Period pain-the facts and how to treat it

Period pain- symptoms, tests & treatment

causes
tests
treatment

Painful periods- what is dysmenorrhoea?

  • Dysmenorrhoea is a medical term for period pain that is bad enough to affect a woman’s usual daily activities.
  • Often non-sufferers don’t fully understand just how painful periods can be
  • Other symptoms such as fainting, vomiting, diarrhoea, and thigh pain often occur
  • Often, even with bed-rest, hot water bottles and painkillers, the symptoms for the first few days of a period can be very debilitating for some women.

Risk factors for painful periods

Certain risk factors for dysmenorrhoea have been identified.

  • It occurs less often in women who have had their children earlier in life, and in women who exercise more.
  • It is more common in women whose periods start before the age of twelve, women who have a low body weight or who are obese, and in women who are smokers- especially girls who start smoking in their early teens.

So, what causes painful periods and what are prostaglandins?

  • In dysmenorrhoea, the uterus works harder than normal to shed its lining and the resulting contractions lead to pain.
  • The hormone-like compounds that cause these contractions are called prostaglandins.
  • If you prevent prostaglandins forming in the first place, by taking an anti-inflammatory, the pain may be a lot less.
  • However, once prostaglandins have formed,  the pain can be hard to reverse.
What conditions can be assessed by our online doctors?

What tests should be done if you have painful periods?

  • It’s important to see your doctor to exclude underlying causes- such as
  • There may be a need for
    • a physical examination
    • blood tests
    • STI tests (this may involve blood tests, urine tests and genital swabs)
    • a pelvic ultrasound scan
  • In certain cases, referral to a specialist may be arranged- for example, if endometriosis is suspected,  a gynaecologist may need to perform keyhole surgery to make the diagnosis.

What’s the best treatment for period pain?

  • To help with the pain, anti-inflammatories, also known as NSAIDs, are often a good place to start (assuming you have no contraindications to these meds- always check the patient information leaflet if unsure). Some anti-inflammatory medications can reduce the heaviness periods too. But here’s an important fact that a lot of women don’t know- anti-inflammatories will minimise pain only if they are taken very early in a period, or just prior to a period- before prostaglandins get a chance to form in the uterus (womb).

Other treatment for painful periods

  • Hormonal treatment such as the contraceptive pill, depo injection or an intrauterine device, can be helpful in managing painful periods.
  • These options obviously make sense if a woman also needs birth control, and are worth discussing with a GP.

So the take home messages- consider EARLY use of anti-inflammatories, try to exercise more, avoid smoking, maintain a healthy weight, and consult your doctor to exclude underlying problems, and perhaps to explore further treatment options.

Further Patient Information

www.clevelandclinic.org

www.acog.org

painful periods- what causes period pain?
What conditions can be assessed by our online doctors?

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