Does PCOS cause painful periods? The complete guide

PCOS is a chronic condition diagnosed in around 6-13% of women in the world and runs undiagnosed in up to 70% of females. Dysmenorrhea is the medical term for painful periods, associated with throbbing pain in the lower abdomen.

Does PCOS cause painful periods? Shortly, yes. According to studies and experts, PCOS is often associated with irregular, heavy, and painful periods. Menstrual cramping is typically caused by:

• Irregular ovulation and uterine lining overgrowth.
• Heavy bleeding.
• More intense uterine contractions.
• Increased prostaglandins and chronic inflammation.
• Ovarian cysts that can overgrow and put pressure on internal organs and rupture.

Luckily, even if you’re facing PCOS-induced period pain, there are quite many management techniques that can help. Firstly, this involves treating PCOS and adjusting your lifestyle to improve the symptoms in general. For pain, in particular, you can use over-the-counter pain relievers, pain relief patches, and heat therapy.

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A female menstrual cycle is a very intricate and delicate mechanism. It’s affected by a variety of things, including the obvious ones like hormonal fluctuations, birth control, and medications, and less obvious ones like lifestyle, exercise patterns, and others. Of course, underlying health conditions that deal with reproductive health also affect your cycle, and PCOS is one of the most common ones.

PCOS is a chronic condition that affects the work of your ovaries and often creates hormonal imbalances. Respectively, it can have a massive effect on your cycle regularity. Additionally, it’s known for causing different menstrual abnormalities, including dysmenorrhea, which stands for painful menstrual periods.

Does PCOS cause painful periods in reality, and why does this happen? In this article, we’ll delve into the phenomenon of dysmenorrhea in PCOS and help you understand how to effectively manage it.

What Is PCOS?

PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome, is a chronic health condition. It develops in women of reproductive age and affects their ovaries, causing a large number of fluid-filled sacs (cysts) to grow on them.

The cysts created in PCOS alter the normal work of the ovaries and hormone production. Typically, women with this condition have lower estrogen levels and high androgen (male hormone) levels, which result in a number of unpleasant symptoms, such as:

• Hormonal imbalance
• Irregular menstrual cycle
• Ovulation issues
• Hirsutism
• Oily skin and acne
• Hair loss
• Fertility challenges
• Uncontrolled weight gain
• And others

Understanding Dysmenorrhea

Now that you know what PCOS is, let’s dive into the concept of painful periods.

The medical term for painful periods is dysmenorrhea. It stands for menstrual cramps that can range from mild to severe and typically feel like throbbing pain in the lower abdomen. Sometimes, pain can also echo into your back and thighs, and come along with other symptoms, such as:

• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Nausea

We can distinguish two types of dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea stands for painful periods that begin as soon as you start menstruating. Secondary dysmenorrhea stands for painful periods that start later in life, typically due to some physical cause, such as an underlying medical condition.

Does PCOS Cause Painful Periods?

Now that you have detailed definitions of PCOS and dysmenorrhea, it’s time to answer the main question: Does PCOS cause painful periods dysmenorrhea?

The short answer to this question is “yes.” According to the experts from The University of Kansas Health System, there are 10 most tangible PCOS symptoms, and a few of them directly impact your menstruation:

• Irregular periods. The majority of women with PCOS have irregular menstrual cycles. This is due to hormonal imbalances and ovulation issues, which can make your cycles longer or shorter and cause absent or irregular menstruation.
• Heavy periods. Often, women with PCOS have heavier menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia). This is typically due to the overgrowth of the uterine lining caused by irregular shedding (periods).
• Painful periods. Lastly, women who have this hormonal condition often experience pain. One of the causes for this is chronic, low-grade inflammation and other PCOS symptoms. According to studies, about 19.21% of females with PCOS experience some form of pain, including menstrual pain.

Why Does PCOS Cause Painful Periods?

So, does PCOS cause more painful periods? As you now know, it often does. But why does this happen in the first place?

According to science, there are 5 possible reasons for this:

1. Irregular Ovulation

Due to a large number of cysts on the ovaries, women with PCOS typically have low estrogen and overproduction of androgens. This imbalance can disrupt regular ovulation and lead to anovulatory cycles – cycles in which your ovaries don’t release an egg.

When ovulation doesn’t occur, you also don’t get your period in that cycle. The uterine lining that was thickening to accommodate pregnancy doesn’t shed as it’s supposed to. As a result, it continues to thicken and can cause more pain when it finally sheds.

2. Heavy Bleeding

The uterine lining that gets thicker than normal usually causes heavier bleeding when it sheds. Heavy bleeding is also closely associated with period pain.

