Pain catastrophizing changes during the menstrual cycle

Ćosić, Ankica; Ferhatović, Lejla; Banožić, Adriana; Kraljević, Suzyen; Marić, Antonija; Sapunar, Damir; Puljak, Livia

doi:10.1080/13548506.2013.769609

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…This may have affected pain intensity scores through both response and recall biases, given the cyclical nature of PD. Pain catastrophizing has also been demonstrated to fluctuate during the menstrual cycle [ 62 ], which is consistent with the growing literature on situational versus dispositional catastrophizing [ 63 , 64 ]. Future cross-sectional research should assess participants’ menstrual phase at the time of responding and indeed aim to target phases during which pain is more likely (i.e., menstruation and ovulation phases).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Prevalence and Impact of Dysmenorrhea Among University Students in Ireland

2021

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Objective Primary dysmenorrhea (PD), or painful menstruation, is a common gynaecological condition that can cause intense pain and functional disability in women of reproductive age. As a non-malignant condition, PD is relatively under-studied and poorly managed. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and impact of PD among third-level students in Ireland. Design Cross-sectional observational study. Methods Students (N = 892; age range = 18–45) completed an online survey on menstrual pain characteristics, pain management strategies, pain interference, and pain catastrophizing. Results The prevalence of PD was 91.5% (95% Confidence Interval = 89.67–93.33). Non-pharmacological management strategies were most popular (95.1%); of these, heat application (79%), rest (60.4%), hot shower/bath (40.9%), and exercise (25.7%) were most common. Perceived effectiveness of these methods varied between participants. Analgesic use was also common (79.5%); of these, paracetamol was most used (60.5%) despite limited perceived effectiveness. Pain catastrophizing was a significant predictor of variance in both pain intensity and pain interference scores such that those with higher pain catastrophizing scores reported more intense pain and greater interference with daily activities and academic demands. Conclusions This article presents the first investigation into PD among third-level students in Ireland. Poorly managed menstrual pain may impact functional ability across several domains. Future research should focus on improving menstrual pain management education and support, and promoting menstrual health literacy for women affected by PD.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Prevalence and Impact of Dysmenorrhea Among University Students in Ireland

2021

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“…There was also a disproportionate number of participants taking some form of exogenous hormones in the Chronic Pain group as compared with the No Pain group, which may have affected pain responses [43]. Research has suggested elevated levels of pain catastrophizing during menstruation in healthy women [24], so menstruation of some participants at the time of the laboratory assessment may have influenced the results. Our estimate of menstruation at the time of the lab session based on a last menstrual period of 5 days or less from the day of the lab session did not yield any significant differences between the groups so it is unlikely that variation in timing of menstruation accounted for the results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Laboratory studies have shown that women who report higher levels of pain catastrophizing report more severe menstrual pain, compared with those with low levels of pain catastrophizing [23]. Women with dysmenorrhea report higher levels of pain catastrophizing on the first day of menstruation compared with those without dysmenorrhea [24]. No research has yet examined pain catastrophizing and menstrual pain among adolescent girls.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pain Catastrophizing Predicts Menstrual Pain Ratings in Adolescent Girls with Chronic Pain

Payne¹,

Rapkin

Lung³

et al. 2015

Pain Med

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Objectives The current study aimed to explore relationships among self-reported menstrual pain ratings, acute laboratory pain, pain catastrophizing, and anxiety sensitivity in a sample of girls without pain (No Pain group) and girls with a chronic pain condition (Chronic Pain group). Setting A laboratory at an off-campus Medical School office building. Subjects Eighty-four postmenarchal girls (43 No Pain, 41 Chronic Pain) ages 10–17 participated in the study. Methods All participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing menstrual pain, pain catastrophizing, and anxiety sensitivity and completed a cold pressor task. Pain intensity during the task was rated on a 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain possible) numeric rating scale. Results After controlling for age, average menstrual pain ratings (without medication) were significantly correlated with cold pressor pain intensity for the No Pain group only. In the Chronic Pain group, menstrual pain ratings were significantly correlated with pain catastrophizing and anxiety sensitivity. In a multiple linear regression analysis, after controlling for age, only pain catastrophizing emerged as a significant predictor of menstrual pain ratings in the Chronic Pain group. Conclusion Results demonstrate differences in relationships among menstrual pain, acute laboratory pain, and psychological variables in girls with no pain compared with girls with chronic pain. In addition, pain catastrophizing may be a particularly salient factor associated with menstrual pain in girls with chronic pain that warrants further investigation.

