Menstrual (menstrual) pain, also known as menstrual cramps, is the most common condition that affects women's daily life during menstruation. Almost all women experience these pains during menstruation. The pain can sometimes be mild and sometimes severe. Menstrual pain is called dysmenorrhea in medical language.
It can be defined as the presence of recurrent, cramping, lower abdominal pain that occurs during menstrual cramps. Primary dysmenorrhea means that there is no provable condition. Secondary dysmenorrhea is the occurrence of the same symptoms in response to clinically explainable or suspected underlying pathology such as endometriosis or adenomyosis, masses.
What Causes Menstrual Pain?
Bleeding, known as menstruation, is seen in women due to the expulsion by the body in case of fertilization in the uterine wall prepared for baby development. The uterus (uterus) appears as a muscle tissue. This muscle tissue contracts to help remove the soft wall that surrounds the inside. A hormone called prostaglandin affects the contractions of the uterus. Prostaglandin reaches high levels in the blood shortly before menstruation and decreases after the first two days of menstruation. The higher the level of prostaglandin, the more severe the menstrual pain. This is the main reason why menstrual cramps are felt at first. In addition, menstrual cramps caused by the following medical conditions are called secondary dysmenorrhea;
Cervical stenosis: In many women, the open mouth of the uterus may be small enough to prevent menstrual flow. This small open part can cause increased pressure inside the uterus and cause more pain.
Endometriosis: Can cause chocolate cysts, painful menstruation and pain during sex.
Uterine fibroids: Uterine fibroids, which consist of muscle and fibrous structure in the uterine wall, are not cancerous. However, they are hard and large tumors. People with non-cancerous tumors growing in the uterus experience more pain during menstruation.
Adenomyosis: The tissue lining the uterus grows into the muscle mass that forms the walls of the uterus.
Pelvic inflammatory disease: A type of virus of the female reproductive organs, usually caused by microbes transmitted through sexual intercourse.
Menstrual cramps negatively affect the daily life of the person. We can list some methods that can be applied at home to pass menstrual pain as follows;
- You can relieve your pain by putting a hot water bag on the abdomen and feet.
- Massaging the abdomen with soft movements reduces your pain.
- Taking a shower with warm water reduces the pain during your period.
- Consuming herbal tea during this period relaxes your body. However, excessive consumption is harmful.
- Eating a healthy diet during menstruation helps relieve your pain.
- Exercising reduces your menstrual cramps, but too much exercise causes increased pain.
What are the Symptoms of Menstrual Pain?
Menstrual cramps and the different symptoms that are observed with these cramps are as follows;
- Intense pain in the lower abdomen
- This pain, which occurs a few days before menstruation, reaches its peak 1 day after menstruation and starts to decrease gradually after 2 to 3 days.
- Pain can be felt in the legs and joints.
- Pain that feels numb in the lower back
- Nausea
- Intense urge to go to the toilet
- Headache
- Dizziness
Which tests can be ordered for severe menstrual pain?
It is absolutely necessary to consult a specialist in very severe pain that increases as menstruation progresses. The causes of this pain can be due to many different medical reasons. We can list these tests as follows;
Ultrasound: It is requested to investigate the disorders that may occur related to the uterus, cervix, ovaries, Fallopian tubes.
Other imaging tests: A CT scan or MRI scan provides more detail than an ultrasound and can help the specialist identify underlying conditions. CT combines X-ray images taken from many directions to show cross-sectional images of bones, organs and different soft structures in the body. MRI uses radio waves to create detailed images of internal tissues. Neither test is painful.
Laparoscopy Mainly used to detect pain that interferes with day-to-day activities. It can also help to identify underlying conditions such as ovarian masses and ectopic pregnancy.