Severe cramps during a woman’s menstrual cycle lead to the same brain changes seen in chronic pain sufferers, scientists from the National Taipei University in Taiwan have found. In their clinical study, the scientists monitored 32 eleven-year-old girls using nuclear magnetic resonance. When analyzing the results, they registered that 90% of them suffered from painful menstruation. The brain changes they observed mainly affected the hypothalamus and were the same as those seen in patients with chronic pain. Chronic pain is known to cause serious changes in the structure and functional capabilities of the nervous system. The research of scientists so far shows the need to understand girls and women with dysmenorrhea – painful menstruation, because the condition really exhausts them mentally and physically. The scientific team also registered other changes in the brain in dysmenorrhea, which include the transmission of pain, the origin of emotions , disruption of physiological and endocrine functions. According to the researchers, dysmenorrhea has a longer-term effect on brain processes, similar to chronic pain. The work of researchers continues to find natural remedies, including herbs, vitamins, diet, lifestyle, to prevent the onset of period pain. .