3. Intense Uterine Contractions

When your uterine lining is too thick, the uterus is forced to contract more intensively in order to expel this excess lining. Since uterine contractions are among the primary causes of period pain, respectively, more intense contractions can cause more severe pain.

4. Increased Prostaglandins and Chronic Inflammation

Typically, women with PCOS have measurably higher levels of prostaglandins. These are hormone-like chemicals that regulate a number of crucial bodily functions, such as blood flow and clotting, which is why they are crucial in menstruation. However, these chemicals are also responsible for inflammation and pain regulation.

When you have increased prostaglandins due to PCOS, these chemicals create chronic low-grade inflammation. Together, they intensify uterine contractions and pain.

5. Ovarian Cysts

As you know from the definition, PCOS causes the growth of multiple cysts on your ovaries. Sometimes, they can overgrow and rupture. When this happens, it often causes dull ache or sharp pelvic and abdominal pain. This pain can worsen with movement and intensify during menstruation because of the pressure cysts put on your organs.

How to Manage Pain During Periods With PCOS

If you experience period pain with PCOS, this can cause a lot of discomfort and interfere with your daily activities. The good news is that you can manage your pain in a number of ways.

Firstly, focus on targeting PCOS symptoms at their core:

• PCOS treatment. First and foremost, getting your condition diagnosed and professionally treated can greatly reduce PCOS symptoms, including period pain. So, don't hesitate to see your healthcare provider to get a personalized treatment plan.
• Lifestyle adjustments. Making thoughtful improvements to your daily lifestyle is an important part of PCOS treatment. And it can help you reduce period pain as well. In particular, following a PCOS-friendly diet can reduce inflammation and balance hormones. Regular physical activity can also balance your hormones and reduce tension. In the long run, such improvements can help you make your cycle more regular and thus ease period pain. Not to mention that exercise has been shown to relieve pain.
• Stress management. Although it might not sound very obvious, focusing on your mental health can greatly help with PCOS symptoms. Why? Because high cortisol (which is also linked to PCOS) can worsen inflammation and pain. And it can also further undermine hormonal balance. That’s why a focus on self-care and stress-reducing practices is crucial for overall health and well-being. 

Apart from addressing the underlying cause, you can also use different at-home remedies to target pain when it appears. Try using over-the-counter pain relievers, pain relief patches, and heat therapy to ease period cramps.

When to See a Doctor

Although painful periods in PCOS can be very discomforting, in many cases, you should be able to manage the pain and improve your well-being with lifestyle adjustments and proper treatment. Using instant pain relief solutions should also help.

However, if your condition doesn’t get any better, it’s recommended to see a healthcare provider. Here are some of the key reasons to seek professional advice:

• You experience regular bleeding between your periods.
• Your cycle is too irregular (less than 21 days or more than 45 days apart).
• You have periods that constantly last longer than seven days.
• You experience severe bleeding (the pad is soaking within an hour).
• You experience severe pain that persists and doesn’t go away with at-home management efforts.

In any of these cases, a healthcare professional will help you diagnose underlying causes of painful periods and find effective treatment options that work for you.

FAQ

Does PCOS cause more painful periods in many women?

Yes, pain, including period pain, is one of the most common symptoms reported by women with PCOS. This may not affect every woman with this condition, depending on their age, genetics, lifestyle, health history, and other factors. Furthermore, among those women who have painful periods caused by PCOS, not everyone experiences extreme pain or discomfort.

Does PCOS cause extremely painful periods?

It might. PCOS can cause more painful periods due to irregular ovulation, heavy bleeding, intense uterine contractions, increased prostaglandins and chronic inflammation, and ovarian cysts. The intensity of pain can vary from mild to severe. The severity of pain can depend on your hormone levels, PCOS treatment, inflammation markers, and other factors. Individual pain sensitivity also matters a lot.

Does PCOS cause painful periods dysmenorrhea in every cycle?

Due to cycle irregularity, PCOS can cause regular painful periods. But this doesn’t necessarily happen in every cycle. The thing is that more severe pain is mostly associated with a thicker uterine lining building up and shedding more heavily. However, this doesn’t have to happen in every cycle.

Conclusion

So, does PCOS cause painful periods? As you now know, irregular, heavy, and more painful periods are indeed associated with this condition. Affecting the work of your ovaries, PCOS can cause chronic inflammation and regular uterine lining overgrowth, resulting in mild to severe cramps during menstruation.

Luckily, there are ways to feel better. Use the tips from this guide to find effective period pain management techniques, and don’t hesitate to contact your healthcare provider if pain persists or becomes too intense.

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