You Needn't Suffer with Painful Periods (Dysmenorrhea)

Approximately 10 percent of menstruating women complain of excruciating pain during their menstrual cycle. Of course, some pain, pressure and discomfort are normal during your period, but when it hurts to the point that it disrupts your life, you may have a condition that is medically termed dysmenorrhea. The pain associated with this disorder is disruptive to women's lives.

The symptoms of dysmenorrhea are usually severe
You may experience back and leg pain, headache, nausea and vomiting, heavy bleeding and you may also feel light headed at times. If you have been diagnosed with dysmenorrhea, it is quite possible that the heavy bleeding, pain and other symptoms are related to an underlying condition. I had severe menstrual pain during my early 30s. I had an IUD in place which turned out to be the culprit causing my pain. Once I had the IUD removed I stopped having that pain and discomfort that took over my life.

Endometriosis, vaginal infections and fibroid tumors can cause severe menstrual pain. Women with endometriosis have intrauterine tissue outside of the uterus. The cells of endometrial tissue behave in the same way and respond to the same hormones as the intrauterine tissue. Therefore, when you have your period, the endometrial tissue (outside the uterus) bleeds.

Fibroid tumors can grow quite large. Simply put, fibroids are fibrous muscle tissue that has grown to excess. Sometimes, women with fibroid tumors can look almost like they are pregnant, because the tumors cause their uterus to become significantly enlarged. Many women suffering from fibroids experience painful periods. Fibroids can also cause problems with urination, because the uterus being so large puts pressure on the urinary bladder.

Yeast infections are sometimes caused when women go through hormone changes. If you have a yeast infection during your normal menstrual cycle, you may also experience severe pain due to the cervix being opened slightly during the menstrual flow.

We women may have many causative factors for painful periods. Stress can affect us in many ways; when we are under stress, the muscles in our back and pelvic region contract in reaction to the stress. The resultant pain and discomfort from heavy flow can disrupt our lives for more than a day or two.

Most women are able to treat the pain and discomfort of painful periods at home. When I had symptoms of dysmenorrhea, I tried to relax my back and pelvic muscles. I found that relaxing in a warm tub of water works wonders. A well-placed heating pad or hot water bottle works to relieve pelvic pain also.

Sources:

Web MD

Mayo Clinic

Personal experience