Period Pain - Dysmenorrhoea
Many women have discomfort or unease shortly before and during their monthly periods, but for some women, the pain can be so strong that it disrupts their daily lives during this time, forcing them to take time off from work or school. This type of painful periods is condition known as Dysmenorrhoea and usually starts at the beginning of a period, or a couple of days prior, and may last for 2 -3 days.
Causes & Symptoms
The strong pains of Dysmenorrhoea are caused by womb/uterus contractions, similar to those that that women suffer during giving birth and are thought to be exaggerated by hormone imbalance and the overproduction of prostaglandin chemicals. These contractions are normal and help to release the womb lining to prepare for the next new lining in which a fertilised egg can embed itself.
Symptoms of Dysmenorrhoea can include some or all of the following:
- Sharp, throbbing, dull, burning shooting pains
- Sickness
- Extreme Tiredness
- Hot and Cold sweats
- Reduced capacity to think
- Clumsiness
- Diarrhoea
- Constipation
- Dizziness
- Bloating
- Weight gain
- Breast tenderness
- Migraine / Headache
- Back pain
- Inability to continue normal everyday life
- Tinnitus
Treatment
Following a healthy lifestyle is good advice for everyone, but especially for Dysmenorrhoea sufferers.
Take regular gentle exercise like swimming, walking, bike riding to keep muscles in tone and reduce stress.
Keep warm. Place hot water bottles in the small of the back and /or on the abdomen. Taking a warm bath can also be helpful, be aware that when the pains are too strong getting dry after a bath can start them off again.
Eat healthy, nutritional foods rich in Vitamin E, Vitamin B1, Zinc and Calcium, Omega-3 fatty acids are also thought to be helpful.
Painkillers such as Ibuprofen and Aspirin can be very effective in helping to reduce the pain to a tolerable level, they fight the effects caused by the prostaglandin chemicals are anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting. These are the most effective when taken regularly, according to the accompanying instructions, throughout the day and not just when the pain becomes overwhelming.
TENS (transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation) - an electronic device that produces electrical currents used to stimulate nerves through unbroken skin, has also been used for treating period pains although some maintain that it is ineffective.
Meditation
Learn the art of Meditation to learn to focus on specific areas of the body. Using focusing techniques makes it possible for some women to help themselves to breath out certain amounts of pain and to bring the focused area to a more relaxed state. This can be useful not only in the case of painful periods but for many parts of everyday life like relaxing the mind to reduce internal stress, and controlling levels of pain sensitivity.