Does dysmenorrhoea in adolescence increase the risk of chronic pain in adulthood?

Abstract: Dysmenorrhoea is reported by up to 90% of adolescents and often goes untreated due to various sociocultural reasons. Experimental studies have demonstrated that women with dysmenorrhoea have greater sensory sensitivity compared to those without dysmenorrhoea, suggesting that dysmenorrhoea may be a risk factor for other pain conditions. Few studies have examined the transition from dysmenorrhoea to other forms of chronic pain and, to our knowledge, none have been conducted in adolescents. Rachel will present findings from a recently completed prospective cohort study that used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) to estimate the risk of chronic pain in young adulthood for those who reported dysmenorrhoea at age 15 years (graded as none, mild, moderate, or severe). Seventeen different bodily sites of pain were examined, and anxiety and depressive symptoms were also assessed as potential mediating factors.

Bio: Rachel is an epidemiologist and postdoctoral researcher working within the Pain in Women and EndoCare research groups at the Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health. Her work involves using large, population-based datasets to explore risk factors for chronic pain, poor mental health and reduced quality of life across the life course. She holds a PhD in Epidemiology (2020–23) and Master of Public Health (MPH) (2018) from Queen’s University Belfast.