My stomach hurts unbearably during menstruation, what should I do? Pain during menstruation: main causes and ways to relieve pain

Most often, painful periods are primary dysmenorrhea, that is, unpleasant sensations do not arise due to illness, but on their own. If you are healthy, but you are in pain, then prostaglandins are to blame for your illness - these are mediators that increase the sensitivity of pain receptors. They are produced in the lining of the uterus during menstruation. Because of them, the uterus contracts in order to remove blood and endometrium faster.

When there are a lot of prostaglandins and the uterus contracts strongly, pain appears in the lower abdomen, which resembles cramps.

Sometimes back pain is added to these sensations. Prostaglandins also influence the contraction of smooth muscles in organs gastrointestinal tract, so these substances are responsible for nausea and diarrhea during menstruation.

What other reasons cause pain?

If the pain begins suddenly, then you need to examine genitourinary system and organs that are located nearby. Maybe, real reason discomfort- diseases such as:

1. Endometriosis.
2. Inflammation of the bladder (cystitis).
3. Myomas, fibromas and other tumors.
4. Inflammatory diseases in the pelvic organs.
5. Intestinal diseases.

With painful periods, any of these diseases can be associated with increased production of prostaglandins. Therefore, if the pain is stronger than usual, it lasts longer three days, the cycle has been disrupted, unusual discharge has appeared, or, consult a doctor with these symptoms.

What tests should I take to understand that this is not a dangerous disease?

You need an examination by a gynecologist (at the same time, the doctor can take smears, including for hidden ones), and also ultrasound examination pelvic organs.

This is enough to draw conclusions about health and treat either illness or dysmenorrhea.

If during the examination the doctor finds nothing, and the pain during menstruation is severe, does not go away with bleeding, and the prescribed treatment does not help, then an exploratory operation will be required to find or exclude endometriosis.

Why does it hurt me, but my friend endures menstruation without problems?

You're out of luck. No one can say for sure why some women have heavier periods than others. This is a feature of the body that needs to be dealt with.

What pills can you use to save yourself?

First aid - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, NSAIDs. These are fairly safe painkillers, sold without a prescription and in a variety of combinations.

Anti-inflammatory drugs do more than just numb the pain. They reduce the production of prostaglandins, the very ones that are to blame for everything.

There is no point in immediately rushing for products with a complex composition. Regular ibuprofen may help. There are more strong drugs- indomethacin, ketoprofen. All drugs have contraindications. Women who have stomach diseases need to be especially careful. To take NSAIDs in these cases, you need to consult a doctor who will select the drug.

But antispasmodics help with dysmenorrhea worse (if they help at all), because they do not affect the cause of the pain.

Will birth control pills help?

Hormonal orals create artificial menstrual cycle with its own hormonal background. At the same time, the endometrium becomes thinner so that a fertilized egg cannot attach to it. And since this layer is thinner, there are fewer prostaglandins in it. Therefore often birth control pills prescribed for painful periods Painful menstrual periods.

If your doctor recommends pills, try to choose modern drugs with minimal side effects and check if you have any contraindications.

Therapy is not limited to tablets: hormonal IUDs or perform the same tasks.

How to treat, besides pills?

There are methods that help make it easier to endure pain during menstruation. Unfortunately, it is impossible to say for sure that they will help: everyone has their own reactions. Try everything one by one, focus on your own state and listen to the sensations.

1. Warm. Best option- climb under the blanket and sit with a mug of hot tea, you can even apply a heating pad to your lower abdomen, but this is not always possible. If you need to leave the house and do business, dress warmly. Choose clothes that don't create discomfort in the abdominal area: tight jeans and belts that cut into the body will last a few days. A warm shower works too.
2. Sport. You need to play sports for prevention, and when it becomes difficult, do light muscle exercises and stretching.
3. Acupuncture. There is no evidence that such alternative medicine works. But at least the procedures distract from the pain.
4. Relaxing massage. It distracts from unpleasant sensations and is generally beneficial for the body and mind, which also needs to rest sometimes. Massage your abdomen, stroking it clockwise in the area where pain is felt.
5. Comfortable position. If you can lie down, try to raise your legs higher or lie on your side with your knees bent.
6. Quitting smoking. You need to quit for good, and not just for those days when you feel pain.
7. Vitamins and microelements. Not absolutely either reliable method, but you may benefit from supplements with vitamins B6, B1, E, magnesium and calcium Menstrual cramps: Lifestyle and home remedies.

