Highlights

This is based on research conducted by scientists from China Medical University Hospital in Taiwan. The team looked at data from 296,078 women from the age group of 16 to 55 yearsThe data included info on their long-term exposure to pollutants in the air, including nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, nitric oxide and PM2.5.Looking at the data they found that from 2000 to 2013, 4.2 percent of women suffered from dysmenorrhea.However, it also showed that women living in 25 percent of locations with the highest levels of pollution experienced a 16.7 to 33.1 percent higher risk

A new study (published in Frontiers in Public Health) has now found that long-term exposure to air pollutants can increase the risk of frequent and painful period cramps.

This is based on research conducted by scientists from China Medical University Hospital in Taiwan. The team looked at data from 296,078 women from the age group of 16 to 55 years in Taiwan with no record of dysmenorrhea — a gynaecological disorder associated with period cramps — before the year 2000. 

The data included info on their long-term exposure to pollutants in the air, including nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, nitric oxide and PM2.5. Looking at the data they found that from 2000 to 2013, 4.2 percent of women suffered from dysmenorrhea. 

This included younger women, mostly those with lower incomes living in urbanised areas. However, it also showed that women living in 25 percent of locations with the highest levels of pollution experienced a 16.7 to 33.1 percent higher risk of getting diagnosed with dysmenorrhea than women in 25 percent of areas with low pollution exposure.

The highest risk of diagnosis was in women with the highest exposure to PM2.5 pollutants. 

Professor Chung Y. Hsu, one of the authors of the study, said, “Research has already shown that women who smoke or drink alcohol during their periods, or who are overweight, or have their first period very young, run a greater risk of dysmenorrhea. Women who have never been pregnant are likewise known to be at greater risk. But here we demonstrate for the first time another important risk factor for developing dysmenorrhea: air quality, in particular long-term exposure to pollution.”

Chung added, “Our results study demonstrate the major impact of the quality of air on human health in general, here specifically on the risk of dysmenorrhea in women and girls. This is a clear illustration of the need for actions by governmental agencies and citizens to reduce air pollution, in order to improve human health.”