The Different Types Of Period Pain
Doctors divide period pain into two different types. The more common type is called primary dysmenorrhoea. This type of period pain typically starts from your first period, or in the years shortly after.
With this type there is no underlying condition causing the period pain, says Dr Manwaring.
“The levels of pain can vary in primary dysmenorrhoea,” she says. “Typically, the pain has a regular pattern, beginning just before or as the period begins. It usually lasts for 1-3 days, but is most severe during the first or second day of the period.”
The pain is usually located in the lower abdomen , but can also affect the lower back and thighs. It’s often described as a constant ache or a cramping, gripping pain.
Dr Manwaring says the period pain from primary dysmenorrhoea can usually be well controlled with over-the-counter painkillers , the oral contraceptive pill, or through other means for example, a hot water bottle or heat pack, physical activity or relaxation techniques.
“However, if these techniques are not managing the pain, seek advice from a health practitioner,” says Dr Manwaring.
Endometriosis: A Common Cause Of Severe Period Pain
Endometriosis is a gynecological condition in which endometrium-like tissue is found outside the uterus on other structures throughout the pelvis, including the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, pelvic floor, and in more severe cases, the bowel, diaphragm, liver, lungs, and even the brain.
According to Ken R. Sinervo, MD, the medical director of the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta, We dont really know why endometriosis causes menstrual pain may have to do with where is located and how it presents.
Untreated endometriosis can lead to adhesions, chronic inflammation, chocolate cysts , and internal bleeding all of which can prompt excruciating pelvic pain. Endometriosis pain isnt limited to period pain that goes on 24/7, says Dr. Sinvero. Many women also experience backache and other bowel symptoms, not to be confused with IBS, he added.
How Do You Know Which Type You Have
Primary dysmenorrhoea is much more common than secondary dysmenorrhoea. However, because the period pain of secondary dysmenorrhoea can be severe and linked with serious health conditions, itâs important to be aware of whatâs ânormalâ and whatâs not when it comes to period pain.
Itâs also important to know when itâs okay to manage the pain on your own, and when itâs better to reach out for extra help.
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Symptom Relief For Painful Periods
Apply heat on the belly or lower back
Helps relax muscles.
Relax with rest, warm baths or meditating
Relieves stress.
Acupuncture, or discuss taking fish oils and magnesium with a qualified naturopath.
Pain relief: ibuprofen, naproxen or diclofenac
Take period pain medications at the onset of pain, and take regularly during the days you normally have pain. All these medications can cause stomach irritation, so they are best taken with food. Discuss the pros and cons of using them with your doctor.
The oral contraceptive pill
Ask your doctor about:
Over The Counter Pain Relievers Use It Only When Its Severe
Medications to reduce period pain are commonly available and you can consume before going to school to have a comfortable day.
However, take medication after consultation of a medical expert to avoid complications at such tender age.
At the same time, it is essential that the body develops immunity and strength for tolerance of pain, so taking pain relievers every single time is not advisable.
Caution: Pain relievers may also have several side effects like heavy or light flow, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and headaches, and thus should be used cautiously.
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Menstrual Cramp Treatment At Home
You may be able to relieve your menstrual pain through at-home treatments, such as over-the-counter pain relievers, supplements, and lifestyle changes. Researchers also are studying other possible remedies, including Zumba dancing, yoga, and light therapy. More common menstrual cramp home treatments, which have been supported by research include:
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Over-the-counter pain relievers: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , such as ibuprofen and naproxen, relieve pain and reduce prostaglandins. Acetaminophen is not quite as effective, but can offer some pain relief.
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Vitamin and mineral supplements: vitamin E, vitamin B1 , vitamin B6 and omega-3 fatty acids may cut pain. Magnesium also may help, but can have side effects and interact with many medications. Check with your doctor before taking magnesium.
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Herbal medicine: pycnogenol and fennel.
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Heat therapy: Taking a hot bath or using a hot water bottle, heating pad, heat wrap or other heat source of about 102 degrees Fahrenheit on your lower abdomen. Studies show this can be as effective as ibuprofen for cutting pain.
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Exercising at least 30 minutes daily, five days a week.
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Reducing stress, such as by relaxing with yoga or meditation.
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Getting enough rest.
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Avoiding tobacco and alcohol.
Care Advice For Menstrual Cramps
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How Long Period Pain Lasts
Period pain usually starts when your bleeding begins, although some women have pain several days before the start of their period.
The pain usually lasts 48 to 72 hours, although it can last longer. It’s usually at its worst when your bleeding is heaviest.
Young girls often have period pain when they begin getting periods. Read more about starting periods.
Period pain that does not have an underlying cause tends to improve as a woman gets older. Many women also notice an improvement after they’ve had children.