Is it possible to get rid of pain once and for all?

Not as long as you're on your period. Although there are surgical operationsPatient education: Painful menstrual periods (dysmenorrhea) which destroy nerves in the uterus. The effectiveness of such treatment is low, but there are risks.

Will the pain decrease after childbirth?

There are no guarantees that the pain will go away after childbirth, despite the fact that many doctors for some reason recommend childbirth as a remedy for many gynecological problems.

Some women notice that pain decreases with age and after childbirth, but not everyone can count on this. The pain may remain with you until menopause.

Normal periods come regularly and last 3-5 days. These days, the woman quickly gets tired and feels unwell. However, this does not cause too much discomfort and does not interfere with the usual way of life. However, some people feel severe abdominal pain. Sometimes it is so painful that a woman is forced to abandon everything, stay at home, take painkillers. Such pain during menstruation is a sign of pathology. The cause may be diseases and hormonal disorders. It is impossible to endure and hope that the malaise will go away on its own. We need to go to the doctor.

Content:

When pain during menstruation is considered a pathology

The lining of the uterus (endometrium) is regularly renewed, resulting in menstruation. The removal of dead epithelium from the uterus is carried out by contracting its muscles. In this case, compression of the nerve endings and compression of the blood vessels occurs, which causes pain in the lower abdomen. The pain radiates to the sacrum and lower back. They usually appear on the eve of menstruation and in the first 2 days after their arrival.

Painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea) is a pathology. In addition to pain in the lower abdomen and back, associated ailments appear varying degrees expressiveness. If a woman has a regular cycle, the nature of her periods corresponds to the norm, then the unpleasant symptoms quickly pass without causing her much suffering. In severe cases, serious treatment is required.

Types of dysmenorrhea

There are two types of dysmenorrhea:

1. Primary (functional), not associated with any diseases. Usually, menstruation becomes painful 1.5-2 years after the onset of puberty, when the cycle normalizes, ovulation occurs regularly. Often painful sensations menstruation weakens significantly after the first birth.
2. Secondary (acquired), associated with pathological changes in the genitals and various diseases. Occurs most often in women over 30 years of age. Usually accompanied by vegetative-vascular disorders (dizziness, excessive sweating and others), as well as tachycardia and cardiac arrhythmia.

If over the years the intensity of pain during menstruation remains constant, then such dysmenorrhea is called compensated. If pain during menstruation becomes stronger every year, then it is called decompensated.

Degrees of dysmenorrhea

There are 4 degrees of dysmenorrhea, differing in the intensity of pain.

0 degree. Abdominal pain is mild, painkillers are not required.

1st degree. The pain is moderate and quite tolerable. Natural associated symptoms are mild depression, headache, indigestion. The discomfort can be completely eliminated by taking a painkiller.

2nd degree. Pain during menstruation is severe, accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, chills, general weakness, migraine, irritability. The duration of illness increases. Painkillers and sedatives help make you feel better.

3rd degree. Severe abdominal pain appears in a woman 2-3 days before the start of menstruation and continues until its end. At the same time, the temperature rises, the head hurts very much (to the point of vomiting), tachycardia and pain in the heart occur. Fainting may occur. The woman is completely incapacitated. Improve condition by ordinary means fails.

Addition: Pain during menstruation can vary in nature (cramping, pulling, aching, stabbing), radiating to the lower back and hips.

Causes of painful menstruation

Functional pain during menstruation can occur as a result of the pathological location of the uterus, the formation of adhesions and scars after an abortion, hypersensitivity the woman’s body to the changes occurring in it, emotional excitability. Heredity plays an important role. The occurrence of pain can be caused by vitamin deficiency and lack of magnesium and calcium in the body. A sedentary lifestyle is also a cause of progressive dysmenorrhea. A factor such as hormonal disorders in the body also contributes to the occurrence of pain during menstruation. An excess of the hormone prostaglandin causes increased contractions of the uterus and constriction of blood vessels.

The appearance of primary dysmenorrhea is facilitated by the use of an intrauterine device. Secondary dysmenorrhea can appear as a result of pathologies such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, ectopic pregnancy, inflammatory diseases pelvic organs. Severe pain during menstruation occurs due to the formation of polyps and cysts in the uterus.

