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OP62 Associations between socioeconomic position, adverse childhood experiences, and painful and heavy periods: results from the ALSPAC cohort

jech · 2025-08-24 · canonical JSON source

1 visible annotations · policy: published · automated confidence ≥ 75.00%

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Background A large proportion of women and adolescents who menstruate report painful and heavy periods, which adversely impact their health and wellbeing. Despite this, little population-based research has explored the relationship between socioeconomic position (SEP) and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with problematic menstrual symptoms.Methods Data from female offspring recruited in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) was used. Mothers reported their offspring’s SEP during pregnancy, including highest parental education, highest parental occupational class, and financial difficulties. Ten ACEs before age 11 were measured through a series of mother-, partner-, and self-reported prospective and retrospective questionnaires and clinics. ACEs included bullying, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, parental mental health problems, parental conviction, parental separation, physical abuse, sexual abuse, substance abuse in the household, and violence between parents. A categorical exposure variable representing the number of ACEs (0, 1, 2, 3, or 4+) was used as the ACE exposure. Participants self-reported their menstrual pain and heavy bleeding via questionnaires at age 17. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the associations between each SEP construct (N=2,757) and number of ACEs (N=2,625) with each menstrual symptom outcome, adjusting for ethnicity (plus SEP in the analysis with number of ACEs as the exposure).Results In offspring, lower parental education and experiencing financial difficulties was associated with increased odds of pain (CSE/vocational vs. degree OR 1.7; 95% CI 1.3, 2.2: financial difficulties OR 1.4; 95% CI 1.1, 1.9) and heavy bleeding (A level OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.1, 2.0: O level OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.2, 2.1: CSE/vocational OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.6, 2.8: financial difficulties OR 1.4; 95% CI 1.0, 1.8). There was also evidence for an increased odds of pain (3 ACEs OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.1, 2.1; 4+ ACEs OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.5, 3.1) and heavy bleeding (3 ACEs OR 1.4; 95% CI 1.0, 2.1; 4+ ACEs OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.5, 3.0) amongst participants reporting three ACEs or four or more ACEs.Conclusion There was evidence that individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and those who have experienced adversity in childhood are more likely to report menstrual pain and heavy bleeding in late adolescence. Further research is needed to identify causality and mechanisms, as well as develop interventions to reduce inequalities.