Period pain manifests itself in different ways in different people. According to Chinese researchers, the origins of these pains are just as varied. Even surprising (and disturbing).
Pain in the lumbar spine, cramps in the hips, stomach and breasts… Menstruating people encounter various constraints. Academics at Taiwan University Hospital published a study in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, which shows that the quality of the air has consequences on the intensity of these pains.
Over 13 years, nearly 300,000 health data from menstruating people between the ages of 16 and 55 were collected as part of this study. By comparing their living environments, the researchers’ conclusions were very clear: the risk of developing dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain) was up to 33 times higher in people who lived in places with high rates of significant air pollutants. Often, those most at risk were relatively young, lived in urban areas and had relatively low incomes.
Professor Hsu, co-author of the study in question, therefore warns of the situation. “This is a clear illustration of the need for actions by government agencies and citizens to reduce air pollution“, he concludes. Indeed, the report states that, among the pollutants which multiplied the risk factor, were nitrogen dioxide or carbon monoxide.