Sex steroid hormones act at a number of sites in both the peripheral and central nervous systems and in both reproductive and non-reproductive tissues. They play a role in pain conditions. Many clinical pain conditions vary with hormonal state. For example, the probability of experiencing a painful condition increases with increasing pubertal development. Sex differences in the prevalence of painful conditions appear after puberty. Variation in symptom severity across the menstrual cycle affected by ovulation and menstruation occurs in a number of clinical pain conditions, such as the pain of dysmenorrhoea, the symptoms of temperomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Interstitial Cystitis (IC) and migraine. The use of the combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP) to give a more constant hormonal level can sometimes improve pain symptoms. During pregnancy, the cyclical fluctuations in hormones stop. Many clinical pain conditions improve during pregnancy such as arthritis, migraine and often pelvic pain. After menopause, hormones level drop, many people develop pain conditions such as low back pain and shoulder pain etc.
Acupuncture can effectively release pain from various conditions.