Video: What are the causes of painful periods

How to reduce period pain

If the pain is moderate, the cycle is regular, menstruation is normal in volume and duration, then with the help of some techniques you can ease painful sensations.

Recommendation: In case of severe pain, it is recommended to visit a doctor and make sure there are no diseases that are asymptomatic. In some cases, chronic inflammatory diseases and even tumors may not manifest themselves in any way. Pain symptom may be the only signal of trouble.

If after gynecological examination the woman has not been diagnosed with any diseases, then at home you can alleviate the condition in the following ways:

1. Massage the abdominal muscles in a clockwise direction, which will help relieve tension in them and ease cramps. It is also good to massage your lower back.
2. Take a warm shower, which helps relax muscles and dilate blood vessels.
3. Lie on your side with your legs tucked to your stomach (fetal position).
4. Take no-shpa to eliminate spasms in the uterus, ketonal or ibuprofen (have a strong analgesic effect), valerian (as a sedative).
5. Make lungs physical exercise(tilts, body rotation). Yoga helps with menstrual pain.
6. Apply compresses during menstruation sea ​​salt on the lower abdomen. Before and after menstruation, it is useful to take relaxing short (15-20 minutes) baths with the addition of this salt.
7. Drink soothing chamomile and mint tea (add 1-2 teaspoons of honey to 1 glass of tea). It is useful to take an infusion of parsley and strawberries.
8. If there is no allergy, you can rub it into the skin in the area of ​​the sacrum and lower abdomen essential oil. The procedure is carried out 2 times a day, 2 days before menstruation and in the first 2-3 days after their onset. A mixture containing 50 ml of St. John's wort oil, 5 drops each of yarrow and sage oils helps relieve severe pain during menstruation.
9. In case of pain and heavy bleeding, ice should be applied to the lower abdomen for 15 minutes (on top of clothing, put it in a bag).

Swimming is recommended. During swimming, the muscles relax, the nervous tension. The body intensively produces endorphins (the so-called joy hormones, pain-relieving substances).

Video: Exercises against period pain

When to see a doctor

Clear signs serious pathologies most often there are severe pains that last a long time (more than 2 days). Moreover, the painful sensations are so strong that the woman is forced to put aside all her affairs and stay at home. Abdominal pain is accompanied by diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Dizziness, headache, stabbing pains in the abdomen may be signs of excessive blood loss and anemia.

Severe cramping pain in the abdomen occurs with an ectopic pregnancy. In this case, the woman requires urgent surgery.

When painkillers and no-spa do not help, the pain and volume of discharge intensify, consulting a doctor is simply necessary. If severe pain suddenly appears during menstruation against the background of cycle disruption or weight loss, this may be a sign of a tumor. You need to be examined by a gynecologist urgently.

Drugs prescribed for dysmenorrhea

Menstrual pain affects 90% of women aged 18 to 35 years. Such pain is often intense, so timely administration of an effective analgesic helps patients restore the rhythm of life and completely eliminate menstrual pain.

Dialrapid is a fast-acting analgesic that eliminates pain of any intensity. Potassium bicarbonate acts as a pH buffer, ensuring the drug is completely dissolved in water, and subsequently creating a microenvironment around active substance- potassium diclofenac. It is this microenvironment that promotes accelerated absorption and helps the drug to be completely absorbed by the body. Dialrapid shows a pronounced effect in the first 5 minutes after application. The powder is absorbed by the body almost as quickly as an injection, and unlike tablet analogues, it has a high peak concentration in plasma 1.

To eliminate pathological pain during menstruation, the doctor prescribes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs along with antispasmodics. They are able to suppress the production of prostaglandins, thereby reducing uterine contractility.

Widely used to treat dysmenorrhea oral contraceptives– low-dose hormonal drugs that prevent the formation of excess prostaglandins. Also used herbal preparations based on phytoestrogens that help improve hormonal levels, as well as homeopathic remedies of non-hormonal action (menalgin). Gradually accumulating in the body, they help regulate the menstrual cycle, reduce pain and improve condition nervous system.

Appointed complex preparations, containing vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, as well as plant extracts (for example, time factor). It is recommended to start taking medications in advance, before the start of your period. Then, by the time they occur, the required dose has accumulated in the body, and the drug acts more effectively.

