Menstrual pain: Omega-3 helps reduce the unwell state

Menstruation: less pain with Omega 3 supplements

Menstrual pain can be reduced by daily intake of Omega 3. This is what emerges from research published in the International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics. According to the study authors, the benefits associated with these fatty acids make it possible to reduce the use of drugs as remedies for menstrual pain. The use of Omega-3 was found to be particularly effective in the case of primary dysmenorrhea, that is, when the pain is not due to the presence of a pathology at the level of the organs of reproduction.

Women's health: the role of Omega-3s

Omega-3 fatty acids are valuable allies of female well-being at all stages of life: they protect against osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, reduce depression, and improve the quality of pregnancy. These nutrients are a good remedy for PMS symptoms and menstrual cycle pain. The latter action is based on the fact that Omega-3s are precursors of molecules that reduce pain through their vasodilator and anti-inflammatory effects. Several studies have shown that this phenomenon means that an increase in Omega-3 intake, which can be obtained either through diet or by using supplements, corresponds to a decrease in dysmenorrhea symptoms.

Omega-3 for menstrual pain: confirmed benefits

Researchers at the University of Medical Sciences in Semnan, Iran, have added new details to what is already known about the benefits of Omega-3s for the treatment of pain associated with menstruation. Their study involved 95 women between the ages of 18 and 25, all of whom had primary dysmenorrhea. Forty-seven among the participants took one capsule of Omega-3 daily for 3 months. In the following 3 months they were given a placebo. The remaining 48 women first received placebo for 3 months and then, for another 3 months, one Omega-3 capsule daily. All participants were instructed to take 400 milligrams of ibuprofen, a well-known pain reliever, if severe pain persisted. The effectiveness of the Omega-3 treatment was evaluated precisely by the number of ibuprofen tablets taken by the women.

The final results

In both groups there was a reduction in pain intensity at the end of 3 months of treatment. In addition, women who were taking Omega-3 needed to resort to a lower dose of ibuprofen than those who were taking placebo. Specifically, after 3 months of treatment, the first group of women took about 4 ibuprofen tablets per day, compared with the 5 they needed to resort to after taking placebo for 3 months. Women in the second group used an average of about 3 tablets after 3 months of Omega-3 intake, and about 6 after 3 months of placebo treatment. 

Source 

1. Rahbar N, Asgharzadeh N, Ghorbani R, "Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on intensity of primary dysmenorrhea," Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2012 Jan 17. [Epub ahead of print].