Targeting Period Pain

Project status: Active

Research area: Population Health > Health Services and Economics

A young woman drinking tea and suffering from period pain

Fast-tracking targeted treatments for young women and girls

The origins of chronic pain and chronic pelvic pain usually arise in adolescence.

Period pain affects 20-90 per cent of teenagers, with severe pain occurring in 14-23 per cent.

Endometriosis, a condition where the uterine lining tissue is outside the uterus, is thought to contribute to period pain and can cause infertility.

Both period pain and endometriosis impact school, work and daily life.

The origins of chronic pain and chronic pelvic pain usually arise in adolescence.

Period pain affects 20-90 per cent of teenagers, with severe pain occurring in 14-23 per cent.

Endometriosis, a condition where the uterine lining tissue is outside...

The origins of chronic pain and chronic pelvic pain usually arise in adolescence.

Period pain affects 20-90 per cent of teenagers, with severe pain occurring in 14-23 per cent.

Endometriosis, a condition where the uterine lining tissue is outside the uterus, is thought to contribute to period pain and can cause infertility.

Both period pain and endometriosis impact school, work and daily life.

Care often relies on general pain medicines or hormones, which some young people cannot tolerate. The biology of pain during menstruation remains underexplored, especially in adolescents.

As menstruation is an inflammatory process, we want to analyse blood and menstrual fluid to identify markers in those with and without pain and with and without endometriosis. By understanding which immune factors are related to pain, new treatments could be developed.