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Period pains: Can anti-inflammatory drugs help?

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Anti-inflammatory painkillers like diclofenac, ibuprofen and naproxen can help relieve severe period pain. These medications sometimes have side effects such as stomach and digestion problems.

Period pains and cramps (dysmenorrhea) are common. Most girls and women have pain of varying intensity at some point during their period. In some women the pain is so bad that they're unable to carry out their usual daily activities, like going to work or school, on one to three days every month.

In many women who have bad period pains, the womb produces too much of the chemical messenger prostaglandin. This leads to painful cramps in the lower abdomen that might also radiate into the back or thighs. Benign (non-cancerous) growths such as fibroids sometimes play a role too. Very severe period pain can also be a symptom of endometriosis, where the type of tissue that lines the womb grows outside of the womb.

Painkillers block prostaglandin production

Anti-inflammatory painkillers can be taken to relieve period pain, especially the drugs diclofenac, ibuprofen and naproxen. These medications are all non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). They inhibit the production of prostaglandins and can relieve period pain in that way. Many NSAIDs are available from pharmacies without a prescription.

Researchers at the – an international network of researchers – looked for studies of these drugs to find out whether they help and how well they are tolerated. The researchers found 80 good-quality studies involving more than 5,800 girls and women between the ages of 12 and 47. These studies compared the effectiveness of the painkiller with that of a placebo (fake drug) or other medications. The studies included women with and without endometriosis.

NSAIDs can relieve period pain

The studies show that NSAIDs were more effective than placebos at relieving period pain:

  • 82 out of 100 girls and women who didn't take NSAIDs still had severe pain after a few hours.
  • 51 out of 100 girls and women who took NSAIDs still had severe pain after a few hours.

Some studies compared NSAIDs with acetaminophen (paracetamol). They suggest that NSAIDs are a little more effective than acetaminophen at relieving period pain. There's not enough good research to be able to say whether some NSAIDs are more effective than others.

Bofill Rodriguez M, Lethaby A, Farquhar C. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for heavy menstrual bleeding. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2019; (9): CD000400.

Marjoribanks J, Ayeleke RO, Farquhar C et al. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015; (7): CD001751.

IQWiG health information is written with the aim of helping people understand the advantages and disadvantages of the main treatment options and health care services.

Because IQWiG is a German institute, some of the information provided here is specific to the German health care system. The suitability of any of the described options in an individual case can be determined by talking to a doctor. informedhealth.org can provide support for talks with doctors and other medical professionals, but cannot replace them. We do not offer individual consultations.

Our information is based on the results of good-quality studies. It is written by a team of health care professionals, scientists and editors, and reviewed by external experts. You can find a detailed description of how our health information is produced and updated in our methods.

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Period pains: Can anti-inflammatory drugs help?

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Updated on May 12, 2023

Next planned update: 2026

Publisher:

Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG, Germany)

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