In medicine, painful menstruation is called dysmenorrhea or algomenorrhea. As a rule, pain in the lower abdomen appears several hours before the onset of menstruation and lasts for a day or two. It can be aching, stabbing, cramping, radiating to the sacrum or lower back. There are several degrees of severity of menstrual pain. The most common, first degree, in which they are moderate, causing only mild discomfort and almost not interfering with a woman’s activity.
Menstrual pain appears in adolescence and subsides over time, and after childbirth it often disappears altogether. However, if this does not happen, you need to be wary. A mild form of dysmenorrhea can gradually turn into a more severe form, with fairly prolonged and severe pain.
With moderate severity of algomenorrhea, in addition to severe pain, chills, dizziness, headaches, nausea, and general weakness may appear. The woman’s emotional and mental state deteriorates, and her performance is significantly reduced. In this case, to make you feel better, you usually need medicinal painkillers during menstruation. Medicines for menstrual pain should be selected by a doctor, since it is important not so much to temporarily relieve pain, which almost any pain pill can handle, but to reduce the very possibility of menstrual pain occurring.
The third degree of dysmenorrhea is the most severe, with it very strong menstrual pain appears in the lower abdomen, as well as in the lumbar region, severe general weakness suddenly occurs, all manifestations of algomenorrhea of moderate severity in an increased degree. Often, the temperature may rise, tachycardia, heart pain, and vomiting may appear. Fainting is possible. Painkillers for menstrual pain can do little to help in such a situation.
Indeed, pain during menstruation can pose a serious danger to a woman. First of all, it has a bad effect on the psyche and can provoke deep depression. Severe pain can only be a symptom of some fairly serious serious illness in the “female part”. They can lead to menstrual irregularities and cause infertility. So, yes, dysmenorrhea can be dangerous.
According to doctors, one of the causes of pain is a hormonal imbalance. In addition, pain during menstruation appears due to diseases of the genitourinary organs or nervous system, with a uterus that has a bend, or an underdeveloped uterus, with inflammatory processes, due to cicatricial narrowing of the uterine cervix, cysts, tumors. If the pain is irregular, its cause may lie in a decrease in the threshold of pain sensitivity, which occurs due to physical or psychological stress.
Menstrual pain is, of course, excruciating. Trying to somehow get rid of them, girls and women take painkillers during menstruation and feel much better. But a month later, everything happens again. And this is not surprising, since painkillers during menstruation only relieve pain, but do not eliminate its causes. Therefore, before taking pills, it is advisable to be examined by a gynecologist and make sure that the cause of the pain is not a consequence of some “female” disease. If the disease is not detected, and the pain is associated with an abnormal position of the uterus or other reasons, then first you should try ways to reduce it without using medications for menstrual pain.
Diet. Diet plays a very important role in preventing painful menstrual symptoms. Therefore, we recommend using the following dietary changes:
It is also effective to practice one-day fasting before your period.
Regular exercise. You need to try to do daily physical exercise, basic exercises will do, at least for 15-20 minutes.
Yoga classes are especially beneficial.
Avoid nervous overload and stressful situations.
Use methods of psychological self-tuning and auto-training.
Keeping a period diary. This activity helps you understand your monthly cycles well, in order to track the recurrence of symptoms on certain days, and be able to prevent the painful manifestations of your critical days.
What helps best, according to doctors, is "No-shpa" for menstrual pain ( 1-2 tablets three times a day). “No-spa” will help the uterus relax and acts as a pain reliever during menstruation. You can add tablets to No-shpe for menstrual pain "Indomethacin", "Butadione" or "Brufen"- they suppress the synthesis of prostaglandins in the body. Combination pills for pain during menstruation have a fairly good effect: “Baralgin”, “Tempalgin”, “Spazgan”, “Sedalgin”. If the pain is too strong, then it is better to start taking painkillers 2-3 days before the start of menstruation.
Tablets help eliminate menstrual pain “Paracetamol”, “Analgin”, “Ketorol” and “Papaverine”, “Ibuprofen” and “Solpadeine”.
For severe or sudden pain, the doctor may prescribe painkillers during menstruation. Painkiller injections have the same effect as tablets, but it occurs faster and is more targeted. Often, painkilling injections that are used during menstruation are "Analgin", but other analgesics and antispasmodics for menstrual pain are no less effective.
It is good to discuss with doctors, gynecologist and endocrinologist, the advisability of taking hormonal contraceptives. In 90% of cases, these medications alleviate the plight of women.
