What to do with painful periods. Painful periods: causes, treatment

Many representatives of the beautiful half of humanity face painful periods (dysmenorrhea, algomenorrhea). In most cases, severe pain during menstruation indicates the presence of any pathologies in the female genital area. Next, we will consider why painful periods occur, what pathologies and disorders may indicate, and whether treatment for painful periods is required.

With the onset of puberty, monthly rejection of some part of the uterine endometrium occurs, which, together with the egg and a small amount of blood, is released out through the genital tract. Such a cyclical process is menstruation. During this period, women experience a significant hormonal shift, which causes some unpleasant symptoms before or during menstruation.

If there is no onset of pregnancy, then the uterus rejects unnecessary tissues. This situation is accompanied by the opening of the cervix and spasms, so moderate pain during menstruation is an indicator of the norm.

Normal symptoms before or during your mid-cycle period (PMS pain) include:

• pulling pains before menstruation in the lower abdomen of low or moderate intensity. Sometimes only one side hurts before menstruation, this indicates that it was in this ovary that ovulation occurred;
• discomfort in the lumbar region;
• increased appetite;
• tenderness of the mammary glands and pain before menstruation in the chest;
• minor mood changes;
• increased libido in the middle of the cycle and before the onset of menstruation.

The above symptoms are related to and directly controlled by the production of the hormone progesterone. Sometimes painful periods occur after a delay. This is not a deviation from the norm if there is a single case.

Types of dysmenorrhea. Causes of pain

Very painful periods are primary and secondary. Primary is not associated with any serious diseases or pathologies. This type of dysmenorrhea occurs in girls with an unstable nervous system (since there is a slight hormonal failure), asthenic type of addition (very thin), in girls in the first year of menstruation or with an anatomically incorrect position of the uterus.

Secondary dysmenorrhea is usually associated with inflammatory or other diseases of the female genital area and their consequences. So, to provoke severe menstrual pain can:

1. Inflammation of the appendages (,), which contributes to the occurrence of adhesive processes. In the presence of adhesions, even after menstruation, the lower abdomen hurts and pulls the lower back.
2. uterus and ovaries. The cells of the uterine endometrium are intensively divided and spread to nearby organs.
3. Various neoplasms (, polyps).
4. Inflammatory processes of nearby organs (for example, the bladder).
5. Hormonal disorders. For example, menstruation after Duphaston (a hormonal medicine) sometimes comes with a slight delay and can cause pain in the lower abdomen of a aching nature.
6. Varicose veins of the small pelvis.
7. Hormonal disorders.
8. Surgical interventions (including abortions). For example, periods after hysteroscopy often come with a delay of one month. Menstruation does not proceed as usual - the intensity of the discharge may change and severe pain can be observed.
9. Intrauterine device. If it is installed or removed incorrectly, it causes sharp pains both during menstruation and in the middle of the cycle.

Remember! If you have always had meager periods, and have recently become plentiful, this may indicate some kind of pathology. A doctor's consultation is required!

Painful symptoms during menstruation

On the first day of menstruation, there may be some discomfort. So, a woman has the following symptoms:

• strong aching, pulling pains in the lower abdomen, which are localized on one side (it hurts the right side or left side) and radiates to the coccyx, leg or uterus. In especially severe cases, there may be a sharp spasm or "backache" in the abdominal cavity associated with uterine contraction and rejection of an unfertilized egg;
• lower back pain;
• dizziness, migraine;
• severe nausea, sometimes vomiting and diarrhea;
• feeling of pressure and fullness of the mammary glands, soreness of the nipples;
• disorder of the autonomic nervous system, which is manifested by chills, sweating, changes in heart rate;
• stool disorder, diarrhea or, conversely, constipation;
• fainting for a few seconds is a terrible symptom that requires an urgent call to the doctor.

The above symptoms can make a woman completely incapacitated, so bed rest is required, at least until the severe pain during menstruation subsides.

The nervous system also suffers during this period. Severe malaise makes a woman overly irritable, anxiety, insomnia, and weakness may appear. Chronic stress often increases the duration and frequency of symptoms. That is why women often experience not only pain after menstruation, but also in the middle of the cycle.

Often, doctors recommend that patients with the above symptoms keep a diary and cycle calendar, where they should record the dates of the beginning and end of menstruation, whether they are painful, as well as other ailments observed during this period.

