, early management of dysmenorrhea may benefit women and reduce the risk of and severity of chronic pain.

Nevertheless, further research is warranted to determine whether dysmenorrhea is a causal risk factor or a risk marker of chronic pain.