Taking painkillers during menstruation is a last resort and temporary remedy. The rest of the time, you should use non-medicinal methods for pain during menstruation. Some of the proposed methods are purely individual, so we recommend checking the effectiveness of each in your specific case:
It is a scientifically proven fact that female athletes are much less likely to suffer from period pain. But playing sports during menstruation is, of course, contraindicated, as it can increase bleeding. However, walking, yoga and some simple, not strenuous exercises can be practiced during menstruation to eliminate pain:
Acupressure helps relieve pain. There is a special point - on the inside of the knee bend of the leg, on which you need to press for 1.5-2 minutes. First you need to do this on your left leg, and then on your right leg.
Massage of the lower back and the entire lower back is also considered effective. To make it yourself, take 2 hard small balls (tennis balls are fine), wrap them in a small fabric bag or just a sock to prevent them from rolling away. Lie on them with your back so that the balls are on both sides of the spinal column in your lower back. Press your back onto the balls and roll them with your muscles for a few minutes.
Acupressure helps - massaging active points on the body:
During these difficult days, it is very important for the whole body to carefully monitor normal and timely bowel movements. Since the enlarged uterus puts so much pressure on neighboring internal organs. Therefore, it is recommended to make adjustments to your diet during your period:
Attention! All these folk remedies for menstrual pain are certainly good, but only if you do not have problems with the genitourinary system, so if you experience pain during the menstrual cycle, the first thing you should do is consult a doctor.
Undoubtedly, you should first try non-drug remedies and methods for menstrual pain, and only if there is no effect, take some kind of medication, after medical consultation, of course.
A little more about what medications are prescribed for menstrual pain:
Painful periods in medicine they are called dysmenorrhea or algomenorrhea. Typically, pain appears in the lower abdomen a few hours before the start of menstruation and lasts one to two days. It can be cramping, aching, stabbing and radiates to the lower back or sacrum. There are several degrees of severity of such pain. At first, most common, degree , they are moderate, causing only mild discomfort and practically not interfering with social activity.
Such pains appear in adolescence and subside over time, and after childbirth they may disappear altogether. However, if this does not happen, you should be wary. Otherwise, a mild form of dysmenorrhea threatens to gradually turn into a more severe form, with quite severe and prolonged pain.
At moderate algomenorrhea In addition to severe pain, chills, nausea, headaches, general weakness, and dizziness may appear. The woman’s mental and emotional state deteriorates, and her performance is significantly reduced. To make you feel better in this case, as a rule, medications are required, which should be selected by a doctor.
Concerning third degree dysmenorrhea , then with it very severe pain occurs in the lower abdomen and in the lumbar region, pronounced general weakness and severe headache appear. This often results in fever, heart pain, tachycardia, and vomiting. A woman may faint. Painkillers do not help in this situation.
Is dysmenorrhea dangerous? In general, yes, since it can not only be a sign of some rather serious disease, but also lead to menstrual irregularities or infertility.
When should you consult a doctor:
So why does pain occur during menstruation?
Doctors suggest that one of the causes of pain is a hormonal imbalance. In addition, pain during menstruation occurs due to diseases of the nervous system or genitourinary organs, with an underdeveloped uterus or a uterus that has an inflection, due to inflammatory processes, cicatricial narrowing of the cervix, tumors, cysts. If the pain is irregular, it may appear due to a decrease in the threshold of pain sensitivity, which occurred due to psychological or physical stress.
Pain during menstruation is, of course, excruciating. And, in order to somehow get rid of them, the girls take painkillers, and they seem to feel much better. But a month passes, and everything repeats itself again. It’s not surprising, because with the help of painkillers, pain is removed, but its cause is not eliminated. Therefore, before taking pills, it is advisable to be examined by a doctor and make sure that the pain is not a consequence of any disease. If the disease is not detected, and the pain is caused by improper position of the uterus or some other reasons, you should try to reduce it without using medications.
How to prevent pain during menstruation?
How to deal with pain during menstruation?
Non-medicinal methods (some methods are individual)
Although, it has been scientifically proven that female athletes suffer from menstrual pain less often. Of course, playing sports on menstruation days is contraindicated, as this can increase bleeding, but you can try several exercises (including yoga exercises) that will help eliminate pain:
Massage
Massaging active points on the body helps (acupressure):
Nutrition
Herbs
Attention! All these remedies are certainly good, but only if the doctor has not identified serious problems with the genitourinary organs, Therefore, the first thing you should do if you have pain during the menstrual cycle is to consult a doctor.
Undoubtedly, you should first try the non-drug methods described above, and only if there is no effect, after consulting your doctor, should you try medications.
Medicines
No-shpu is best (1-2 tablets three times a day). It will help the uterus relax. You can add indomethacin, brufen or butadione to no-shpe - they suppress the synthesis of prostaglandins. Combination drugs work well: spazgan, baralgin, sedalgin, tempalgin. If the pain is too severe, then the pills are taken 2-3 days before the start of menstruation.
