Name: 經痛超有感？這 3 個原因讓你月經痛到爆！醫師陳欣湄教你辨別 (3 things that can cause painful periods - Chen X. Chen)
Uploaded: 2026-02-12T21:33:42.000Z
Duration: 5 min 29 s

In 1920, Hungarian physician Bela Schick ran a highly questionable experiment.

1920年，匈牙利醫生Bela Schick進行了一項極具爭議的實驗。

He asked several women, some on their periods, to briefly hold flowers.

他請幾位女性，其中有些正值生理期，短暫地拿著花。

Then, without proper controls and relying solely on his own observations, he claimed that the blooms held by the menstruating women wilted more quickly.

然後，在沒有適當對照組的情況下，僅憑他自己的觀察，他宣稱來月經的女性拿著的花朵枯萎得更快。

Schick's explanation for this was not only unsafe scientific but also played into age old myths about periods.

Schick對此的解釋不僅不安全，而且還迎合了關於月經的古老迷思。

He concluded that menstruating women's bodies release toxins excreted in sweat and blood that can kill plants.

他得出結論，來月經的女性身體會釋放出排洩在汗水和血液中的毒素，這些毒素會殺死植物。

While it unfortunately took decades to debunk Schick's so called menstrual toxin hypothesis, some good did come from this work.

雖然很可惜花了數十年才駁斥Schick所謂的經期毒素假說，但這項工作也帶來了一些好處。

The idea prompted investigations into the composition of menstrual fluid, eventually leading to a discovery that helped explain a very real problem.

這個想法促使了對月經液成分的研究，最終導致了一項有助於解釋一個真實問題的發現。

Period cramps anywhere from 50 to 90% of people who menstruate deal with painful abdominal or pelvic cramps during their period, a condition known as dysmenorrhea.

月經期間的經痛，有高達50%到90%的月經者在生理期會經歷疼痛的腹部或骨盆痙攣，這種情況稱為經痛。

Individual experiences can vary from mild discomfort to throbbing aches to contraction.

個人的經歷差異很大，從輕微不適到搏動性疼痛，再到子宮收縮。

Like cramps that rival the pain of labor, cramping can extend into the back and thighs and be accompanied by bloating, nausea and even vomiting.

就像疼痛可媲美分娩的經痛一樣，痙攣會延伸到背部和大腿，並伴隨腹脹、噁心甚至嘔吐。

And for at least 10% of people who menstruate, these symptoms are so severe that they disrupt their day to day activities.

對於至少10%的月經者來說，這些症狀非常嚴重，會影響到她們的日常活動。

Health care experts classify dysmenorrhea into two main primary and secondary dysmenorrhea.

醫療保健專家將經痛分為原發性經痛和續發性經痛兩種主要類型。

For some, menstrual cramps can be traced back to underlying conditions, including endometriosis, where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus or uterine fibroids, which are non cancerous growths.

對某些人來說，經痛可能源於潛在的疾病，包括子宮內膜異位症，也就是類似子宮內膜的組織長在子宮外，或是子宮肌瘤，這些是良性的腫瘤。

This type of pain is called secondary dysmenorrhea.

這種疼痛類型稱為續發性經痛。

While these cases can be linked to specific conditions, the origins of pain are often not well understood.

雖然這些情況可能與特定疾病有關，但疼痛的根源往往不被清楚理解。

For example, endometriosis can lead to scarring and inflammation, and

例如，子宮內膜異位症可能導致疤痕和發炎，

uterine fibroids can push against other organs, both of which can cause discomfort.

而子宮肌瘤可能會壓迫到其他器官，這兩者都可能引起不適。

Yet the intensity of cramp pain doesn't always match the severity of these factors, and

然而，痙攣疼痛的強度並不總是與這些因素的嚴重程度相符，

because the conditions are so variable, so is the treatment.

由於情況差異很大，治療方法也隨之不同。

Primary dysmenorrhea, on the other hand, is much more common, and

另一方面，原發性經痛則普遍得多，

it refers to painful menstrual cramps that can't be linked to an underlying condition.

