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Menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea) are aches in the lower abdomen that are throbbing or cramping. Many women experience menstrual cramps before and throughout their periods.
For some women, the soreness is simply irritating. Menstrual cramps can be severe enough for some women to disrupt their everyday lives for a few days each month.
Endometriosis and uterine fibroids are two disorders that can cause menstrual cramps. The key to minimizing pain is to treat the underlying cause. Menstrual pains that aren't caused by another condition tend to fade with age and frequently improve after childbirth.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF MENSTRUAL CRAMPS?
Menstrual cramps can cause the following symptoms:
- Lower abdominal throbbing or cramping pain that can be severe
- Pain that begins 1 to 3 days before your period, peaks 24 hours after it begins, and subsides in 2 to 3 days
- A dull, constant pain
- Radiating pain in your lower back and thighs
Some females also have:
Nausea
Loose stools
Headache
Dizziness
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF MENSTRUAL CRAMPS?
Your uterus contracts to assist discharge its lining throughout your menstrual period. Uterine muscle spasms are caused by prostaglandins, which are hormone-like molecules involved in pain and inflammation. Menstrual cramps are associated with increased levels of prostaglandins.
Menstrual cramps can be brought on by:
- Endometriosis: Tissue that functions similarly to uterine lining grows outside of the uterus, most typically on the fallopian tubes, ovaries, or the tissue lining your pelvis.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease: In most cases, sexually transmitted bacteria cause infection of the female reproductive organs.
- Uterine fibroids: These noncancerous growths in the uterine wall can cause pain.
- Adenomyosis: The uterine tissue begins to develop into the muscular walls of the uterus.
- Cervical stenosis: In some women, the cervix opening is small enough to obstruct menstrual flow, resulting in a painful rise in uterine pressure.
WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS FOR MENSTRUAL CRAMPS?
You may experience menstrual cramps if:
- You are under the age of 30.
- You began puberty at the age of 11 or younger.
- During your periods, you bleed profusely (menorrhagia)
- You experience irregular menstrual bleeding (metrorrhagia)
- You have a family history of menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea)
- You are a smoker.
WHAT ARE THE COMPLICATIONS OF MENSTRUAL CRAMPS?
Menstrual cramps do not cause additional medical problems, although they can disrupt school, work, and social activities.
However, many illnesses connected with menstruation cramps can be complicated. Endometriosis, for example, can interfere with conception. Pelvic inflammatory illness can damage your fallopian tubes, increasing the likelihood that a fertilized egg will implant outside of your uterus (ectopic pregnancy).
HOW ARE MENSTRUAL CRAMPS DIAGNOSED?
Your medical history will be reviewed, and a physical exam, including a pelvic exam, will be performed by your health care practitioner. During the pelvic exam, your clinician searches for any abnormalities in the reproductive organs as well as signs of infection.
Your doctor may also recommend some tests, such as:
- Ultrasound: This test creates an image of your uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, and ovaries using sound waves.
- Other imaging tests: A CT or MRI scan provides more information than an ultrasound and can assist your doctor in diagnosing underlying issues. CT scans combine several X-ray pictures to create cross-sectional views of bones, organs, and soft tissues inside your body.
MRI creates detailed images of inside structures by using radio waves and a high magnetic field. Both exams are painless and noninvasive.
- Laparoscopy: Although laparoscopy is not normally required to diagnose period pains, it can aid in the detection of underlying conditions such as endometriosis, adhesions, fibroids, ovarian cysts, and ectopic pregnancy. Your doctor observes your abdominal cavity and reproductive organs during this outpatient operation by making tiny incisions in your abdomen and inserting a fiber-optic tube with a small camera lens.
WHAT ARE THE TREATMENTS FOR MENSTRUAL CRAMPS?
Your doctor may advise you to do the following to alleviate menstruation cramps:
- Pain relievers: Over-the-counter pain medicines, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, and others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve), taken in regular dosages beginning the day before your period is expected to begin, can help manage cramp pain. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) are also available on prescription.
Begin taking the pain reliever before the start of your period, or as soon as you notice symptoms, and continue taking it for two to three days, or until your symptoms have subsided.
- Hormonal birth control: Hormones in birth control pills suppress ovulation and lessen the severity of menstrual cramps. These hormones can also be administered via injection, skin patch, implant implanted under the skin of your arm, flexible ring inserted into your vagina, or intrauterine device (IUD).
- Surgery: If your menstrual cramps are caused by a disease such as endometriosis or fibroids, corrective surgery may alleviate your discomfort. If various treatments fail to relieve your symptoms and you do not intend to have children, surgical removal of the uterus may be a possibility.
HOME REMEDIES FOR MENSTRUAL CRAMPS
Aside from getting enough sleep and rest, you might wish to attempt the following:
- Exercise on a regular basis: For some women, physical activity, including sex, relieves menstruation cramps.
- Make use of heat: Menstrual cramps may be relieved by taking a hot bath or using a heating pad, hot water bottle, or heat patch to your lower abdomen.
- Consider using dietary supplements: Several studies have found that taking vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B-1 (thiamin), vitamin B-6, and magnesium supplements can help with menstrual cramps.
- Reduce your stress: Menstrual cramps and their severity may be exacerbated by psychological stress.
Alternative medicine
Most alternative remedies for menstrual cramps have not been thoroughly researched enough for specialists to suggest them. However, certain complementary treatments, such as:
- Acupuncture: Acupuncture is a treatment that includes putting incredibly fine needles into your skin at strategic spots on your body. Acupuncture has been shown in several studies to help reduce period cramps.
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS): TENS devices are attached to the skin with adhesive patches that contain electrodes. To activate nerves, the electrodes deliver various levels of electric current.
TENS may operate by raising the pain threshold and boosting the release of your body's natural painkillers (endorphins). TENS was found to be more efficient than a placebo in alleviating menstrual cramp pain in investigations.
- Herbal medication: Some herbal products, such as pycnogenol, fennel, or combination treatments, may help with menstrual cramps.
- Acupressure: Acupressure, like acupuncture, involves stimulating certain areas on the body, but with gentle pressure on the skin rather than needles. Despite limited studies on acupressure and menstrual cramps, it suggests that acupressure may be more helpful than a placebo in relieving menstrual cramps.