Paracetamol, analgin, papaverine and ketorol, solpadeine and ibuprofen help eliminate pain in the lower abdomen.
It is good to discuss with your gynecologist-endocrinologist the possibility of taking hormonal contraceptives. This makes the lot of women easier in 90% of cases.
Information sources:
If you are one of the women who are anxiously awaiting the start of their period, and you are familiar with the painful state of the first days of menstruation, then you definitely need to know how to relieve all unpleasant symptoms and, most importantly, ways to overcome sometimes simply unbearable pain.
Menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea, algomenorrhea) manifest themselves as spasms in the lower abdomen or dull pain in the lower back, in severe cases - acute, cramping pain, with nausea and diarrhea, dizziness and fainting.
Menstrual pain should not be confused with (premenstrual syndrome), the symptoms of which disappear with the onset of menstruation, and menorrhagia- severe uterine bleeding, most often caused by fibroids (nodules) in the uterus.
CAUSES OF PAIN DURING MENSURE:
Pain during menstruation is the result of excessive contractions of the uterus, displacing the exfoliated mucous membrane. This is usually due to an excess of hormone-like substances - prostaglandins, which increase uterine contractions. The intensity of menstrual pain depends on the amount of prostaglandins.
But! Severe, unbearable pain may indicate some problems in the body. It could be:
→ endometriosis (proliferation of the inner lining of the uterus);
→ bend of the uterus;
→ ovarian cysts;
→ inflammation of the pelvic organs;
→ low level progesterone hormone;
→ low level of calcium in the blood;
→ spontaneous termination of pregnancy, etc.
Menstrual pain can also be caused by stress and strong emotional experiences. At the same time, during menstruation, pronounced signs of weakness and irritability are observed.
1. The easiest: take a tablet of any analgesic (except for aspirin and aspirin-containing drugs) or antispasmodic. This could be analgin, baralgin, spazgan, no-shpa, ketanov (ketorol), ibuprofen, nimesulide, or others. It is better to consult a doctor first.
Before using the medicine, try to cope with the pain in other, milder ways:
2. Place a heating pad or warm water bottle on your stomach . This will increase blood flow in the uterus and reduce the pain from cramps. The time for applying the heating pad is no more than 15 minutes, so as not to cause increased bleeding.
You can also drink hot herbal tea or any other hot drink. In general, it is recommended to increase fluid intake to 2.2 liters per day during menstruation.
3. Do a breathing exercise:
Place some light object (a book, for example) on your stomach. Slowly begin to breathe through your nose, synchronously moving the wall of your abdomen and lifting the book. Tighten your abdominal muscles and hold them in this state for 5 seconds. Continue this exercise for two minutes.
4. Do exercises that effectively relieve pain during menstruation :
Lie on a flat surface, bend your knees (feet resting on the floor), arms along your body, palms down. Gently bend your stomach up and down (2 minutes), taking short breaths. The muscles should be as relaxed as possible at this time. Repeat the exercise 3-5 more times.
Lie on your back at a right angle to the wall (buttocks as close to the wall as possible). Place your feet against the wall, bending your knees. Stay in this position for 5 minutes.
Move away from the wall, pull one leg as close to your chin as possible, the other leg on the floor. Maintain the pose for 2 minutes, then change legs and do the same exercise.
Get on your knees and elbows (your head should be between your hands). Stand like this for 2 minutes.
Yoga exercise - Cobra pose. Lie face down on the floor, feet together, knees tense. Exhale, lift your torso up and throw your head back. Take two breaths, inhale again and raise your torso (your pubis should touch the floor). Contract the anus and buttocks. Hold the pose for 20 seconds. Exhale and return to the starting position. Repeat 2-3 times. This exercise is contraindicated for patients with hypertension, hyperfunction of the thyroid gland and spinal disorders.
5. Do massage to relieve menstrual pain:
Massage the painful area clockwise.
Massage of the lower back is effective. To do the massage yourself, you need to take 2 small hard balls (tennis balls can be), put them in a fabric bag (can be in socks) so as not to roll away, and lie on them with your back (the balls should be on both sides of the spine in the lower back). Press your back on them and roll them with your muscles for a few minutes.
6. Massage active points on the body (acupressure):
Kneeling down, you need to pinch your thighs. Press the elbow on the thigh from the outside (direction - towards the knee), from the inside - towards the pelvis.
Press on the point on the inside of the leg, which is located 4 fingers up from the ankle (it is usually sensitive).
