Younger Age at Menarche Increase the Risk for Chronic Pain Later in Life
Take Home Messages:
Women who were younger at the time
of their first menstrual period are more likely to report chronic pain in
adulthood, according to a study published in PAIN journal.
Researchers study to examine
associations between age at menarche and chronic pain among women aged 30 to 99
years.
Early menarche is associated with
pain outcomes in adult women including chronic pain, site-specific chronic
pain, pain duration, and chronic widespread pain.
The relative risk for chronic pain
decreases 2 percent for each one-year delay in menarche.
The researchers found that younger age at menarche was associated with an increased risk for chronic pain. There were significant associations noted for age at menarche and chronic pain in the neck, abdomen, and arms, as well as widespread chronic pain. Pain duration was the only one of the four pain characteristics that was statistically significant.
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Objectives:
Sex differences in chronic pain are
well established with documented predominance in women. This study assessed
relationships between age at menarche and chronic pain, site-specific chronic
pain, pain characteristics, and chronic widespread pain (CWP).
Method:
Researchers used data from the
Tromsø Study conducted in 2007 to 2008 and 2015 to 2016 including participants
aged 30 to 99 years. The associations between age at menarche and chronic pain
were examined in Tromsø 6, Tromsø 7, and the combination of Tromsø 6 and Tromsø
7. Tromsø 7 data were used further to examine the associations between age at
menarche and site-specific chronic pain, 4 pain characteristics (pain duration,
pain intensity, episode duration, and episode frequency), and CWP. All analyses
were adjusted for body mass index, age, and economic status of the household in
childhood.
Results:
Lower age at menarche was
associated with an increased risk of chronic pain in all 3 samples.
Age at menarche was significantly
associated with chronic pain in the neck, abdomen, and both arms, and CWP. Of
the 4 pain characteristics, pain duration was statistically significant.
Conclusion:
Researchers conclude that early
menarche is an independent risk factor for pain across a broad spectrum of pain
outcomes.
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