Painful menstrual periods

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Painful periods (dysmenorrhea)

Relieving PMS

Uterus

Painful menstrual periods are periods in which a woman experiences crampy lower abdominal pain, sharp pain that comes and goes, aching pain, or possibly back pain.

Menstruation - painful; Dysmenorrhea; Periods - painful; Cramps - menstrual; Menstrual cramps

Painful menstruation affects many women. For a small number of women, the discomfort makes it difficult to perform normal household, job, or school-related activities for a few days during each menstrual cycle. Painful menstruation is the leading cause of lost time from school and work among women in their teens and 20s.

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The pain may begin several days before, or just at the start of your period. It generally lessens as menstrual bleeding tapers off.

Although some pain during menstruation is normal, excessive pain is not. The medical term for excessively painful periods is dysmenorrhea.

Primary dysmenorrhea refers to menstrual pain that occurs around the time that menstrual periods first begin in otherwise healthy young women. This type of pain is usually not related to any specific problems with the uterus or other pelvic organs. Increased activity of the hormone prostaglandin, which is produced in the uterus, is thought to be a factor in primary dysmenorrhea.

Secondary dysmenorrhea is menstrual pain that develops later, after periods have been more normal, and is often related to problems in the uterus or other pelvic organs, such as:

• Endometriosis
• Fibroids
• Intrauterine device (IUD) made of copper
• Ovarian cysts
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Stress and anxiety

Review Date: 09/02/2009
Reviewed By: Susan Storck, MD, FACOG, Chief, Eastside Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Redmond, Washington; Clinical Teaching Faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).