Physiotherapy methods - UHF and electrophoresis - help reduce pain during menstruation. In this case, the procedure is carried out in advance. Before the onset of menstruation, special solutions (novocaine, sodium bromide) are applied to the stomach and exposure to ultrasound or electrical impulses is performed. Warming and pain relief occurs.

Prevention of dysmenorrhea

To make your periods less painful, it is recommended to stop drinking alcohol. critical days, avoid stress, don’t catch a cold, move more, do yoga. It is necessary to limit the consumption of sugar and foods that cause bloating these days. It is useful to eat chocolate, which stimulates the production of endorphins, as well as foods containing calcium and magnesium.

Video: Yoga classes during menstruation

1. There are contraindications. You need to read the instructions or consult a specialist.

Abdominal pain during menstruation can lead some women to complete incapacity in just a couple of hours. However, a comprehensive look at the problem can help most of them today.

How to get rid of pain during menstruation? This question worries more than 40% of all women childbearing age. For one, it’s enough to drink a few glasses of delicious juice. Others have to undergo long and difficult treatment. But what should we really do?

Menstrual pain symptoms

Unpleasant sensations in the peritoneum can begin as early as 5-8 days before the start of exit inner shell uterus. Initially, an infrequent, weak “tugging” is felt in the area of ​​the ovaries, to which, over time, sharp tugging pains are added along the entire height of the uterus.

Directly menstrual pain symptoms:

• cramping and twisting uterine spasms
• feeling foreign body in the stomach
• pulling, squeezing pain in the uterus, spreading to the intestines and lower back, intestinal spasms
• shooting pains in the ovaries, kidneys, along the entire length of the spine, in the head

Cause of pain during menstruation

The main “culprit” of pain during menstruation is hormone-like substances prostaglandins. They irritate the nerve endings of the tissues in which they are produced, which causes uterine contractions and the release of the endometrium with secretions and blood.

Another common cause of pain during menstruation- endometriosis. The same endometrial cells of the uterus that should come out during menstruation grow into the surrounding tissue of the peritoneum or rise into the ovaries. Active synthesis of prostaglandins causes them to flake off, swell and collapse at the same time as everyone else.

Some teenage girls do not have time to fully develop physiologically before the onset of their first menstruation. This applies both to the structure of the body itself and to the balance of the hormones responsible for the cycle.

Why do teenagers experience severe pain during menstruation?

It’s just that an underdeveloped or incorrectly positioned uterus does not allow free flow of menstrual blood. As it contracts, it literally puts pressure on surrounding organs and irritates trillions of highly sensitive pain receptors. The teenage estrogen-progesterone background “adds fuel to the fire.”

Most often, discomfort in lumbar region during menstruation are caused by swelling and excessive strain, as well as radiating pain.

The processes of the vertebrae dig into the swollen back muscles and injure them. And reflex mechanisms of propagation nerve impulses make you feel menstrual pain literally throughout your body.

Why does my lower back hurt so much during menstruation?

Existing ailments can also contribute to this unpleasant phenomenon:

• fibroma
• cervical dysplasia
• endometriosis
• polycystic ovary syndrome

Why does the back hurt a lot during menstruation in women who have given birth?

Although the uterus of a woman carrying a child returns to normal, it still acquires slightly different dimensions. During menstruation, this “extra” volume is enough to infringe on the nerve endings of the small pelvis, compress blood vessels and worsen blood microcirculation in the lower back.

Why does the back hurt a lot during menstruation in women who have given birth?
Female uterus can increase in size not only during pregnancy, but also under the influence of the progression of nonspecific postpartum diseases:

• fibroids
• endometrial hyperplasia
• pelvic organ prolapse

IMPORTANT: All such gynecological defects affect the back with radiating (reflected) pain.

How to relieve pain during menstruation?

The following can help significantly reduce painful symptoms before or during menstruation:

1. Nutrition enriched with potassium and calcium. The lack of these elements significantly increases the frequency and strength of uterine contractions
2. Surgical intervention or special gynecological treatment functional problems of the uterus
3. Complex hormonal treatment to restore the required balance of biologically active substances acting on the uterus
4. Medicines and supporting pharmaceutical drugs
5. Means traditional medicine and exercise

How to relieve pain during menstruation?

