Vitamin D plays an important role in various biological functions in the human body. New research has revealed that vitamin D supplements can help reduce the intensity of period pain.
A study conducted by a team of Taiwanese researchers found that the method was particularly beneficial for patients with primary dysmenorrhea, who had no underlying conditions causing period pain.
There are two types of menstrual pain: primary dysmenorrhea, which occurs without a medical cause, and secondary dysmenorrhea, which is caused by a disease such as endometriosis.
For menstrual pain, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are usually the treatment of choice, but these drugs are known to be associated with a high incidence of renal impairment, gastrointestinal bleeding, and hypersensitivity reactions.
According to scientists, vitamin D inhibits pain-sensing signals, meaning that taking vitamin D supplements could be an alternative treatment option for dysmenorrhea. However, the effect of vitamin D on pain intensity in different types of dysmenorrhea remains unclear.
The findings were recently published in the journal Nutrients.
“Vitamin D supplementation was found to be effective in reducing pain intensity in patients with dysmenorrhea, especially primary dysmenorrhea, and the cumulative power of the subgroup analyses supports a ‘true’ treatment response,” the researchers reiterated.
Of note, vitamin D deficiency is a known risk factor for endometriosis, and vitamin D deficiency can lead to symptoms of dysmenorrhea.
