Smoking worsens menstrual cramps

WOMEN who smoke cigarettes may be at a higher risk for menstrual pain, according to a new Australian study.

Compared to non-smokers, smokers in the study were more likely to suffer from severe menstrual pain and to experience a worsening of pain as the number of cigarettes they smoked per day increased.

Exactly how smoking cigarettes might increase menstrual pain is not entirely clear, but it may happen via a decrease in the amount of oxygen available to the uterus, Dr Jennifer Leighdon Wu, an obstetrician/gynaecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told Reuters Health in a phone interview.

a�?We know that smoking causes vasoconstriction, or constriction of the blood vessels,a�? said Wu, who wasna��t involved in the new study. a�?When this happens with the uterus, it can cause pain.a�?

Dysmenorrhoea among smokers .