You should definitely take care of your health and eat right. Pharmacies and simple gestures will help you cope with the remaining problems.

Tablets and drugs for pain during menstruation

To get rid of unpleasant sensations, doctors recommend antispasmodics, complex analgesics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Among others, the most popular are:

• no-shpa
• papaverine
• tempalgin
• spasmalgon
• baralgin
• ibuprofen

If the above pills and drugs for pain during menstruation are not suitable (they give unacceptable side effects), then you can use paracetamol. To achieve high-quality pain relief, it should be taken in a dose of 3-4 tablets every 6-8 hours. However official instructions to the medicine indicates possible danger such self-medication.

What helps with severe pain during menstruation?

For some women, menstruation is extremely painful: the sensations during uterine contractions are comparable in strength to labor contractions. In this case, the spasm also “moves” to the intestines, which causes painful three-day diarrhea.

In such situations, ketanov and tamipul (2 tablets every 12 hours) save. The first one, however, is sold by prescription. Both drugs have a very gentle effect on organ systems and cause virtually no side effects.

What else helps with severe pain during menstruation? In extreme cases, you can use analgin and solpadeine.
However, it is quite difficult to predict the strength and scale side effects of these drugs on the nervous system. Even with the third and subsequent appointments.

Folk remedies for menstrual pain

Except herbal decoctions from horsetail, tansy, meadowsweet and oregano, extremely effective means Sweet pepper is considered to be a remedy for menstrual pain. At the same time, it is used as a salad base or freshly squeezed juice.

Other folk remedies for menstrual pain:

• asparkam tablets (usually used for other purposes)
• dried and fresh apricots, grapes, bananas
• pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds
• wheat bran and wheat germ

Treatment of severe pain during menstruation

Not many exercises can relieve abdominal pain during menstruation, but they do exist! For example:

• you need to sit on a fitball / spread your legs wide apart and crouch, do circular movements pelvis in both directions alternately
• It is necessary for the maximum possible time to take the position “mom is washing the floor” from a standing position; when bending over, it is advisable to touch the feet with your hands
• required to sit or lie curled up in different turning positions alternately

Treatment of severe pain during menstruation physical activity other types are contraindicated due to the possibility of heavy bleeding. By the way, a ready-made tincture of water pepper will help to regulate them.

REVIEW: I suffer terribly in the first three days after the start of my period. I save myself with sedalgin or ibuprofen. It seems to me that nothing other than pills or injections can relieve this terrible pain!!!

REVIEW: God forbid you be treated with analgin! Now I know how drug addicts feel when they're high. Maybe. The gynecologist said that it has this effect on many people. Girls! Be careful!

REVIEW: I was once brought a whole bucket of sweet peppers from the dacha. I used it in salads for a week and killed it. My period started within a week. And I didn’t feel the moment of their onset at all. Since then I’ve been eating peppers every chance I get. Which is what I recommend to you.

REVIEW: Naproxen relieves my severe period pain. A friend recommended it. And the gynecologist insists on taking hormonal contraceptives. I refuse for now. I'm afraid of various side effects.

REVIEW: And they advised me to take indomethacin suppositories. They helped a lot. But now my stomach hurts, and nothing can cure it. I'm planning to go to the doctor one of these days.

REVIEW: The first day of my period begins with an injection of a mixture of analgin, papaverine and diphenhydramine. Otherwise I climb the wall or lose consciousness.

I've been doing yoga for two years. After just four months of training, I began to notice that the intensity of monthly pain was gradually decreasing. Today I hardly use medications. This is despite the fact that previously Ketanova could not do without injections.

How to relieve menstrual pain:tips and reviews show that drug self-medication is held in high esteem. First we take medications, and then we consult with specialists. After all, you need to start from the other end!

Video: Painful periods (desmenorrhea)

Video: Everything you need to know about menstruation

Video: Painful menstruation. Women's diseases

Update: December 2018

Moderate pain during menstruation occurs in approximately 70% of girls and women of childbearing age. Pain syndrome, accompanying menstruation, can be of varying intensity. Mildly expressed pain, only minor discomfort, especially in nulliparous women, is considered a normal physiological phenomenon.