The Muscle Cramp Aka Charley Horse
According to Medline Plus, muscle cramps, are “involuntary contractions or spasms in one or more of your muscles” and can happen for multiple reasons, such as muscle strain or dehydration. Muscle cramps can happen anytime and anywhere, but are most common when exercising. With proper warmups, stretching, a healthy diet, and plenty of fluids, you can try to prevent them. However, they aren’t inherently dangerous most of the time. It is also possible to experience these cramps while sleeping.
The problem with muscle cramps do you know the surprising reason they’re called charley horses? is when they happen too often, last too long, and are severely painful, which could have other underlying reasons such as being caused by a nerve disorder, per WebMD. Suppose you are also experiencing vomiting, numbness, diarrhea, weakness, or ample sweating, and it is just hurting a lot: In that case, see a doctor to get some blood work and tests done to make sure you are okay or catch it early to treat it properly. Otherwise, you don’t have to worry about them, because almost everyone gets them.
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Theyre Paired With Heavy Abnormal Bleeding
If your cramping is associated with heavy, abnormal bleeding, that can also be a sign that something more serious is going on. If youre soaking through more than a pad an hour over a two-hour time period, thats abnormal bleeding, warns Dr. Levine. Thats worrisome. Thats not regular period cramps or regular period bleeding.
How Your Menstrual Cycle Can Impact Exercise And Athletic Training
There are two main phases of the menstrual cycle: the follicular phase and the luteal phase.
What is the follicular phase? The follicular phase happens during the first half of your cycle. What is the luteal phase? The luteal phase is the second half of your cycle. These two halves feature distinctly different hormone levels, with lower levels during the follicular phase and higher levels during the luteal phase.
Researchers and physicians are discovering that these hormone levels have a big impact on muscle development and how an athletes body uses energy.
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How Does Period Pain Feel
There is a wide range of how period pain feels and how severe it is.
Period pain is usually felt in the lower abdomen. Sometimes this pain spreads towards the upper abdomen, back and thighs. It may feel like cramps, heaviness or a constant, dull pain.
Some people also experience nausea, diarrhoea or symptoms of premenstrual syndrome .
Many people will experience some form of pain during their period. It is more common if you are young, but can also affect you as you get older.
Finally Cut Yourself Some Slack
It can be hard to make changes to your diet. And being heart-healthy doesnt mean that you can never eat a hamburger, a piece of pizza or a chocolate sundae. It just means you shouldnt eat them every day or even every week.
When you eat not-so-great food, the FDA recommends dietary tradeoffs. So, if you eat a breakfast thats high in saturated fat, choose foods that are lower in saturated fats throughout the rest of the day. Its all about balance and finding a healthy diet you can stick with.
And if you have a bad food day, tell yourself its okay and move on. You can do better tomorrow.
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When Should We Call The Doctor
If your daughters PMS is severe, her doctor can help with other treatments, including medicine. Call the doctor if your daughter:
- does not feel better after trying home treatments
- seems very sad or hopeless
- ever talks about hurting or killing herself
- cant do her usual activities because of her PMS symptoms
- has PMS symptoms that dont go away after the first few days of her period
What Causes Dysmenorrhea
Women with primary dysmenorrhea have abnormal contractions of the uterus due to a chemical imbalance in the body. For example, the chemical prostaglandin control the contractions of the uterus.
Secondary dysmenorrhea is caused by other medical conditions, most often endometriosis. This is a condition in which endometrial tissue implants outside the uterus. Endometriosis often causes internal bleeding, infection, and pelvic pain.
Other causes of secondary dysmenorrhea include the following:
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Pelvic inflammatory disease
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Women who started their periods before the age of 11
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Women who have never been pregnant
Consult your health care provider for more information.
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What Are Period Cramps
Most women have experienced dysmenorrhea, or period cramps, at some time. It tends to happen just before and during the menstrual cycle. What does it feel like to have period cramps? Its often described as a cramping or constant ache in the lower belly and lower back back. The intensity varies some women dont experience cramps or theyre very mild, while for other women, it can be painful enough that normal day-to-day activities are affected.
What causes period cramps? During menstruation, the uterus contracts as it gets rid of the lining thats what the blood is. The contractions are what cause the cramping. Thats normal cramping, anyway. Other conditions, like endometriosis and adenomyosis, can also trigger period cramps.
What relieves period cramps fast? This also depends on the woman. Over-the-counter medications can help, as can birth control pills . Warm compresses applied directly on the abdomen can help. But ultimately, many women just wind up grimacing and bearing the pain each month.
