All women have experienced cramps and pain around the abdomen during or before their periods. It can happen before your periods, as an unwanted warning, or during your periods, leaving you tired and cranky until it’s over.
Young girls often experience cramps for the first few years after the onset of menstruation. As you get older, these pains generally decrease in intensity and may disappear completely after the birth of your first child.
Cramps can be a monthly accompaniment to your periods or they can occur rarely, and the pain from these cramps can be mild or severe. Emotional stress can increase the chances that you will have cramps during your next menstrual cycle.
The medical term for menstrual cramps is dysmenorrhea. By the way, dysmenorrhea is the most common reason for truancy among teens.
Dysmenorrhea is of two types: one in which the pain is due only to cyclical changes in the uterus as part of your periods, or it can be due to disorders in the pelvic area. The pelvis is the part of the lower abdomen that houses the uterus, ovaries, cervix, and vagina.
Why do they happen?
Each month, your uterus forms a new lining of tissue, ready for the fertilized egg to house. If the egg is not fertilized, the lining is shed along with the unfertilized egg. When this happens, certain molecules are released that can cause intermittent and painful contractions of the uterine muscles.
Current research proposes that menstrual cramps are the result of an increase in certain prostaglandins during your monthly cycles.
Prostaglandins are small compounds that can work to increase or decrease the size of blood vessels and stimulate muscle contraction. In this case, these molecules cause the blood vessels in the uterus to contract, thus decreasing blood flow to the uterus and causing prolonged muscle contractions in the uterus.
To supplement this, hormones produced by the pituitary gland (a small gland located directly below the brain) cause the uterus to become more sensitive to prostaglandins during your periods.
Thus, some women whose reproductive organs are more sensitive to prostaglandins experience cramps that are much more painful than women whose organs are relatively insensitive to prostaglandins.
Certain factors can increase your risk of painful cramps during periods:
– Early menarche (first period), generally if under 12 years old
– Long menstrual cycles
– Abundant flow
– to smoke
In some cases, family history, obesity, and even alcohol use have been linked to an increased chance of menstrual cramps.
The diagnosis of dysmenorrhea is generally based on an explanation of the symptoms by the woman herself. There are no routine tests to measure contractions or pain.
Dysmenorrhea caused by other diseases of your reproductive organs can be caused by a variety of conditions, including:
– endometriosis
– Ovarian cysts and tumors
– Fibroids
– polyps
– Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
– Intrauterine devices (IUD)
– Anatomical abnormalities of the uterus (for example, your uterus may tilt back instead of tilt forward)
Seeing your doctor is essential if the pain is not relieved by over-the-counter medications, progressively worsens, or leaves you unable to perform your routine activities. Initially, the doctor may perform an ultrasound if pelvic disease is suspected.
Symptoms
You may already know how you feel, but commonly, most women experience the following:
– Aching or pressing pain in the lower abdomen, which may radiate to the inner thighs, back
– Fullness, pressure or swelling of the belly
– If it is intense, vomiting and nausea.
– loose stools or constipation
Management of dysmenorrhea
Over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or other pain relievers can relieve mild dysmenorrhea.
Putting on a hot water bottle or bag can also help ease the intensity of pain.
Regular exercise releases endorphins and can help relieve painful menstrual cramps in the long run.
In addition, you can do the following to decrease the severity of cramps:
– Avoid caffeine, alcohol or smoking.
– Massage the lower back and abdomen.
– Rest when necessary
If these measures do not relieve pain and the cramps are unusual or severe, you may consult your doctor, who may recommend additional medications, such as oral contraceptive pills or prescription pain relievers. He may also recommend a complete pelvic exam to check the status of your vagina, cervix, and uterus to make sure there are no abnormalities. A small sample of your vaginal fluid can also be taken if necessary.
If the cramps are not due to your periods, appropriate treatment should be taken because most causes of dysmenorrhea can be treated with medical therapy.