Lie down and press firmly with your thumbs on the following points (after pressing, hold your finger at each point for a count of ten, and then slowly release):
- below the navel and in the lower part of the groin area;
- on the inner surface of the middle part of the lower leg;
- in the central part of the back and on the tailbone.
7 .Use herbal infusions to relieve pain during menstruation:
Infusions and decoctions of herbs are best drunk in sips and hot.
Raspberry leaf infusion. 2-3 tsp. Pour a glass of boiling water over raspberry leaves, leave for 15 minutes, strain, drink in small sips throughout the day.
Infusion of Oregano herb. 1 tbsp. Pour a glass of boiling water over the oregano herbs, leave for 20 minutes, strain. Drink throughout the day.
A collection of chamomile flowers and lemon balm leaves. 1 tbsp. collection (chamomile and lemon balm - 1:1), pour 1 glass of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes, strain. Drink the infusion throughout the day (before meals). You can start drinking the infusion before your period and continue during your period.
A collection of chamomile flowers, mint leaves and valerian roots (2: 2:1). 1 tbsp. collection, pour 1 cup of boiling water, leave for half an hour, strain. Drink 2 tbsp. 3 times a day.
Drink soothing herbal infusions if necessary ( For example , infusion of motherwort or valerian). Recipes for soothing teas can be found.
HOW TO PREVENT PAIN DURING MENSURE:
1. Diet. Diet plays a very important role in preventing painful menstrual symptoms. Therefore, in the power mode, you can use the following correction methods:
→ Before your period begins, it is advisable not to consume meat and dairy products. Switching to a vegetarian diet has a very good effect.
→ Before menstruation, it is advisable to drink vegetable juices (carrot, beet, and parsley juice are especially useful).
→ Additionally, you can take the following vitamins and minerals:
- calcium(Calcium D3 Nycomed or others),
- magnesium(for example, the drug Magne B),
- B vitamins(Neuromultivit, Pentovit, etc.),
- vitamin E.
You can simply increase your intake of foods rich in these elements.
→ One-day fasting before menstruation is effective.
2. Regular exercise. Try to exercise for at least 15-20 minutes a day.
3. Avoiding stressful situations and nervous overload.
4. Yoga classes.
5. Using methods of auto-training and psychological self-tuning.
6. Keeping a period diary. This activity helps to better understand monthly cycles, track the recurrence of symptoms on certain days, and prevent painful conditions during critical days.
It will be very good if the given recipes turn out to be useful for you, the painful pains will finally go away, and even on critical days the world around you will seem joyful and happy!
Health and good luck to you in everything!
Menstrual pain is a very common problem that affects 50-90% of women of reproductive age. Pain during menstruation is the result of muscle contraction in the wall of the uterus, similar to muscle contraction in other parts of the body during exercise. Strong and prolonged contractions of the uterine muscles lead to muscle spasms. They usually start 1-2 days before your period, and then subside a day or two after your period starts. Typically, a woman periodically feels acute pain in the lower abdomen or pelvis of varying intensity. Sometimes it can be a long-lasting dull ache. It can spread to the back, hips and top part belly. Women may also experience headache, lethargy, nausea, or diarrhea. If you are experiencing moderate to severe pain, here are some ways to help you get rid of it.
Painful sensations during menstruation are not uncommon; almost everyone has experienced something similar. But not everyone knows what to do in such cases, how to reduce pain during menstruation. We’ll talk about what to drink for pain during menstruation.
Before you figure out what to do for pain during menstruation, and what pills to stuff yourself with, you need to understand its cause. Because pain can also be caused by serious diseases of the genital organs and uterus. Most often, painful sensations occur with endometriosis, chronic diseases of the genital organs, uterine fibroids, endometrial polyps and peritoneal adhesions. Sometimes pain during menstruation occurs due to the use of intrauterine contraception. Therefore, the answer to the question “what to do if your stomach hurts very much during menstruation?” will - consult a doctor. If the pain is not severe, you can try to cope with it yourself.
Pain during menstruation, what to do? Most ladies will answer this question - take some kind of painkiller. Yes, this method of relieving pain during menstruation is effective, but, like any other medicine, painkillers must be prescribed by a doctor. And not only because by choosing the wrong medicine and dosage you can harm yourself, but also because of the possibility of developing a serious disease, which “gives” you such unpleasant sensations.
But we often cannot choose the time to visit a doctor, and then how can we relieve pain during menstruation if pills are not possible? It turns out that the following steps can help:
If such actions do not help, you will still have to choose a time to consult with a specialist.
Oddly enough, physical exercise helps reduce pain during menstruation or eliminate it altogether. Try the following:
You can relieve pain during menstruation with the help of various herbal infusions and decoctions, it is better to drink them in small sips and while they are hot.