Remember! If you are tormented by terrible pain during menstruation, then you should not endure such a condition. It is necessary to consult a gynecologist and find out the true cause of the pain.

In some sources, you can find information that with pain during menstruation, you need to move more or do physical exercises. However, in reality, this should not be done during menstruation, since unnecessary movements with severe pain will only aggravate the situation.

Menstruation during pregnancy

If the expectant mother is healthy, then menstruation during pregnancy should not be. The greatest danger is bleeding in the first trimester, up to 12 weeks. It is during this period of bearing a child that the risk of miscarriage is high.

If a woman has painful periods during early pregnancy, and she does not even know about her interesting position, this aggravates the situation. The expectant mother can drink alcohol, smoke based on uterine bleeding and pain in the lower abdomen, suggesting that menstruation has begun. That is why there are situations when a woman finds out about pregnancy three months after conception.

If a pregnant woman has pain in the lower abdomen, brown or reddish discharge, you should immediately visit a gynecologist to prevent sad consequences. In order to save the child, eliminate the cause of pain and the painful symptoms themselves, most often a woman is prescribed treatment in a hospital.

Thus, menstruation during pregnancy in most cases speaks of a pathological process that requires urgent diagnosis.

Diagnostics

Very severe pain during menstruation, which lasts more than two to three days and does not go away after taking analgesics, requires medical intervention. To choose the right treatment, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive diagnosis and find out the cause of the pathological symptoms.

Inspection should be carried out at the beginning of the cycle, preferably on the 5-7th day. In extreme cases - in the middle of the cycle, before the onset of ovulation. During this period, the hormonal background is restored, the pain most often disappears and the results of the studies will be more accurate.

Diagnostic measures are carried out by a gynecologist in several stages.

First, a patient history is taken. The doctor finds out whether the patient is sexually active, what methods of contraception she uses, whether there have been pregnancies, abortions, surgical interventions, and whether there are chronic diseases.

Then he proceeds to the examination in the gynecological chair. An experienced gynecologist by palpation can determine the presence of possible inflammation of the ovaries, appendages or uterus. The site of inflammation is usually painful and enlarged.

The above methods are often not enough for a correct diagnosis, therefore, in order to avoid medical errors, additional laboratory and hardware studies are carried out. A smear is taken to determine possible infections, blood from a finger (vein). In some cases, a blood test for hormones is performed.

Then the woman needs to do an ultrasound examination of the pelvic organs to determine the presence of cysts and other formations. Sometimes the doctor prescribes - a study that allows you to determine the presence of an adhesive process and, in more detail than ultrasound, check the pelvic organs.

Painful menstruation can also be with vascular pathologies. In this case, dopplerography of the vessels is performed.

According to the results of the diagnosis, in the absence of gynecological pathologies, it is necessary to be examined by a neurologist and a psychotherapist, since malfunctions in the nervous system can directly affect the changes in the cycle and aggravate the course of its unpleasant symptoms.

If a gynecological disease is detected, the doctor diagnoses "algodysmenorrhea" and prescribes treatment.

What to do with pain during menstruation

Treatment of dysmenorrhea includes not only the relief of pain and symptomatic therapy, but also the mandatory elimination of the disease that caused it. So, in inflammatory processes of an infectious and non-infectious nature, antibacterial and antiviral therapy is prescribed, as well as anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory suppositories and tablets.

With neoplasms of the internal genital organs, which can cause pain in the lower abdomen after menstruation, a decision is made to remove them surgically.

Hormonal drug

Painful and heavy periods caused by hormonal disorders are treated with drugs that correct the hormonal background. More often than others, Yarina, Diane-35 tablets are prescribed.

If dysmenorrhea is caused by disorders in the functioning of the nervous system against the background of chronic stress, then the treatment is prescribed by a neurologist or psychotherapist. Here, both ordinary sedative sedative pills and more serious therapy - tranquilizers, neuroleptics, antidepressants can be used. Vaginal suppositories in this case are not used.

Painkillers such as Nise, Nurofen, Analgin, Tempalgin, Ketorol, No-Shpa are used to directly eliminate painful and heavy periods. Candles during menstruation are not recommended.

In parallel with the above measures, with severe pain during menstruation, the intake of vitamins E, A, C is indicated. The gynecologist determines the duration and regimen in each case.

