Menstrual pain: What Can be Done at Home and When to See a Doctor?

Do you often experience cramps during menstruation, ladies? During menstruation, prostaglandins will cause the uterus to contract to help the body shed the endometrium. This can cause pain or discomfort, also known as cramps. Cramps during menstruation can be mild or heavy and may not always occur with every menstrual period. To learn more about menstrual cramps, check out the following article!

What Causes Menstrual Cramps?

During menstruation, the lining of the uterus sheds. This endometrium shedding causes the body to release prostaglandins, chemicals that mimic the function of hormones. The release of these prostaglandins causes the uterus to cramp and contract, so the pain of menstrual cramps indicates that the uterus is contracting.

What do menstrual cramps feel like?

Not everyone who experiences menstruation experiences cramps. We may also have severe cramps at certain months, and be fine at other months. However, people who experience cramps usually feel them about two days before the onset of menstruation. These cramps can last for about three days before slowly decreasing.

The intensity and duration of cramps also vary from person to person. This is because the level of prostaglandins decreases when the endometrium is released and the prostaglandins present in the endometrium are shed and removed from the body.

People often feel pain in the lower abdomen or back, while some only experience pain in the lower back. Some people also experience cramps in the thigh. Thus, the cramps felt in each person can be in different places. In general, because the uterus is a muscle, when cramps happen it will feel:

• Sharp and stinging when muscles perform contraction-relaxation movements
• Pain or tension similar to pain such as muscle cramps
• Mild to painful abdominal pain

Often this condition of menstrual cramps is exacerbated by diarrhea, constipation, nausea, bloating, vomiting, and headache.

What can be done to relieve menstrual cramps?

1. Heating pad

When muscles are sore, including from menstrual cramps, a heating pad can loosen knots, reduce pain and relieve pain.

2. Light exercise

Exercise can help with pain from cramps. People who exercise during their period tend to have less pain, presumably due to the release of endorphins released during exercise.

3. Hot beverage

Warm drinks such as non-decaffeinated tea or hot water with honey can be soothing, although this has not been scientifically proven.

4. Over-the-counter pain relievers

To relieve menstrual cramps, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used to treat pain and inflammation, such as ibuprofen, because they can block the release of prostaglandins.

You can also do relaxations to relieve menstrual cramps, such as using essential oils.

When should you go to the doctor?

Menstrual cramps are normal. Cramps can be uncomfortable or even painful, but they shouldn't stop the person from going to school or work. If the pain or discomfort is severe, you may need to contact your doctor as it could be a sign of certain health conditions. So you should see a doctor if:

1. Menstrual cramps interfere with daily life or activities
2. Menstrual cramps get even worse after the first few days of menstruation
3. Cramps last all week since menstruation started
4. Experienced cramps or pain from menstruation when you are over 25 years old
5. Cramps accompanied by heavy and abnormal bleeding
6. Over-the-counter pain relievers don't help

Hopefully, this article will help you if you often suffer from period cramps, ladies. Also, read other health articles from Newfemm that can help you deal with everyday health problems!

Sources:

HealthEssentials. (2022). How To Get Rid of Period Cramps. Cleveland Clinic. [online]. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-stop-period-cramps/

Herndon, J., & Nwadike, V. (2020). What Do Period Cramps Feel Like? Healthline. [online]. https://www.healthline.com/health/what-do-period-cramps-feel-like