Painful periods: these drinks make your menstrual cramps worse, find out which ones to avoid them

Pain related to the menstrual cycle affects many women. If a simple paracetamol does not calm you down, it is important to consult to find out if this pain is not hiding a pathology, such as endometriosis for example. If the existence of such illnesses is ruled out, know that you can also avoid certain drinks so as not to aggravate your pain, according to a new study.

Sodas, responsible for menstrual cramps

For this work, scientists analyzed data from a questionnaire answered by 1,809 female students in China. Nearly half of them had been diagnosed with primary dysmenorrhea, or recurring menstrual cramps, with a quarter reporting severe pain.

By studying these volunteers’ responses, researchers found that girls who drank soda were 24 percent more likely to suffer from period pain than those who didn’t drink it.

Worse, the consumption of these drinks proportionally worsens the pain, that is to say that the more sodas a young girl consumes, the more intense the pain.

Why could period pain be triggered by soda?

If the study establishes this link, scientists have not found the cause. Some experts say the caffeine in soda is likely to blame for the pain.

“Periodic cramps are caused by the release of prostaglandins, which are hormonal substances that may play a role in the constriction and dilation of the body’s blood vessels” explains Dr. Sonya Brar, obstetrician and professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, to Very Well magazine.

“Caffeine has a powerful vasoconstriction effect that can increase pain with periods due to decreased blood flow to the uterus.” On this subject, a previous study had linked the consumption of caffeinated drinks with different period disturbances (irregular, absent or too heavy periods).

Caffeine incriminated, but not that contained in coffee

But this hypothesis is undermined by this same study since while it incriminates sodas, it concludes that coffee drinkers were 55% less likely to have moderate to severe cramps compared to those who did not drink it. not. So why would this worsening of pain only concern soft drinks? Another hypothesis is put forward.

“The content of sugar soda could also be a problem” says Dr. Sherry Ross, gynecologist and women’s health expert at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

For Dr. Brar, inflammation could also trigger painful periods. Theoretically, sugar can increase inflammation in the body and could potentially make symptoms worse with periods, but more studies are needed to confirm this.” she concludes.

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