You can not ignore traditional medicine. Herbs are widely used for heavy periods - chamomile, upland uterus. By taking this herbal decoction, you can reduce the intensity of pain.

What not to do during menstruation:

• live sexually;
• warm or cool the places of localization of pain;
• perform intense physical exercise;
• visit baths, saunas, swimming pools, lie in the bath.

Prevention

After medical elimination of the cause of dysmenorrhea, simple preventive measures should be followed to prevent the return of painful symptoms.

1. The correct daily routine, the alternation of work and rest. It is necessary to prevent mental and physical overload, sleep at least 8-9 hours. Failure to comply with these rules leads to chronic fatigue syndrome and stress. And stress, as you know, is the cause of 90% of diseases, including dysmenorrhea.
2. With painful periods, moderate physical activity helps tone muscles, improve metabolism and metabolic processes of the body, and can even normalize hormonal levels.
3. Take timely action to eliminate stress.
4. Proper nutrition and drinking enough fluids also have a beneficial effect on the body.
5. Giving up bad habits (drinking alcohol, smoking) is simply necessary for heavy periods.

Dysmenorrhea is not a death sentence. With a competent approach to treatment, as well as with the observance of preventive measures, this disease is completely eliminated.

The main cause of painful periods in women is a violation of the hormonal system. As a rule, in such cases, pain is observed mainly in the lower abdomen and may radiate to the lower back. At the same time, it is mostly blunt, pulling in nature. Often, along with painful sensations during menstruation, headaches, nausea, weakness, dizziness are noted. Some women may experience pain a few hours before the onset of spotting, and some after.

Why is my period so painful?

Pain in the lower abdomen occurs when there is a contraction of the uterine muscles. To be fair, it should be noted that slight contractions of the myometrium are almost always observed. However, during menstruation, they are most pronounced, have greater intensity and frequency.

With the contraction of the uterus, some blood vessels are infringed, as a result of which there is a decrease in blood flow to the uterus itself. As a result of a lack of oxygen, the tissues of the internal reproductive organs begin to release chemical compounds into the blood, which also lead to severe pain. It is this fact that explains why girls have painful periods.

The fact that some women have periods more painful than others has not been fully studied. Regarding this, physiologists have suggested that this fact may be due to the accumulation in the body of a large amount of prostaglandins, which can cause pain during menstruation.

Why else can there be very painful periods?

Most often, pain during menstrual flow is observed within 12-24 hours. The greatest intensity of pain occurs at the peak of discharge.

If we talk directly about why menstruation is painful, it is necessary to name the following diseases, in which menstruation is almost always accompanied by such a symptom. Among them:

Menstruation is a natural process that occurs every month in women. The onset of menstruation confirms that a woman has entered puberty. This process is completely natural, and every woman should accept it and get used to it. But not everything is so simple. It happens that a woman looks forward to these days with horror, because she has painful periods.

In general, menstruation should not cause a woman great inconvenience. However, pain during menstruation is a kind of signal that something is wrong with the female body. Every woman who has reached childbearing age should know the causes of painful periods.

Causes of painful periods

What causes dysmenorrhea (painful periods)? The secretion of menstrual blood and endometrium occurs due to intense contractions of the uterus. When something interferes with this process, there is pain during menstruation. A woman usually experiences the most severe pain on the first or second day of menstruation.

The most common reason why menstruation is painful is the incorrect position of the uterus. It compresses the nerve endings, which contributes to pain in the sacrum, lower back and lower abdomen. This condition can be both congenital and acquired as a result of various inflammatory processes in the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes.

Also, the intensity of uterine contraction and a woman's susceptibility to pain is affected by the level of hormones in the body. Often, women over 30 years of age are characterized by very painful periods, which are the result of an increased level of the female sex hormone - estrogen.

For the rhythmic contractions of the uterus during menstruation, special chemicals are responsible - prostaglandins. The higher their level, the more often and stronger uterine contractions occur. That is why painful periods often occur with elevated levels of prostaglandins. Often, pain is also accompanied by diarrhea, nausea, headache and general poor health of the woman.

Why do painful periods still occur? Often this happens due to a malfunction of the adrenal glands and the thyroid gland. But in these cases, the woman suffers not only from pain during menstruation, but also from premenstrual syndrome.

If young women who have not yet given birth complain of very painful periods, this may indicate infertility.

