Menstrual Pain – Causes And Relief

Menstrual pain also called as menstrual cramps are the pains in the abdomen and the pelvis area of a woman in her periods. The scientific name for this is Dysmenorrhea which has types like primary and secondary. The pain ranges from women to women.

It is mild in some and moderate to severe in others. The contraction of uterus is regarded as the reason behind the pains. The other symptoms in addition to these pains are weakness, vomiting, headache, backache, dizziness, falling faint, constipation etc. Various other problems related to menstruation are depression, irritation, nervousness, insomnia, irregular periods, painful periods, stoppage of periods and excessive flow during periods.

The main cause behind menstrual pains is the production of a hormone in woman’s body called Prostaglandins which stimulate the uterus muscles to contract. The women having high levels of Prostaglandins suffer from intense contraction of muscles around uterus causing more pain and the women having low levels of this hormone has low pain. This is the reason why some women have no or very little pain while others have very intense pain. The other causes behind these pains are stress, endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, sexually transmitted diseases, fibroids etc.

If you want to get relief from these pains then you should add foods such as papaya (both ripe and unripe), sesame seeds, ginger, and coriander seeds in your diet. It is normally assumed that exercises cause heavy flow during periods but this is not true. Gentle exercises like stretching, light aerobics will help in reducing the pain. So keep exercising not only during periods but also during other days. You should make a diet plan rich in vitamins and minerals and cut out on the consumption of caffeine, smoking, alcohol.

You should avoid stress and anxiety by indulging yourself in yoga, meditation, massages etc. When you feel intense pain then it is recommendable to use hot water bags as its warmth will help relieving the pain. Hot water bath can also help in reducing the pain.

Over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen, naproxen, etc. are effective in blocking the effects of Prostaglandins and hence reducing the pain. Some women who do not get advantage from these over-the-counter pills are recommended to have birth control pills to reduce cramping. If the pain does not get reduced even after trying all these remedies then it is advisable to see a gynecologist.