Survey study, 2026
Do adolescents have pain in multiple body areas during periods and does this connect to other symptoms?
Yes. Adolescents had pain in an average of 2.8 body areas during menstruation, and widespread pain was significantly linked to more PMS symptoms, fatigue, sleep problems, and body sensitivity.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 141 girls ages 13-19 with varying menstrual pain. They marked painful areas on a body map (out of 21 possible regions) and completed questionnaires about PMS symptoms, pain, fatigue, sleep, and sensitivity.
What they found
Girls reported pain in an average of 2.8 body regions (range 0 to 8). Multi-site pain was significantly linked to more PMS symptoms, fatigue, sleep disturbance, somatization, and multisensory sensitivity. It was not significantly linked to age, age at first period, time since first period, or non-menstrual body pain.
What it means for you
Period pain often spreads to multiple body areas, not just the abdomen and pelvis. Girls with widespread period pain may be at higher risk for chronic pain problems in the future. The study was small and only captured one time point, so findings need confirmation in larger studies.
2.8
Average number of painful body regions
0-8
Range of painful body regions
141
Girls studied
About the study
- Original title
- Multi-Site Pain During Menstruation in Adolescents is Associated With Impaired Functioning Across Various Domains: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
- Authors
- Seidman LC, Payne LA
- Journal
- Journal of pediatric and adolescent gynecology
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 141
- What was tested
- None
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.jpag.2025.10.009
Topics
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