A recent study finds that physical functioning links menstrual pain and loneliness, offering an opportunity anticipate the impact of periods on social lives.
23 October 2025
By Emily Reynolds
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Menstrual pain affects many of those who have periods. And, while we're all familiar with the image of someone lying in bed clutching a hot water bottle to try ease their menstrual pain, how painful periods shape social wellbeing in the long term has received comparatively little attention. This is particularly the case when it comes to loneliness, which we already know is strongly associated with other pain conditions.
Writing in the British Journal of Health Psychology, a team led by Julia McCurry of Deakin University looks at this issue, exploring the links between menstrual pain, physical functioning, and loneliness. Their findings suggest that it is not the presence of pain alone, but rather the way in which pain impairs daily functioning, that contributes to loneliness. They believe that physical functionality may therefore serve as an important early warning sign, helping clinicians identify those at greater risk of becoming socially isolated, and intervene before loneliness becomes more entrenched.
The study formed part of a larger longitudinal project looking at menstrual health among Australian women aged 18 to 50 years old. Baseline data was collected from 289 women in May 2019, with follow-up surveys in 2020 and 2021.
Measures included self-reports of menstrual pain severity, responses to loneliness items such as "I lack companionship" and "I feel left out," and assessments of physical functioning. The latter captured perceptions of health and ability to carry out daily activities, including ratings of statements such as "to what extent does pain prevent you from doing what you need to do?" and "how well are you able to get around?"
Participants' fluctuating pain levels across the course of the study gave the team a window to observe the ways in which pain and physical functioning influenced each other. Higher menstrual pain at one stage predicted lower general physical functioning later, and lower physical functioning also predicted higher pain: the relationship was reciprocal.
Yet pain alone did not predict loneliness. Instead, overall physical functioning was the key mediating factor: women who were better able to manage day-to-day activities at the end of the study also reported lower levels of loneliness. This suggests that it's not the experience of pain itself that drives feelings of loneliness, but the way it disrupts daily activities and mobility. In short, physical impairment appears to be the main pathway through which menstrual pain contributes to loneliness, making low levels of physical functioning a valuable early warning sign for future social difficulties.
This distinction has important clinical implications. Efforts to preserve or improve physical functioning during menstruation could help reduce loneliness, even in cases where pain can't be fully eliminated. Addressing the impact of pain on daily life, rather than focusing solely on symptom intensity, may represent a more fruitful avenue for interventions designed to protect wellbeing.
The authors note several limitations. Recruitment through peer support groups may have meant that those who participated don't necessarily have the same experiences or insights as those who are more isolated, for example. Additionally, loneliness was measured only at the final time point, preventing analyses of its interaction with pain and functioning over time. Future research could also explore exactly what kind of social connections or strategies those with more severe pain need to mitigate feelings of loneliness.
Overall, the findings highlight the ability to maintain daily activities as a central link between menstrual pain and loneliness, underscoring the need for clinicians to attend not only to pain severity, but also to its impacts on everyday life and social functioning. Supporting individuals to stay active — through strategies from medical treatment to practical guidance for managing daily activities — may help reduce the social burden of menstrual pain and address its significant impact on quality of life.
Read the paper in full:
McCurry, J., Skvarc, D., Evans, S., Mikocka‐Walus, A., Druitt, M. L., Payne, L., & Marshall, E. M. (2025). In pain and lonely? A longitudinal study examining the associations between menstrual pain, physical functioning and loneliness. British Journal of Health Psychology, 30(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12805
ΠΗΓΗ:
https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/painful-periods-and-loneliness-often-go-hand-hand(accessed 27.10.25)
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