Why Do Woman Get Period Cramps

What Can I Do For Cramps

If cramps bother you, you can:

• Take a pain reliever. Talk to your mom or dad or your doctor about which medicine is best for you. They can help you figure out how much to take and how often.
• Exercise! Being physically active can ease cramps, probably because exercise releases endorphins, which are chemicals in the body that make you feel good.
• Get warm. Try placing a warm water bottle, warm heating pad, or warm compress on your belly or take a warm bath.

If these tips dont help, talk to your parent or your doctor about other treatments.

Other Reasons For Midcycle Cramps

Midcycle pain may be caused by an underlying medical condition. Most of these conditions are affected by the female hormone estrogen, which peaks at ovulation.

Other conditions that may cause midcycle pain include:

• Endometriosis.This condition can also cause painful periods and infertility.
• Uterine fibroids. Other symptoms of fibroids may include heavy menstrual bleeding, painful menstruation, and pelvic pressure.
• Ovarian cysts. Most ovarian cysts are painless, but if the cyst grows very large, it can rupture or cause your ovary to twist around supportive tissues. This is called ovarian torsion and it can result in severe, one-sided pain.

Recognizing Premenstrual Dysmorphic Disorder

Up to 8% of women may have a more severe type of PMS thats called premenstrual dysmorphic disorder . The symptoms between PMS and PMDD often overlap, but PMDD is characterized by extreme moodiness, anger, depression, or anxiety.

PMS causes bothersome symptoms, but if you have PMDD, the symptoms may be so severe that they interfere with your relationships and ability to perform your daily responsibilities at home, work, or school.

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How Is Dysmenorrhea Treated

Specific treatment for dysmenorrhea will be determined by your health care provider based on:

• Your age, overall health, and medical history

• Extent of the condition

• Cause of the condition

• Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies

• Expectations for the course of the condition

• Your opinion or preference

Treatment to manage dysmenorrhea symptoms may include:

• Prostaglandin inhibitors, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, or NSAIDs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen

• Acetaminophen

• Diet changes

• Vitamin supplements

• Heating pad across the abdomen

• Hot bath or shower

• Endometrial ablation

• Endometrial resection .

• Hysterectomy

Can Pelvic Inflammatory Disease Cause Menstrual Cramps

Pelvic inflammatory disease is an infection of the female reproductive tract that is most commonly caused by untreated sexually transmitted infections. Left untreated, PID can cause inflammation, scarring, painful menstrual cramps, and infertility.

most often occurs because sexually transmitted infections that cause PID can create scar tissue and adhesions in the pelvic region. During menstruation, hormones influence the uterus and surrounding structures including the scar tissue and adhesions which can increase inflammation, bleeding, and pain,” says Shilpi Agarwal, MD, a board-certified family medicine and integrative physician in Washington, DC, and a columnist for Everyday Health. If caught early, PID can be treated with antibiotics, but antibiotics wont undo any structural damage caused by the infection. Practice safe sex, and get tested frequently for any sexually transmitted infections, especially if you have severe period pain, Dr. Agarwal advises.

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Copper Iud: Period Pain After Insertion Vs Cramps Later On

A copper IUD is a nonpermanent, nonhormonal form of birth control that can prevent pregnancy for up to 10 years. The device, which is placed in the uterus by a licensed healthcare provider, works by continuously releasing copper, which immobilizes sperm and prevents egg implantation.

A copper IUD, as opposed to a progestin IUD, can make menses heavier and more painful, particularly in the first few cycles after insertion, says Streicher. But be aware if you have had your copper IUD for years and suddenly develop severe period pain, look for another reason. Your IUD is unlikely to be the culprit.

Some Doctors Dont Take Womens Pain As Seriously

For women who do speak up, their pain is often downplayed or ignored. Ive read story after story after story after story of women whose pain was not taken seriously by physicians when something was seriously wrong . A study, The Girl Who Cried Pain: A Bias Against Women in the Treatment of Pain, found that while women experience more frequent and greater pain than men, they are likely to be less well treated than men for their painful symptoms.