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“…Although there are several studies demonstrated that pain sensitivity varied across the different stages of the menstrual cycle (Isselée, De Laat, Bogaerts, & Lysens, 2001;Wiesenfeld-Hallin, 2005), the more recent, well-controlled studies suggested a lack of variability in pain sensitivity across the different stages of the menstrual cycle (Bartley & Rhudy, 2013;Klatzkin, Mechlin, & Girdler, 2010;Rhudy & Bartley, 2010). Moreover, to our best knowledge, only one published study directly investigated the effect of the menstrual cycle on pain catastrophizing, which showed that pain catastrophizing scores on the 1st, 12th, and 20th days of the menstrual cycle were significantly different (Cosic et al, 2013). However, the authors emphasized that such difference might be confounded by the assessment order, namely, the first measurement of pain catastrophizing was always collected on the first day of the cycle (Cosic et al, 2013).…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, to our best knowledge, only one published study directly investigated the effect of the menstrual cycle on pain catastrophizing, which showed that pain catastrophizing scores on the 1st, 12th, and 20th days of the menstrual cycle were significantly different (Cosic et al, 2013). However, the authors emphasized that such difference might be confounded by the assessment order, namely, the first measurement of pain catastrophizing was always collected on the first day of the cycle (Cosic et al, 2013). Therefore, the influence of the menstrual cycle on pain catastrophizing remains to be corroborated.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can self‐pain sensitivity quantify empathy for others' pain?

Ren

Zhao

et al. 2020

Psychophysiology

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Empathy is essential for the survival of social species. In many studies, especially those with animal models, empathy for pain was evaluated by the modulation of pain sensitivity. However, the relationship between pain sensitivity and empathy for pain is not well established. Here, by performing two experiments, we aimed to investigate their relationship at both behavioral and electrophysiological levels. In Experiment 1, we characterized individual pain sensitivity using pain threshold and tolerance in a cold pressor test, self‐report empathy using Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and pain‐related psychological factors, including pain‐related anxiety, depression, pain catastrophizing, and pain‐related fear, using well‐validated questionnaires. We observed that pain sensitivity was positively correlated with emotional empathy, and their relationship was mediated by pain‐related anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and pain‐related fear. In Experiment 2, we quantified empathy for pain using pain intensity and unpleasantness as well as event‐related potentials (ERPs) in an empathy for pain task. Positive correlations were observed between pain sensitivity and psychophysiological empathic responses (i.e., the P3 component and the late positive potential in ERPs), and their relationship was mediated by pain‐related fear. These results suggested that being influenced by some pain‐related psychological factors, individuals with higher pain sensitivity tended to have stronger empathy for pain, manifested as stronger emotional reactions to others' pain. Our results indicated that the conventional strategy of using pain sensitivity to quantify empathy should be treated with caution, as their relationship could be disturbed by experimental manipulations or pathological modulations that could influence individual emotional states or cognitive processes.

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Pain catastrophizing changes during the menstrual cycle

Cited by 16 publications

References 10 publications

Prevalence and Impact of Dysmenorrhea Among University Students in Ireland

Prevalence and Impact of Dysmenorrhea Among University Students in Ireland

Pain Catastrophizing Predicts Menstrual Pain Ratings in Adolescent Girls with Chronic Pain

Can self‐pain sensitivity quantify empathy for others' pain?

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