Painful menstrual periods are marked by crampy lower abdominal pain. A woman may feel sharp pain that comes and goes, or have dull, aching pain. Painful menstrual periods may also cause back pain.

Painful menstruation affects many women. For a small number of women, such discomfort makes it next to impossible 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.

The pain may begin several days before or just at the start of your period. It generally subsides 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.

There are two general types of dysmenorrhea:

Primary dysmenorrhea refers to menstrual pain that occurs in otherwise healthy women. This type of pain is not related to any specific problems with the uterus or other pelvic organs. Secondary dysmenorrhea is menstrual pain that is attributed to some underlying disease or structural abnormality either within or outside the uterus. Activity of the hormone prostaglandin, produced in the uterus, is thought to be a factor in primary dysmenorrhea. This hormone causes contraction of the uterus and levels tend to be much higher in women with severe menstrual pain than in women who experience mild or no menstrual pain.

Menstrual pain

Nothing is worse than being forced to take a break in your day for menstrual pain. Sometimes the pain can be so tremendous that it stops your day all together.

- A main cause of pain might be a wrong diet or lack of nutrition, so it is important to pay ample attention to what you consume. Reduce your consumption of salt, sugar and caffeine during the week before your period to prevent cramps or reduce their severity. Also increase your intake of calcium-rich foods such as milk, yogurt or leafy green vegetables.

Regular exercise such as walking helps to prevent or at least reduce the severity of menstrual cramps for some women. Sitting or lying around may actually make you feel worse. Swimming and walking are good activities because they are gentle and not too stressful. Certain stretches and yoga positions will also help to relieve the pain.

- Massaging might work well for most women. With your hands over your naval, begin making small circles in a clockwise direction. This should be done slowly with moderate pressure for about a minute, and then gradually increase the size of the circling until you are rubbing the entire abdomen.

- Warm water massage is another technique women could use to relieve pain. Warm some water and dip a towel into it. Lie down and massage gently on the abdomen and on the small of your back.

Menstrual pain

Menstrual pain