Dr Beth Darnall, a clinical associate professor in the division of pain medicine at Stanford University and a pain psychologist at the Stanford Pain Management Center has seen this phenomenon first-hand. She said that by the time patients reach her pain clinic, theyve seen multiple providers, theyve been through primary care for their pain, theyve probably seen another specialist, and then they come to us.

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Causes And Risk Factors

Doctors distinguish between two types of period pain, called primary and secondary dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea is where the period pain is caused by the womb muscle contractions alone. Hormone-like substances called prostaglandins play an important role here. They influence the perception of pain and cause the muscles in the womb to tighten, helping to shed the lining of the womb. Primary dysmenorrhea is more common in women under the age of 30 and women with heavy periods. It can run in families, and stress can play a role too.

Period pain that is caused by something other than the muscle contractions is called secondary dysmenorrhea. Benign growths in the womb, such as fibroids or polyps, are often responsible for secondary dysmenorrhea. Severe period pain may also be caused by endometriosis. In endometriosis, the kind of tissue that lines the womb grows elsewhere in the abdomen too. Sometimes contraceptive coils used for birth control can also cause secondary dysmenorrhea.

What Is Are Menstrual Cramps

Dysmenorrhea is the medical term for pain with your period or menstrual cramps. There are two types of dysmenorrhea: primary and secondary.

Primary dysmenorrhea is the name for common menstrual cramps that come back over and over again and arent due to other diseases. Pain usually begins one or two days before you get your period or when bleeding actual starts. You may feel pain ranging from mild to severe in the lower abdomen, back or thighs.

Pain can typically last 12 to 72 hours, and you might have other symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting, fatigue, and even diarrhea. Common menstrual cramps may become less painful as you get older and may stop entirely if you have a baby.

If you have painful periods because of a disorder or an infection in your female reproductive organs, it is called secondary dysmenorrhea. Pain from secondary dysmenorrhea usually begins earlier in the menstrual cycle and lasts longer than common menstrual cramps. You usually dont have nausea, vomiting, fatigue or diarrhea.

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If You Have Significant Cramps Post

It might be: a dislodged intrauterine device . Although some mild, initial cramping is normal after implantation, any severe pain or pain lasting more than a few days might indicate a problem with your IUDs placement.

Anytime youre inserting something into the uterus, it might not be sitting the right way, or could have been dislodged or expelled, says Masterson.

What to do: Make an appointment with your doctor, who will do a pelvic exam first to see if the IUD strings are visibly coming out of the cervix. If not, an ultrasound will likely be performed. We want to make sure its in the location its supposed to be, and hasnt moved or migrated, Masterson explains.

What Do Period Cramps Feel Like

Since every woman is different, shell experience symptoms in different ways. Typically the cramping pain starts in the lower abdomen one to two days before menstrual bleeding begins. It then peaks after 24 hours and may last for a further two to three days after that. Some women can also experience nausea, an upset stomach or dizziness, as well as pain in their lower back and thighs. For other women, period cramps may feel like a mild yet constant pain. Those with irregular cycles or heavy bleeding are more likely to experience severe period cramps.

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Important Questions To Ask Yourself

To find out if you need extra help, Dr Manwaring recommends you ask yourself these five questions:

If you answered ‘yes’ to one or more of these questions, talk to a trusted doctor about your painful periods.

Pain, heavy bleeding or other factors regarding your period that get in the way of you going about your life shouldn’t be suffered in silence.

If you’re finding your period hard to manage, you don’t need to go it alone. Help and effective treatments are available.

When Should I Get Medical Help For My Period Pain

For many women, some pain during your period is normal. However, you should contact your health care provider if:

• NSAIDs and self-care measures don’t help, and the pain interferes with your life
• Your cramps suddenly get worse
• You are over 25 and you get severe cramps for the first time
• You have a fever with your period pain
• You have the pain even when you are not getting your period

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How Are Cramps After Menopause Diagnosed

If you have cramps after menopause, make an appointment with your primary care doctor or OB-GYN so you can find out whats causing them. Your doctor may do a pelvic exam to look at your uterus to see if there are any physical problems.