The cause of painful periods can also be the use of an intrauterine device by a woman as a preservative against unwanted pregnancy. Since the intrauterine device is a foreign body, the body often tries to "get rid" of it. In addition, the spiral contributes to increased production of prostaglandins in the uterine mucosa.

Pain during menstruation is often a symptom of chronic inflammatory diseases of the female genital area: inflammation of the ovaries, endometriosis, colpitis, inflammation of the fallopian tubes, etc.

It happens that algomenorrhea is caused by a genetic factor, when many women in the family suffered from this disease.

Symptoms of painful periods

Algodysmenorrhea is the most common gynecological disease. According to statistics, every second woman experienced pain during menstruation. Moreover, often painful periods are manifested not only in pain in the abdomen, lower back, sacrum, but are also accompanied by other body disorders: nausea and vomiting, headaches, irritability, fainting, pain in the legs, etc.

If a woman regularly has painful periods, then often all these symptoms are the result of the fact that a woman spends a whole month in intense anticipation of the next menstruation and perceives it as a catastrophe that cannot be avoided. That is, the psychological factor also plays an important role.

What symptoms should be consulted with a gynecologist?

• During menstruation, the pain increases sharply and is accompanied by very profuse bleeding.
• Less pain during menstruation than usual.
• Menstruation is accompanied by fever, chills, sweating, which may indicate an inflammatory process.
• The discharge is unusual, has a pungent odor and an unusual color. During urination, a woman feels pain and burning. These symptoms may indicate the presence of an infection in the body.

When should an ambulance be called?

• Severe dizziness, loss of consciousness.
• Sharp severe pain in the lower abdomen, which does not allow to get out of bed.
• The appearance in the menstrual blood of pieces of tissue of a grayish or silvery color.
• If menstruation went during pregnancy.

Diagnosis of painful periods

To diagnose algomenorrhea, a woman must answer a gynecologist a number of questions:

• What is the nature of the pain, how is it related to menstruation and when does it start?
• Does a woman live an active sex life and how often does she reach orgasm?
• Does she have a regular menstrual cycle?
• Does a woman feel pain during intercourse?
• What methods does a woman use to prevent unwanted pregnancy?
• Does the woman currently have inflammatory gynecological diseases and have they been in the past?
• Does the woman suffer from infertility?

Every woman should understand that painful periods are not only unpleasant sensations, but also evidence that some disturbances are occurring in the body. Therefore, with algomenorrhea, it is necessary to consult a doctor who will help identify its cause and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

Moderate painful periods, according to doctors, occur in 70% of women of childbearing age. Many of them believe that the pain that accompanies menstruation is normal. However, gynecologists are of a different opinion. In addition, for most girls, discomfort during menstruation occurs about a year after the start of hormonal changes, during puberty. Up to this point, menstruation is practically not accompanied by any unpleasant sensations.

In medical practice, painful menstruation has received the conditional name of algomenorrhea (or dysmenorrhea), although officially this term means not only discomfort during menstruation, but also a failure of their regularity.

Symptoms of the disease

Algomenorrhea can be accompanied not only by pain in the lower abdomen, but also by dizziness, nausea, loose stools, general irritability (hypersensitivity), sweating, high blood pressure. The symptoms for each girl are individual, but the painful sensations among them are pronounced, so most often it is about them that one has to hear mentions. How long can painful periods last? Most often, a few hours, but in some women they last for 2-3 days, which, of course, is a sufficient reason to contact a gynecologist. At the same time, on the remaining days of the menstrual cycle, the patient may feel very comfortable, with completely absent painful symptoms.

A woman gets tired faster, physical activity is difficult for her. This is normal, as most of the energy the body spends on releasing the egg. Sleep disturbance is rare, but often observed in women who have not previously given birth at the age of 25-30 years.

Why pain occurs

What are the causes of painful periods? Doctors rely on two independent factors: organic (physiological) and hormonal. More common is the second, due to excessive secretion of prostaglandin. This hormone is responsible for stimulating the walls of the uterus, the muscles of the pelvis, provoking spontaneous contractions in the lower abdomen. Along with this, the blood vessels narrow, the direct functionality of the reproductive organs is disrupted, since the girl, in fact, remains not pregnant. And, by the way, it is prostaglandin that causes a feeling of nausea, nervousness, headache, loose stools. If your problem is connected precisely with an excess of this hormone, then the card indicates that you have primary algomenorrhea, which is caused for no apparent reason.