However, if a woman experiences unbearable, severe pain every month during menstruation, accompanied by diarrhea, dizziness, fainting, vomiting and other symptoms that deprive the woman of her ability to work, obvious “critical days” actually occur - this is usually referred to in medicine as the disease algomenorrhea. Such symptoms indicate that the young woman has various disorders in the hormonal, vascular, reproductive, nervous or other systems of the body.

If the causes of painful periods are established, then treatment of these disorders can significantly alleviate the condition and improve the tolerance of such a natural process in a woman’s body as menstruation. In this article we will tell you why girls and women experience painful periods, the causes and treatment of such a disorder.

What other symptoms can accompany painful menstruation and why is it considered a disease?

In medicine, very painful periods are considered the most frequent disorders menstrual function. Between the ages of 13 and 45, almost all women experience minor discomfort and soreness on the first day menstrual bleeding. And only 10% of them complain of very strong cramping spastic pain from uterine contractions, which are also supplemented by the following symptoms:

• 79% of women experience diarrhea
• 84% vomit
• 13% headache
• 23% dizziness
• 16% fainting

The main symptom of algomenorrhea is pain in the lower abdomen, which appears on the 1st day of menstruation or 12 hours before its onset, it gradually subsides by the 2-3rd day, it can be aching, tugging, stabbing, radiating to the rectum, in bladder, also can . In the background unbearable pain During menstruation, a woman’s psycho-emotional state is disturbed, irritability, drowsiness appears, depressive state, insomnia, anxiety, weakness. Painful periods poison a woman’s life, waiting for the next bleeding has an adverse effect on the psyche, emotional sphere life, leads to conflicts in the family and at work.

At mild degree algomenorrhea - short-term, moderate pain during menstruation does not lead to loss of performance and activity, such pain can be tolerated without additional painkillers, however, the causes of painful menstruation should be clarified, since even mild degree algomenorrhea may later become more severe, with more significant discomfort. Sometimes after childbirth, women stop having a mild degree of algomenorrhea and uterine contractions become less painful; its increase during pregnancy and reduction after pregnancy subsequently weakens cramping pain during menstruation.

At medium degree — nagging pain in the lower abdomen are supplemented by general weakness, nausea, chills, and frequent urination. Psycho-emotional disorders are also associated - depression, irritability, intolerance to strong smells and sounds, and performance is noticeably reduced. This degree of algomenorrhea already requires drug correction and the causes of pain should also be clarified.

In severe cases, very intense pain in the lower back and abdomen is accompanied by headache, general weakness, elevated temperature, heart pain, diarrhea, fainting, vomiting. In a severe case painful menstruation a woman completely loses her ability to work, usually their occurrence is associated with either infectious-inflammatory diseases or congenital pathologies genitals.

The main causes of primary painful menstruation in adolescent girls

Primary algomenorrhea appears with the first menstruation or develops within 3 years after the onset of menstruation. It mainly occurs in easily excitable, emotionally unstable girls, with an asthenic physique, in combination with. Depending on the accompanying “set” of symptoms, primary painful periods are divided into:

• Adrenergic type

In this case, the level of the hormones dopamine, adrenaline, and norepinephrine increases, causing a malfunction of the entire hormonal system of the body. Girls experience constipation, severe headaches, body temperature rises, heart rate increases, insomnia appears, legs and arms become bluish due to spasms of small vessels, the body and face turn pale.

• Parasympathetic type

It is characterized by an increase in the level of the hormone serotonin in cerebrospinal fluid. In girls, on the contrary, the heart rate decreases, nausea with vomiting appears, body temperature decreases, gastrointestinal disorders are expressed by diarrhea, swelling of the limbs and face often appears, allergic reactions on the skin, girls gain weight.

Modern research establishes the fact that primary painful periods are not an independent disease, but a manifestation of deeper internal disorders, that is, symptoms the following diseases or deviations:

• Congenital malformations connective tissue

In gynecological practice, it has long been established that approximately 60% of girls with primary algomenorrhea are diagnosed with genetically determined connective tissue dysplasia. In addition to painful periods, this disease is expressed by flat feet, scoliosis, myopia, and dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract.

This is very serious illness, which occurs more often in girls with elongated limbs, flexible joints, cartilaginous tissues, most often during the child’s growth, magnesium deficiency is detected, which can be established by taking biochemical analysis blood.

