Blame air pollution for your painful period cramps, say scientists

Severe and painful menstrual cramps affect around 16-91 per cent of girls and women of reproductive age, out of which up to 29 per cent of them have had such bad symptoms that they've been unable to carry out daily activities.

This condition is called dysmenorrhea and for the first time, researchers have proven that long-term air pollution exposure significantly increases your chances of facing painful periods.

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The team from Taiwan looked at data on air quality and public health databases over a period of 13 years. They discovered that the risk to develop dysmenorrhea was up to 33 times higher amongst Taiwanese women and girls who lived in places with high levels of air pollutants like nitrogen, carbon oxides and fine particulate matter.

Ringing a similar note, a 2018 study had found that teen girls were more likely to experience menstrual irregularity if exposed to air pollution and another in 2017 linked pollution exposure with longer menstrual cycles.

Published in Frontiers in Public Health, the latest study notes that dysmenorrhea can be caused by hormonal imbalances or due to underlying gynaecological conditions such as endometriosis or tumours and the symptoms are often life-long. They may include cramping or pain in the lower abdomen, lower back and leg pain, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, fainting, fatigue and headaches.

There is no cure for the condition and previous research has linked lifestyle habits like smoking, alcohol consumption or obesity with a higher risk of it. But the new study demonstrates the major impact of the quality of air on human health, which now includes menstruation cycles.

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