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Facts about period pain

Pain is a very common part of having a period – especially in the days leading up to it and for the first few days after it starts. The medical word for painful periods is ‘dysmenorrhoea’ (pronounced diss-men-uh-ree-ah).

Up to 90% of teenagers have painful periods, but there are things you can do to help. You don’t have to put up with pain.

Young people with periods often get cramps (tightness) or feel pain in their pelvic area. This is the space between your hips. It’s where lots of your organs sit, including your reproductive system. Many people also feel pain in their stomach or lower back.

Along with cramping pain, you might have symptoms like:

• Aching
• Nausea (sick in the stomach)
• Bloating
• Headaches
• Tender breasts
• Tiredness
• Dizziness or feeling faint
• Diarrhoea (runny poo).

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to period pain because everyone’s body is different.

Why do people get painful periods?

Periods cause pain for a few reasons. Cramps are usually because your uterus (womb) muscles are tightening to help the uterus shed its lining. This lining is the skin-like layer inside your uterus.

When you don’t get pregnant during your menstrual cycle, your hormone levels drop, and your uterus releases lots of ‘inflammatory’ chemicals. These are the chemicals that cause inflammation – your body’s healing response to an illness or injury.

The inflammatory chemicals:

• break down the uterus lining
• tell the uterus to bleed so it can flush out the lining
• make the uterus squeeze so it can push out the crumbled-up lining
• the period blood that comes out of the vagina during ‘menstruation’ is a mix of blood and broken-down lining.

Cramping pain is usually from your uterus squeezing, but the natural chemicals it releases can also make you feel achy, nauseous, dizzy, or faint. Some pain might also be from back bleeding (also called ‘retrograde menstruation’) – this is when the period blood flows backwards into your insides. Back bleeding isn’t dangerous; it’s very common and normal, but it can irritate your bladder and pelvic floor muscles.

What could my painful period mean?

Different types of period pain can mean different things.

• Intense pain on the heaviest days of your period
  • Possible reasons:
    • Your uterus might have to squeeze hard to push out blood and clots – especially if you get heavy periods.
    • You might be back bleeding.
    • You might have an underlying health condition.
• Pain that lasts through your whole period
  • Possible reasons:
    • Your uterus might release more inflammatory chemicals; they can cause pain and make your uterus squeeze more.
    • A small number of people have a difference in the shape of their uterus which might cause more pain.
• Pain when pooing and or peeing
  • Possible reasons:
    • You might be back bleeding
    • The muscles that help you poo or pee might have tightened. These muscles are close to the uterus, so they can get irritated when you have a period – especially if you are back bleeding.
• Pain that’s worse at the end of your period, rather than the start
  • Possible reasons:
    • You might have an unusual or different-shaped uterus.

Could my period pain be endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the uterus lining grows outside the uterus (usually in the pelvic area). Some people with endometriosis have extreme period pain and other symptoms like heavy periods, but others don’t have any symptoms at all.

Period pain doesn’t always equal endometriosis. In fact, pain-related symptoms affect people without endometriosis as much as people with endometriosis.

Any period pain that stops you from doing the things you enjoy is worth treating – no matter the cause.

When should I get help for period pain?

It’s a good idea to get help for your period pain if it is impacting your quality of life. For example, if your pain is so bad that you:

• can't go to school or work
• often cancel plans with friends or family
• fall behind at school
• plan your life around your period
• are having mental health problems.

Where can I get help for period pain?

Start by speaking about your pain with your parents or another trusted adult. They will be able to support you and might share tips that you haven’t tried yet. If you play sports, you could also chat to your coach, if you feel comfortable sharing.

You can ask your regular doctor (‘general practitioner’ or GP) for medical advice. They might want to ask you some questions about your periods, like when they started, how often you get them, and what symptoms you have. From there, your GP might order tests or refer you to another health worker with special training in period pain.

Treatments for period pain

Pain can be a bit like a bushfire – it might start small, but if it’s not treated, it can spread to other parts of your body.

Other parts of your life can affect your periods and period pain, too. For example, if you are stressed at school with exams, or facing challenges at home, you might have more painful periods. You could speak with your GP to see if there are things you can do to help before trying other treatments.

Current research says there are quite a few things that might help painful periods:

• Take anti-inflammatory pain medicines
  • You should take anti-inflammatory medicine as soon as your pain starts; it’s much easier to control pain before it gets really bad.
  • The best over-the-counter medicines for period pain are ibuprofen, naproxen, and mefenamic acid. They are all anti-inflammatory medicines that block your body from making the chemicals that cause cramping pain.
  • Paracetamol might help mild cramping pain, but it doesn’t usually work as well because it’s not an anti-inflammatory.
• Try antispasmodic medicines, like hyoscine butylbromide
  • These medicines might help with cramps.
• Make your periods lighter
  • There are three main ways to do this:
    
    1. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain medicine like ibuprofen, naproxen, or mefenamic acid
    2. Prescription medicine like tranexamic acid
    3. Hormonal medicines like the pill (oral contraceptive pill) or intrauterine devices (IUDs).
• Skip periods
  • You can skip periods using hormonal medicines like the pill.
• Use heat
  • Heat can help relax your muscles in a similar way to pain-relief medicine.
  • You could place a heat pack on your tummy or back, or have a warm bath.
• Eat nutritious foods
  • Aim to eat three balanced meals a day, with two to three nutritious snacks in between. For example, fruits and vegetables, healthy fats like avocado, and wholegrains like oats.
  • It's important to drink plenty of water, too. Try to drink about five to eight cups (1.25 to 2L) every day.
• Exercise and stretch
  • Regular exercise helps period pain by increasing blood flow and releasing natural pain-relief chemicals called ‘endorphins.’ Even a walk might make you feel better.
  • Simple stretching can loosen the muscles that get tight during your period.
• See a pelvic health physiotherapist
  • A pelvic health physiotherapist is a qualified health worker who specialises in managing different pains linked to your period.
  • They can work with you to create a treatment plan that reduces your pain.
• Try a nerve-stimulation device (TENS)
  • A TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) sends very small electric pulses through your skin. It doesn’t hurt.
  • The device helps to block pain messages and tells the body to release endorphins.
  • It’s best to speak with a health worker like a physiotherapist before using a TENS device. They can tell you where to get one and suggest which settings to use.
• Get plenty of sleep
  • Sleep can help period pain by relaxing your muscles.
  • Try to get 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Not getting enough quality sleep can make stress, inflammation, and pain worse.

Helpful links

• Continue reading the other Teen Health Info fact sheets
• Teen Health Info: Words you hear in the health system
• Teen Health Info: Periods – owning your cycle
• Teen Health Info: Skipping periods with the pill
• Teen Health Info: Heavy periods
• The Royal Children's Hospital: Kids and Teens Pelvic Pain Clinical Network – young person
• Jean Hailes: Period pain
  
  

Developed by The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH); medical review by the Gynaecology department, with input from the Kids and Teens Pelvic Pain Clinical Network team. Created with advice from the RCH Health Literacy Youth Advisory Committee.

Reviewed August 2026

Speak with a doctor for up-to-date and personalised medical advice.