A study appearing in Zentralblatt für Gynäkologie (1989;111:755–760) evaluated magnesium supplementation in 50 women with primary dysmenorrhea. The women were randomly assigned to receive either magnesium or a placebo for six months. At the end of the study, 21 of the 25 women receiving magnesium experienced a reduction in symptoms. Magnesium supplementation was associated with a 45% reduction in prostaglandin F2α levels in menstrual blood, a compound known to stimulate uterine contractions and contribute to menstrual pain.
Additional support comes from a double-blind study published in Schweizerische Rundschau für Medizin Praxis (April 17, 1990;79(16):491–494), which examined 32 women aged 16 to 42 with dysmenorrhea. Participants received either magnesium or placebo for three days beginning the day before menstruation. While symptom severity was similar on the first day, women in the magnesium group experienced significantly less pain and discomfort on days two and three of menstruation.
The role of prostaglandin F2α in dysmenorrhea is discussed in Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology (1978;21(1):139–145), which describes how this prostaglandin increases the frequency and intensity of uterine contractions and can directly induce cramping when administered experimentally. The author notes that magnesium may help counter this effect and suggests that vitamin B6 may enhance magnesium’s effectiveness by increasing intracellular magnesium levels, potentially reducing both the intensity and duration of menstrual cramps.