But if heavy periods are caused by organic dysfunction, then the problem can be corrected only by treating the underlying disease, which causes pain. Here, the symptoms can be radically different, and the treatment is individual. However, according to surveys, girls feel about the same pain during this: squeezing, sometimes turning into a call sign (as if during contractions).

Against the background of algomenorrhea in women, a general hypersensitivity of the nervous system may occur. The pain becomes acute, the mood changes dramatically. Unfortunately, until now, no effective and efficient drug has been developed that would help to cope with such symptoms. Partially, only complex painkillers, such as Tamipul, which is a combination of caffeine, paracetamol and ibuprofen, help. However, this does not solve the problem in the future. To regulate the secretion of prostaglandin, hormone therapy can be prescribed, but if you had to deal with physiological, then only a doctor can prescribe treatment, based on the results of a general medical examination, ultrasound.

Also, doctors have established another reason why painful menstruation occurs at all: it is a genetically determined connective tissue dysplasia. In this case, the hip joint receives a large load, disturbances in the work of the gastrointestinal tract appear. Unfortunately, the problem is congenital and is accompanied by long-term treatment. However, this disease should not be ignored, since in the future it can lead to suppression of the reproductive function, or even to infertility. According to statistics, connective tissue dysplasia occurs in 60% of girls who seek the help of a gynecologist in the treatment of algomenorrhea.

If painful periods are observed, the reasons may lie in the use of hormonal contraceptives, the installation of a spiral. In the latter case, our body perceives a foreign body and tries to get rid of it, accompanying this with muscle inflammation. But such a reaction does not occur in every woman.

If a girl has very painful periods, then you should consult a doctor immediately, since the cause of the disorder can be both an infection and a malignant tumor that puts pressure on the nerves. At best, it will be pelvic neuritis due to excessive expansion of cartilage or inflammation in the muscles.

Therapeutic measures

If a girl was diagnosed with primary algomenorrhea, then the treatment, respectively, is symptomatic, that is, aimed at getting rid of unpleasant sensations. First of all, the gynecologist conducts a thorough survey in order to identify the "culprit" of the pain. And this can be not only the uterus or muscles, but also compressed nerve roots. Next, a blood test is performed to check its hormonal composition.

If the exact reason why menstruation passes with pain could not be established, then a whole range of measures aimed at improving the woman's body is prescribed. It is not surprising, since, according to statistics, algomenorrhea more often occurs in those who reject a healthy lifestyle, abuse alcohol, smoke, and are overweight. Against the background of all this, it is precisely the malfunction of the reproductive system of the body that occurs.

The wellness program includes the following activities:

• proper organization of work and rest;
• appointment of a specialized diet;
• gradual abandonment of bad habits;
• physiotherapy;
• acupuncture;
• course of vitamin therapy.

In rare cases, the doctor writes the girl a sick leave.

Why do menstruation occur with pain in women who have given birth much less often? Because the hormonal background in their body normalizes, the secretion of prostaglandin decreases, and the reproductive organs enter the recovery stage.

The most effective way to eliminate pain is to take painkillers and hormone therapy.

The secretion of prostaglandin is regulated by drugs such as Naproxen, Brufen, Butadione. Moreover, the intake of these drugs should begin a few days before the planned menstruation and continue for 7-10 days (depending on the nature of the flow of menstruation in each individual girl).

Of the physiotherapeutic methods, novocaine electrophoresis (in the solar plexus area) is effective. It is necessary to go through 8-10 procedures (every other day), so that the latter is carried out approximately 2-3 days before the planned period. This therapy is aimed specifically at temporary dysfunction of the nervous system in the pelvic area. Together with electrophoresis, regular intake of multivitamin complexes, which include vitamin E, is recommended.

Diagnosis of algomenorrhea

For the diagnosis of primary algomenorrhea, a blood test for hormone levels is mainly prescribed. Along with this, the girl is being interviewed in order to identify the first sign in which a painful symptom has developed.

Secondary algomenorrhea has a more extensive list of reasons why it occurs, so the gynecologist may prescribe:

• ultrasound examination (ultrasound);
• hysteroscopy (minimally invasive examination);
• laparoscopy (examination of the abdominal cavity, is prescribed most often, as it is the most informative).

