At some point in life, every woman who is facing pain during periods, asks this question, “What causes abdominal pain during periods?” They wonder about it every month around this period of time when the menstrual cramps, abdominal pain, irritability, and other mood swings cause them discomfort.
Not an uncommon thing, abdominal pain during periods is experienced by 84% of women, out of which half report to have it every month, while others just have mild discomfort. Period pain is never considered an abnormal sign, but most women don’t understand the cause of abdominal pain during periods. Also, most women are unfamiliar whether their period is normal or require medical assistance.
Helping you understand what exactly causes abdominal pain during periods and the menstrual cramps, we have penned down every bit of detail explaining what exactly happens during period pain.
What are the types of period pain?
There are two types of period pain:
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Primary Dysmenorrhea
Very common among young women, primary dysmenorrhea refers to the menstrual cramps and abdominal pain caused in the monthly cycle. Women tend to experience mild to severe pain in their back, thighs, and lower abdominal area.
Not to confuse with a disease, primary dysmenorrhea begins right before your period and almost lasts for 12 to 72 hours. As per the expert gynecologists in Amritsar, the pain gets less severe from the mid-20s onward and after giving birth.
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Secondary Dysmenorrhea
The pain that happens to occur due to any disorder in the woman’s reproductive organs is categorized as secondary dysmenorrhea. The underlying conditions causing this severe pain during a period include fibroids, endometriosis, cysts, or infection.
Using a contraceptive like an intrauterine device (IUD) can also cause secondary dysmenorrhea. This type of pain starts much earlier than your menstrual cycle and tends to last for more time than primary dysmenorrhea.
What causes abdominal pain during your period?
According to experts and scientists, abdominal pain is related to prostaglandins, which refers to the substance made by the uterus that causes the contraction of the uterus. The contracting uterus stands to be the reason for the abdominal pain and menstrual cramps.
However, the abdominal pain is normal while you are on your periods if it remains for 1-2 days, but reasons that make abdominal pain during periods severe include:
- Adenomyosis is a uterus problem that occurs when the tissue that forms a lining in the uterus grows in the muscle wall of the uterus.
- Endometriosis is a condition that causes severe abdominal pain during periods. It refers to the disorder in which the tissues present in the lining of the uterus (endometrium) tend to grow outside the uterus. Other than the 30’s age group, endometriosis is common among teenagers as well. Thus, women housing endometriosis often suffer from severe abdominal pain during periods.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease: When sexually transmissible infections (STIs) like gonorrhea spread from the vagina to the upper reproductive organs, it causes severe Pelvic inflammatory disease. This is another very common reason for unbearable pain in the abdomen during periods.
- Fibroids refer to the non-cancerous growths or lumps of muscle tissue formed within the walls of the uterus, which make menstrual cycles highly terrible.
What is normal period pain?
Having pain during periods is common among women. However, one must be familiar with what normal period pain feels like and when it’s time to knock on the door of an expert gynecologist.
Your period is normal if:
- It lasts for the first one and second day of your menstrual cycle.
- The pain is cured after the intake of medications.
- The pain does not hamper your routine activities.
If your pain is not of this type, it is not normal, and you need to consult the expert immediately.
Is having pain during periods good or bad?
Menstruating women have varied days of monthly cycle, which is normal. For some, the bleeding may last for three days, and for others, it may be seven days. However, if the abdominal pain or menstrual cramps accompanying the periods remain as long as the period lasts, it is not good. Therefore, if you suffer from bad period cramps for a long, it is not normal and should be addressed with medical assistance.
According to the experts, the period pain that lasts for 2-3 days and not the entire period is normal, and there is nothing to worry about.
How can you curb menstrual pain?
Normal period pains can be dealt with by using several home remedies and specific medications like:
- Use a heating pad for the belly and lower back that will help in relaxing your muscles.
- Don’t skip exercising even when you are on your period. However, you may avoid strenuous and heavy exercises.
- For some, meditation, relaxation, and warm baths help release the stress and trouble caused during the monthly cycle.
- Specific medications can help to lessen abdominal pain and menstrual cramps.
- Avoid cold food items and ice water.
Consult with Vardaan Medical Center
Now that you know the difference between normal and abnormal periods, you must not ignore the signs that indicate the prevalence of any health disorder, as mentioned above. If you do, then immediately connect with the best gynecologist and get yourself treated.
Visit Vardaan Medical Center, which is known for its excellent women’s care services worldwide. Kindly connect with our in-house expert gynecologists if you face any unusual consequences during your monthly cycle.