指的是找不到潛在病因的經痛，

Despite how misguided Schick's experiments were, they set a path toward better understanding this pain.

儘管 Schick 的實驗方向有誤，但為更瞭解這種疼痛指明瞭方向。

While early researchers obviously never found a menstrual toxin, in the 1960s and 70s, scientists studying menstrual fluid did discover the presence of compounds called prostaglandins and further research showed that many people with painful period cramps often had higher levels of prostaglandins in their menstrual fluid.

雖然早期的研究人員顯然從未發現月經毒素，但在 1960 年代和 70 年代，研究月經液的科學家確實發現了前列腺素這種化合物的存在，進一步的研究顯示，許多有經痛困擾的人，其月經液中的前列腺素含量通常較高。

One important role of prostaglandins is to stimulate the muscles of the uterus to contract, an essential step in shedding the uterine lining during a period.

前列腺素的一個重要作用是刺激子宮肌肉收縮，這是月經期間剝落子宮內膜的關鍵步驟。

So it's thought that an excess of prostaglandins may intensify these contractions, causing pain.

是以，人們認為過量的 PGs 可能會加劇這些收縮，導致疼痛。

This process can also cause blood vessels to constrict, reducing the flow of oxygen and releasing chemicals that activate pain receptors.

這個過程也可能導致血管收縮，減少氧氣供應，並釋放活化疼痛受體的化學物質。

Since many over the counter pain medications like naproxen and ibuprofen work by targeting prostaglandins, they can provide relief for some people with period pain.

由於許多非處方止痛藥，如 naproxen 和 ibuprofen，透過針對 PGs 來發揮作用，是以可以為一些經痛患者提供緩解。

Others find hormone based contraceptives that thin the uterine lining and in turn reduce prostaglandin production to be helpful.

有些人則發現基於荷爾蒙的避孕藥物能使子宮內膜變薄，進而減少 PGs 的產生，對她們有幫助。

But while prostaglandin research was foundational and shaped the way we understand menstrual pain in recent years it's become evident that prostaglandins are just part of the story.

但雖然 PGs 的研究是基礎，並塑造了我們對經痛的理解，近年來，人們越來越清楚 PGs 只是故事的一部分。

Many other factors likely contribute to painful cramping, including hormones, inflammation, brain pathways, and perhaps even the microbiome.

許多其他因素可能都會導致經痛，包括荷爾蒙、發炎、大腦通路，甚至可能還有微生物群。

And because period pain is not fully understood, existing treatments don't always work for everyone.

而且因為經痛的成因尚未完全瞭解，現有的治療方法並非對每個人都有效。

On top of that, talking about menstrual cramps can feel awkward or even taboo, leading many people to feel that they have to simply put up with the pain.

更別提，談論經痛有時會讓人感到尷尬，甚至被視為禁忌，導致許多人覺得只能默默忍受疼痛。

But regularly suffering from severe cramping is far from benign.

但長期忍受嚴重的經痛，絕非小事。

Some experts believe that repeated exposure to pain can cause the nervous system to become more sensitive, leaving a person vulnerable to developing chronic pain conditions.

有些專家認為，反覆的疼痛刺激會讓神經系統變得更敏感，使人容易發展出慢性疼痛的問題。

That's why more research is needed to untangle the complex drivers of this surprisingly common experience and to develop better treatments.

這也是為什麼我們需要更多研究，來釐清這種普遍存在的經驗背後複雜的成因，並開發出更好的治療方法。

That work can start with recognizing that period pain is real and it affects hundreds of millions of people.

這項工作可以從承認經痛是真實存在的，並且影響了數億人開始。

Do you ever feel like you don't know enough about your own body?

你是否曾經覺得對自己的身體不夠瞭解？

Subscribe to this channel to learn about everything from baldness to muscle growth to why we have hair in such random places.

訂閱這個頻道，一起學習從掉髮、肌肉生長，到為什麼身體某些地方會有毛髮等各種知識。

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經痛超有感？這 3 個原因讓你月經痛到爆！醫師陳欣湄教你辨別 (3 things that can cause painful periods - Chen X. Chen)

chronic

recognize

period

severe