How Is Dysmenorrhea Treated
Specific treatment for dysmenorrhea will be determined by your health care provider based on:
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Your age, overall health, and medical history
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Extent of the condition
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Cause of the condition
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Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
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Expectations for the course of the condition
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Your opinion or preference
Treatment to manage dysmenorrhea symptoms may include:
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Prostaglandin inhibitors, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, or NSAIDs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen
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Vitamin supplements
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Heating pad across the abdomen
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Hot bath or shower
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Endometrial ablation
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Endometrial resection .
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What Are The Origins Of Menstrual Cramps
Uterus is an organ with muscular layers, and during your period it does a lot of work. Cramps are the way that uterus responds in order to control the bleeding during menstruation. If you are having a lot of menstrual blood or a blood clot, the uterus is actually cramping to expel that.
For some of you, cramps are causing only a slight discomfort. For the others, the painful period cramps can interfere with your daily activities. So, why do period cramps hurt?
Menstrual cramps can be caused by several reasons. Lets see the most severe of them.
Endometriosis is the abnormal growth of endometrial cells.
Apart from the pain, other symptoms of endometritis include:
- Cyclic pelvic pain
- Defecation pain
Home Remedies For Period Cramps
When youre not feeling great, there are some home remedies for menstrual cramps you can turn to for relief.
Heat
When you have an aching muscle, you might turn to heat to loosen up any knots and ease your soreness. The same idea holds true for period cramps. A heating pad or stick-on heating wrap can provide pain relief.
Exercise
When you have your period, the last thing you might want to do is hit the gym. However, exercising can help with pain from cramps. Heat and exercise are actually our two first-line options for nonmedical treatment, says Dr. Levine. Weve found that people who exercise during their periods do tend to have less pain. Doctors arent quite sure why, although its suspected the relief comes from the release of chemicals called endorphins, which make you feel good.
Warm beverages
When youre not feeling great, warm beverages such as caffeine-free tea or hot water with honey can be soothing. Dr. Levine says these might not have any science-based benefit, but if they make you feel better, these are perfectly acceptable to drink. Applying essential oils as well cant hurt, although these too dont have any science-based benefit.
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The Follicular Phase And Athletic Performance
With a lower level of hormones during the first phase of your menstrual cycle, your body is primed to maximize hard training efforts. This means your body is better able to access stored carbohydrates, making this an ideal time for high-intensity training. Its also easier to build and maintain muscle, which means this is also a great time to emphasize muscle-building exercises.
The follicular phase starts with day one of your cycle. Youve recently lost some blood, so your body has a greater need for iron. Also, due to the shedding of the uterine lining during this time, there are a few days of increased inflammation. But during this lower hormone phase, hydration is easier, and you have a more even, cooler body temperature.
Treatment Of Period Cramps
Treatment for period cramps includes medical treatment, lifestyle changes, and home remedies.
Medical treatment:
- Pain relief medications:Over-the-counter pain relievers such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, etc. can help reduce the pain of cramps. Prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be advised for women with severe pain.
- Oral contraceptive pills :Oral contraceptives contain hormones that prevent ovulation and reduce period cramps. These hormones may also be administered in other forms such as injection, skin patch, or intrauterine device .
- Surgery: Surgery may be required to treat uterine fibroids or endometriosis and reduce associated symptoms.
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Why Does My Body Hate Me Why
It doesnt. Its all normal and part of your monthly cycle, but in some cases cramps can become so painful they prevent people from leaving the house, or going about their daily life. Painful periods may be primary, i.e. there is no underlying problem, its just how your body reacts to the hormones. However, they may also be secondary, meaning there could be something else going on to cause your symptoms that your doctor can help with, such as endometriosis, fibroids, or an STI .
So if you have cramps that worsen after the first few days of your period, or if you start experiencing intense cramps for the first time after the age of 25, check in with your doctor. They may wish to do a pelvic exam to figure out whats going on in there, but this is nothing to worry about.
When To See A Doctor
Have you asked yourself, Why do my cramps hurt so bad? If yes, that means that you have noticed that your menstrual cramps are not with the normal strength as usual. This is the first indication that you should go and see your doctor.
Your doctor will ask you about the symptoms that are present in your specific case and menstrual cycles. Your doctor will most probably do a full pelvic exam. The doctor should explain to you how long do menstrual cramps last and if it turns out that your cramps are not caused by your period, you will have to do additional tests to find out the exact reason. When you will discover the right cause of your cramps, your doctor will prescribe you a menstrual cramps cure.
To prevent menstrual cramps from happening, maintain a healthy lifestyle. Choose carefully the food that you are eating, exercise several times in the week and try to walk at least an hour every day. If you are willing to try some new diet or do any treatments, talk to your doctor first.
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