You might also need imaging tests to look inside your body at your uterus or ovaries. These tests can include:

• a CT scan
• an MRI scan
• a hysterosonography and hysteroscopy, which involve placing a salt and water solution, or saline, into your uterus so the doctor can examine it more easily
• an ultrasound, which uses sound waves to create pictures of the inside of your body

If your doctor suspects you have cancer, you may need to have a procedure to remove a piece of tissue from your uterus or ovaries. This is called a biopsy. A specialist called a pathologist will look at the tissue under a microscope to determine if its cancerous.

Period Pain: Could It Be Endometriosis

No woman looks forward to that time of the month. Most of us deal with mood swings, bloating and cramps, which are never fun. But women with endometriosis often find getting a period particularly unbearable. For them, an average period is anything but average, with debilitating cramps.

During a typical menstrual cycle, the lining inside your uterus the endometrium builds up and is then shed. And, well, you know what happens then. In women with endometriosis, that lining grows outside the uterus, usually around the ovaries or beneath the uterus in an area called the posterior cul-de-sac. As it builds up and breaks down, it causes small amounts of bleeding inside the pelvis. This leads to pain, inflammation, swelling and scarring.

If you think you might have endometriosis, know that you arent alone. The condition affects hundreds of thousands of women every year. Even Lena Dunham, star of the television show Girls, brought widespread attention to this condition by talking about her own diagnosis and subsequent surgeries to correct it.

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Reason For Painful Cramps: Cervical Stenosis

The cervix is located between the uterus and the vaginal canal it opens into the vaginal canal. Cervical stenosis is a condition where the cervix is really narrow and blocks the passage between the uterus and the vaginal canal. It is a genetic condition or it may develop later as a result of other conditions or procedures.

Cervical stenosis causes cramps because the blood finds it hard to pass through and causes painful pressure in the uterus, so it results in lots of cramps.

Reason For Painful Cramps: Uterine Defects

Your uterus is formed while you are a female fetus in your mothers uterus and it is developed from a structure called the paramesonephric ducts. Sometimes, the uterus wont be formed as it should, which can lead to several things like infertility, painful intercourse, and period pain.

Menstrual cramps are often present and caused by the blockages and membranes diving the uterus and vagina. The most common types of uterine defects include bicornuate uterus , septate uterus and unicornuate uterus .

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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.

Does Ovulation Cause Cramps

You may experience mild cramps or pain around the time of ovulation. This pain is medically known as mittelschmerz. Mittelschmerz is a German word meaning middle pain.

Not every woman will have cramping pain during ovulation. Even if you regularly experience cramps with ovulation, you wont necessarily feel them every month.

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How Common Is Period Pain

The medical term for period pain is dysmenorrhoea and it’s a condition that many women are familiar with.

The research on just how many women have painful periods varies but, in a 2012 study from Italy, 84% of young women experienced period pain.

In an Australian study of female high school students, it affected 93%.

How Can You Relieve Mild Menstrual Cramps

To relieve mild menstrual cramps:

• For the best relief, take ibuprofen as soon as bleeding or cramping starts. Ibuprofen belongs to a class of drugs called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs . They reduce the output of prostaglandins. If you cant take NSAIDs, you can take another pain reliever like acetaminophen.
• Place a heating pad or hot water bottle on your lower back or abdomen.
• Rest when needed.
• Avoid foods that contain caffeine.
• Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol.
• Massage your lower back and abdomen.

Women who exercise regularly often have less menstrual pain. To help prevent cramps, make exercise a part of your weekly routine.

If these steps dont relieve pain, your healthcare provider can order medications for you, including ibuprofen or another anti-inflammatory medication in a higher dose that is available over the counter. Your healthcare provider might also suggest oral contraceptives since women who take oral contraceptives tend to have less menstrual pain.

If testing shows that you have secondary dysmenorrhea, your provider will discuss treatments of the condition causing the pain. This might mean oral contraceptives, other types of medications, or surgery.

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