Painful Periods

Can high levels of stress increase the risk of having painful periods? New research by Chicago researchers says it can. Jessica Lindstrom is 27 years old, and although she's totally healthy, sometimes her body turns on her at the time of the month. Her periods are agonizing. "I have intense lower back pain, nausea, and stomach irritation. There's also pain when tightening the lower abdomen." says Jessica.

Primary dysmenorrhea, otherwise known as painful periods without any obvious cause, is one of the most common gynecological problems among women of childbearing age. As many as nine out of every ten women are thought to have this to some extent. It's believed to cause severe, disabling pain in around 10 to 15% of the cases. "It's just miserable. I'd have to take off from work and stay at home, in one position, one place, like bed or the couch", says Jessica.

 Now, new research looked at nearly 400 healthy newly married women between the ages of 20 and 34. The women kept daily diaries charting their psychological stress levels for up to 12 months or until pregnancy occurred. Overall, 44% of those with high stress had painful periods, compared to only 22% of those with low stress.

When a person has mental stress, it causes the release of several hormones in the brain, which normally stimulate the release of the hormone progesterone, which acts on other chemicals called prostaglandins. An imbalance of this prostaglandin system, which causes uterine contractions, can result in painful periods. That's why anti inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen and Aleve work well: they block the production of prostaglandins so that they can't cause cramps. Oral contraceptives also block bleeding and the cramping that goes along with it.

Dr. Eric Banks, an OBGYN at Montefiore Medical Center, says, "Certainly it didn't distinguish between stress in the workplace and stress in the home. And stress is obviously something that's hard to quantify. Certainly regular exercise and a less stressful lifestyle are probably beneficial for decreasing cramping". Perceived stress in the first two weeks of the cycle had a greater impact on painful periods than did perceived stress in the last two weeks.

The authors say stress reduction programs at work can help reduce stress both on the job and in one’s personal life, prevent painful periods, and decrease absenteeism because of painful periods.

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