The menstrual period, which occurs as a natural process of the body’s reproductive system when the endometrium layer, also known as the lining of the uterus, prepares itself for pregnancy each month, is identified with the problem of pain in many women. Period pain can be regarded as a natural result of the menstrual cycle and can affect every woman with a different intensity. In this article you can find information about how period pain occurs and what causes it.
About Period Pain
Menstrual bleeding is a process that occurs when the lining of the uterus is shed once a month if the egg is not fertilised. In this process a certain amount of pain, cramping and discomfort is accepted as normal. However, being unable to leave the house or to go to work or school because of period pain is outside the level accepted as normal. Painful menstruation is called “dysmenorrhoea” and can be seen in two different forms, primary and secondary.
In primary dysmenorrhoea, women experience pain both before and during menstruation. In some women a pain that gradually intensifies during menstruation is encountered; this situation is called secondary dysmenorrhoea. Health problems affecting the pelvic organs or the uterus, such as fibroids and endometriosis, can point to the presence of secondary dysmenorrhoea.
Causes of Period Pain
Period pain is the result of the contractions that occur in the uterus in order to expel the lining of the uterus from the body. While the uterus is contracting, pain is felt because the amount of oxygen reaching the uterus decreases. The contractions in the uterus also trigger the formation of a chemical compound. This hormone, called prostaglandin, can increase the intensity of the pain together with the uterine contractions.
It may not be very possible to determine the causes of period pain exactly. It is generally regarded as a more accurate approach to speak of the risk factors that increase the occurrence of period pain. Being under the age of 20, smoking, having an irregular menstrual pattern, never having given birth, entering puberty before the age of 11 and a family history specifically of painful periods are among the factors that increase period pain.
The risk factors that cause period pain are not limited to those listed here. Situations such as the presence of a fibroid in the uterus, pelvic inflammatory disease, premenstrual syndrome, the growth of the uterine lining into the muscle wall and a very narrow cervix can also cause painful periods. Independently of all these, it is known that endometriosis, also known among the public as the chocolate cyst, can be among the causes of a painful menstrual period.
The Relationship Between Period Pain and Endometriosis
Pain that is constantly experienced during menstruation and follows a rather severe course is among the most common signs of endometriosis. In endometriosis, the uterine lining shed each month cannot be expelled from the body and collects at different points inside the abdomen, such as the ovaries and the fallopian tubes. This situation can cause menstrual periods to be very painful.
What Helps Against Period Pain?
Although the causes of period pain can change the answers to the question “what helps against period pain?”, it is possible to offer some general suggestions. Gently massaging the abdominal area, placing a warm towel on the back and pelvic area, taking a warm shower, eating foods rich in cocoa and higher in magnesium, eating light foods, exercising, using anti-inflammatory medicines before the menstrual period with the recommendation of specialist doctors, and again in line with medical advice using vitamin, mineral and magnesium supplements can help to relieve period pain
If daily life is clearly affected because of period pain, obstetrics and gynaecology specialists must certainly be consulted. In this way the underlying problem or problems causing the period pain can be correctly diagnosed and, with the necessary treatments, it can be possible both to step into a healthier process and to be freed from period pain.