• Diseases of the nervous system, neurological disorders

In girls with signs of decreased pain threshold, with emotional instability, with various psychoses, neuroses and other neurological disorders exacerbate the perception of pain, so pain during menstruation in such patients is pronounced.

• Bends of the uterus anteriorly and posteriorly, underdevelopment of the uterus, malformations of its development - bicornuate, two-cavity uterus

The occurrence of very painful periods due to abnormalities in the development of the uterus is caused by problematic, difficult outflow of blood during menstruation from the uterine cavity. This provokes additional uterine contractions, causing pain during menstruation.

Causes of secondary algomenorrhea in women

If pain during menstruation occurs in a woman who already has children, or she is over 30 years old, then this is considered as secondary algomenorrhea. Today, it occurs in every third woman, most often in a moderate to severe form, since it reduces performance and is aggravated by accompanying symptoms, and is also accompanied by heavy menstruation. In addition to pain in the lower abdomen, painful periods occur with other symptoms, which are usually divided into several characteristic groups:

• Autonomic symptoms - bloating, vomiting, nausea, hiccups
• Vegetative-vascular symptoms - dizziness, leglessness, fainting, rapid heartbeat, headaches during menstruation
• Psycho-emotional manifestations - disturbance of taste, perception of smells, increased irritability, anorexia, depression
• Endocrine-metabolic symptoms - increased unmotivated weakness, joint pain, itching skin, vomit

The intensity of pain during menstruation depends on general condition woman's health, depending on age and concomitant diseases. If the patient has metabolic disorders (and other disorders endocrine system), then to additional symptoms during menstruation, endocrine-metabolic manifestations are added; in case of disturbances cardiovascular system, vegetative-vascular symptoms may be more pronounced; as premenopause approaches in women (see), the likelihood of psycho-emotional instability and depressive symptoms increases.

Often women with secondary algomenorrhea experience problems that clearly cannot be ignored and this is an urgent reason to contact a gynecologist for examination and treatment. If primary painful periods, the causes of which are related to congenital anomalies and pathologies that are very difficult to treat, then the occurrence of secondary algomenorrhea is mainly associated with acquired diseases of the female genital organs, the treatment of which should be carried out in mandatory, This:

• infectious and inflammatory diseases of the female genital organs and accompanying diseases adhesive process in the pelvis
• malignant and benign (polyps) tumors of the uterus and appendages
• varicose veins in abdominal cavity, in the pelvic organs
• pelvic neuritis

Also, in women over 30 years of age, the appearance of very severe pain during menstruation can be caused for the following reasons, provoking factors:

• intrauterine contraceptives
• , other intrauterine interventions, due to cicatricial narrowing of the cervix
• surgical operations on the uterine appendages, birth complications or complications after cesarean section
• mental and physical fatigue, constant stress, violation of rest and work schedules

Why should painful periods be treated?

Considering the above, it should be understood that natural physiological function- menstruation should not cause significant general malaise in a woman, depriving her of her ability to work. In order to reduce the pain of menstruation, treatment should not consist of pain relief, but in eliminating the cause of this phenomenon. Of course, you can hope that this will change with the birth of a child, but if this does not happen, especially if a woman experiences painful periods after giving birth to children, she should consult a gynecologist to find out the cause of pain during periods.

• Enduring pain is not only physically difficult, but also very harmful to the nervous system, and regular use of NSAIDs and analgesics does not eliminate the cause of painful periods; moreover, the body gets used to them and painkillers have a number of side effects.
• The appearance of very painful periods is an indicator that some kind of malfunction or disease is occurring in the body, this is a signal that you should definitely find the reason for the body’s inadequate response to a natural process.

Painful periods can and should be treated. Read more about this in our next article. To determine the cause of primary algomenorrhea, a gynecologist is examined, tests are taken for hormonal status, an ultrasound of the pelvic organs, and the girl should also be additionally examined by a neurologist, osteopath, or psychotherapist. For secondary algomenorrhea, hormonal examination, ultrasound, diagnostic laparoscopy, and diagnostic curettage are also performed.

A woman or girl with painful periods should keep an observation diary, a menstruation calendar, in which they describe in detail the sensations, the amount of discharge, the duration of the cycle and the duration of bleeding, all the symptoms that appear during menstruation, in order to then help the doctor in determining the cause and choosing a method of therapy.