A new study will seek to find out what changes occur in the brain when teenagers experience pain during menstruation and whether this is linked to the development of chronic pain in later life.

In what has been described for the first time in the world, researchers at the University of Oxford will test children aged 11 to 20 using a range of tests, including MRI scans.

Half of the 120 volunteers were recruited into RoAdPain The project will suffer from period pain and will not be halved.

Dr Katy Vincent, professor of gynecological pain, said not enough is known about severe menstrual pain despite it being “incredibly common”.

“I think it’s really important that we take menstrual pain seriously,” she said.

“About 30% to 40% of teens and young women will have periods so painful that they can’t go to work, can’t go to school, can’t do their normal activities.

“If we can reduce the risk of people developing chronic pain in the future, it will be much easier than treating it once it has developed.”

Dr Vincent said chronic pain, which lasts more than three months, affects around 30% of the UK population and has a huge financial cost to the individual, society and the NHS.

Researchers say women are more likely to develop it than men, but it is not known why some develop it and not others.

Dr. Vincent said rates of chronic pain begin to develop during adolescence — around the time girls start menstruating.

When Eliza was in 11th grade at secondary school she started having painful periods.

Although her teachers were supportive, the 17-year-old said she still needed to take a few days off when the pain got too bad.

“It stops me from doing daily activities… it’s quite painful and I just want to stay in bed all day,” she said.

Now in college, Eliza said the pain is getting worse, lasting up to a week, and the painkillers are no longer helping.

“It feels like a wet towel and you’re wrapping it around your stomach and the pain travels down your legs and it hurts my back, just like normal pain,” he said.

She said that this sometimes affects her sleep, she becomes more emotional and starts feeling isolated.

As part of the trial, the team will conduct a series of tests on volunteers who have had a period of one year, three years or five years to see when changes in the brain are most likely to occur.

Participants will be tested during their period and 10 to 14 days after their period ends.

Post-doctoral researcher Dr Lydia Coxon said: “It’s about understanding the biology, understanding the neuroscience behind pain.

“I also think it’s really important if we can pick out the time in which these changes occur because that could be really important when we’re thinking about clinical intervention in treating menstrual pain.” Think about when we need to target that treatment specifically to be effective.”

Dr. Coxon said she thinks it’s time to change the perception that pain during menstruation is normal.

“Some people experience pain during menstruation, which has a serious impact on their lives and us telling them to just get on with it will never be helpful,” she said.

“And if we continue that narrative it will be harmful and create more distrust in the system.”