Health: How To Deal With Menstrual Pain

For many women, once it is that period of the month, they experience fear and anxiety because of the pain and discomfort they suffer during their menstrual periods. Dull or cramping pain in the lower abdomen, pain in the lower back and thighs, nausea, vomiting, sweating, dizziness, diarrhea, loose stools, constipation, headaches, and lightheadedness (feeling faint) in varying degrees of severity are some of the symptoms that accompany their period.
This has made many to tag the menstrual period as a period to dread.
It is important to note that menstrual cramps are neither an abnormality nor a plague as some women wrongly believe. Menstrual cramp, which can also be referred to as Dysmenorrhea or period pains, is a painful sensation felt in the lower abdomen and it can occur both before and during a woman’s menstrual period. It is caused by contractions in the uterus. The uterus is a pear-shaped organ where a baby grows, and contracts throughout a woman’s menstrual cycle. When the uterus contracts too strongly, it can press against nearby blood vessels, cutting off the supply of oxygen to the muscle tissue of the uterus. Pain results when part of a muscle briefly loses its supply of oxygen.
According to Dr Issac Adeoye of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), Osun State, “Menstrual cramps are caused by physiological conditions. About 45 per cent to 95 per cent of women can have it in a locality and severe types are usually associated with abnormal conditions like fibroids.”
Dysmenorrhea can be primary or secondary. Primary dysmenorrhea is the most common type of menstrual cramp and it is characterised by pain in the lower abdomen and lower back, beginning one to two days before the period. It lasts from two to four days. However, secondary dysmenorrhea is characterised by cramping pains that are due to an identifiable medical problem such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, or pelvic inflammatory disease.
Studies have shown that women who do not exercise experience more painful menstrual cramps. Certain psychological factors such as emotional stress may also increase the likelihood of having menstrual cramps.
Other medical conditions capable of causing menstrual cramps include endometriosis which occurs when the tissue that lines the uterus develops outside the uterus; uterine fibroids, which is a non-cancerous tumor and growth in the wall of the uterus; Adenomyosis, where the tissue that lines the uterus grows into the muscular walls of the uterus; pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), a sexually transmitted infection caused by a bacterium, and cervical stenosis which is when the opening of the cervix is small and limits menstrual flow.
For a lot of people who suffer menstrual cramps, they take aspirin or any pain reliever as soon as bleeding or cramping starts or sometimes place a heating pad or hot water bottle on the lower back or abdomen for relief. Others have realized that taking a warm bath may also provide some relief.
However, Dr. Adeoye says, “non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), which are mostly used, can cause dyspepsia and in the long run, peptic ulcer if used often. It can also aggravate ulcer patients conditions.”
Sometimes, physicians will prescribe hormonal birth control pills. This will prevent ovulation and reduce the severity of the cramps. 97 per cent of physicians in a poll said that continuous oral contraceptive therapy to suppress menstruation is, in fact, medically safe and acceptable – even though many women do not know this, a study found.
According to another study, Chinese herbal medicines have been found to help women with menstrual cramps.
Surgery may help to reduce some menstrual cramp symptoms but this carries additional risks.
Additional treatments that have been suggested to relieve menstrual cramp pain include lying in a hot bath, sex, yoga, massages, meditation, acupuncture, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and dietary supplements (such as vitamin E, thiamin and omega-3). Women with menstrual cramps should not only get adequate rest and sleep, but also regular exercise.
Since menstrual cramp is not a plague, there are several ways it can be prevented. They include eating fruits and vegetables and limiting intake of fat, alcohol, caffeine, salt, and sugary food; exercising regularly; reducing stress; quitting smoking and yoga or relaxation therapy.
Quite a number of people believe the use of herbs can help in relieving the cramps. However, Dr Adeoye states that herbs generally are not encouraged in modern medicine due to their non-scientific method of preparation and administration. He adds that “excessive herbs can damage body organs. It would be better if one takes much water and then, reduce stress. If the pain is severe, it is advisable you see a doctor.”