According to a new study, women who have menarche at a younger age have a higher likelihood of reporting chronic pain in adulthood.

The study, published in the journal PAIN, looked at data on over 12,000 women, with an average age of 55 years, participating in the Tromso Study (a population study of the health of people in northern Norway). Investigators evaluated the link between women′s self-reported age at menarche and the presence and the various aspects of chronic pain. The average age at menarche reported by the participating women was about 13 years and around 40% of women reported that they experienced chronic pain.

Women with younger age at their first menstrual period had higher odds of experiencing chronic pain. After adjusting for potential confounders, the relative risk of chronic pain was found to decline by 2% for each one-year delay in menarche. The absolute risk was reduced by 1.1 to 1.4 percentage points each year… (ET Healthworld – ANI, March 5, 2022)