Further study is needed to determine whether effectively blocking dysmenorrheic pain ameliorates risk for the development of chronic pain disorders and to explore whether it is possible to prevent the development-and not just treat-severe dysmenorrheic pain in adolescent girls. In conclusion, we demonstrate the extensive multi-factorial impact of dysmenorrhea and we encourage and direct researchers to necessary future studies.

Primary dysmenorrhea is the most common gynecological condition among women of reproductive age. Although dysmenorrhea has been reported to affect the ability of women to carry out daily activities, the impact of primary dysmenorrheic pain specifically on quality of life (QoL), has yet to be elucidated. We investigated whether QoL varies between women with and without severe primary dysmenorrhea, and whether QoL is impaired only during menstruation or also during pain‐free phases of the menstrual cycle. Twelve women with severe primary dysmenorrhea and nine control women completed the quality of life enjoyment and satisfaction questionnaire (Q‐LES‐Q‐SF) during menstruation and during the late follicular phase. Women with dysmenorrhea had a significant reduction in Q‐LES‐Q‐SF scores (mean ± SD: 54 ± 18%, percentage of the total maximum possible score) when they were experiencing severe menstrual pain compared with their own pain‐free follicular phase (80 ± 14%, p < 0.0001) and compared with controls during menstruation (81 ± 10%, p < 0.0001). They also rated their overall life satisfaction and contentment as poorer during menstruation. Severe menstrual pain associated with primary dysmenorrhea, therefore, impacts health‐related of QoL.

Reproductive hormones are implicated in moderating pain. Animal studies support both pronociceptive and antinociceptive actions of oestradiol and progesterone suggesting that the net effect of these hormones on pain is complex and likely depends on the interaction between hormones and the extent of fluctuation rather than absolute hormone levels. Several clinical pain conditions show variation in symptom severity across the menstrual cycle. Though, there is still no consensus on whether the menstrual cycle influences experimental pain sensitivity in healthy individuals. Comprehensive literature searches on clinical and experimental pain across the menstrual cycle, as well as gonadal hormones and pain were performed using the electronic databases PubMed, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library. Full-text manuscripts were reviewed for relevancy and reference lists were cross-checked for additional relevant studies. Most of the more recent, well-controlled studies show that menstrual cycle phase has no effect on the perception of pain in healthy, pain-free women. Although recent studies investigating pain-related brain activation have shown differential activation patterns across the menstrual cycle in regions involved with cognitive and motor function, even in the absence of a behavioural pain response, suggesting that cognitive pain and bodily awareness systems are sensitive to menstrual cycle phase. The interaction between the gonadal hormones and pain perception is intricate and not entirely understood. We suggest further investigations on the association between female reproductive hormones and pain sensitivity by exploring the interaction between clinical and experimental pain and the hormone changes that characterize puberty, post-partum and the menopause transition.

No abstract

Diclofenac potassium effectively attenuates nighttime dysmenorrheic pain and restores subjective and objective measures of sleep quality to values recorded in a pain-free phase of the menstrual cycle.