Traditional medicine claims that all the symptoms of algomenorrhea can be easily eliminated with a decoction of horsetail, watch, knotweed, cat's paw, yarrow, cuff, motherwort. You need to take the dried leaves of these plants (1 tablespoon each), pour 2 liters of boiling water and let it brew for 3-4 hours. Drink 300 ml per day (1.5 cups), in equal doses of 100 g (3 times a day), 3-4 days before the scheduled menstruation. Just be careful, as such a decoction has a diuretic effect. By the way, the infusion is recommended to be consumed 15-20 minutes before a meal, since at this moment the stomach easily and quickly copes with the absorption of trace elements.

A hot infusion of oregano also helps. To prepare it, you need to take 1 tbsp. l. dry and powdered leaves of the plant, pour 1 liter of boiling water and place all this contents in a thermos. You should drink it during the day, divided into 3-5 servings. You can easily add honey, sugar or even viburnum to this tea, but in a small amount. But the lemon will have to be abandoned: the acid that is part of it destroys a whole complex of trace elements.

Many women during menstruation are worried not so much by pain as by heavy bleeding and the annoying thought of “leaking”. However, you can slightly reduce the manifestation of the symptom by decoction of the shepherd's purse herb. Just pour 1 cup boiling water over 1 tbsp. l. dry stem, boil for 5 minutes, let cool and drink it all in one go. The cake, of course, can be thrown away or used for re-brewing (it will be quite enough for this).

And one of the oldest and most effective methods that eliminated severe ones is a decoction of elecampane - this herb is sold in every pharmacy. Only in our case, its nominal roots will be required. You need to take 1 tbsp. l. crushed composition, pour boiling water over, leave for 45 minutes and drink in two doses (preferably in the morning and evening). The taste of the broth is not the most pleasant, but the effect is very good. In addition, the root has a calming effect, which will be very useful for girls with hypersensitivity.

How dangerous is pain

Doctors say that pain during menstruation is not normal. And the treatment of algomenorrhea, although conditional, is still there. Women should not assume that discomfort during menstruation is a common occurrence. Any pain indicates problems in the functioning of the body, so you should not postpone a doctor's consultation "for later." In addition, in some cases, algomenorrhea indicates the presence of a more serious disease, perhaps even on an infectious basis. If timely treatment is not taken up, then the consequence may be the loss of reproductive function.

It is believed that pain during menstruation is caused by an excess of the hormone prostaglandin or a physiological disorder in the functioning of the organs. In the first case, hormonal therapy helps, in the second - the treatment of the primary disease. What violation did you encounter? The doctor determines the exact cause based on the results of a blood test, ultrasound, laparoscopy. If it was not possible to find the reason why the menstruation is painful, then the woman is prescribed painkillers and general healing of the body.

Painful periods are observed in most women and girls, according to statistics, about 70%. In medicine, this phenomenon is called algomenorrhea.

Pain may vary in intensity and character from case to case. Not pronounced pain or discomfort is considered the norm, especially in women who have not yet given birth.

However, if the pain during the menstrual period is very severe or accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms, then measures must be taken.

Identification of the main cause of pain is important, as this will help get rid of them in the future. Most often, the problem lies in hormones, or rather prostaglandin. During the monthly cycle, its amount increases, and this leads to a strong contraction of the muscles of the uterus and spasm of the blood vessels. As a result, blood circulation in the genital organs is disturbed, which can cause other pathologies.

The onset of painful periods usually occurs in the second year of stable periods in adolescents, when the ovulatory cycle is already stable. On the other hand, pain in adolescents can be psychological in nature, as this is something new, and the girl becomes obsessed with menstruation and, as a result, becomes more susceptible to pain.

In other cases, pain may be associated with other factors:

Symptoms and Diagnosis

In addition to pain, other symptoms may also occur:

• nausea or vomiting;
• dizziness;
• loss of consciousness;
• pain in muscles and joints;
• diarrhea or constipation;
• Heart arythmy;
• increased sweating;
• weakness;
• increased fatigue;
• high body temperature (up to 38-39°C);
• nervous disorders (irritability, apathy, excitability);
• jumps in blood pressure.

Women usually experience 2-3 different symptoms, and they are consistently the same, the main of which is pain in the lower abdomen, starting a couple of days before the onset of bleeding. Pain can "radiate" to different parts of the body: groin, legs, pelvis, side. They can be both in the form of attacks, and be aching or pulling in nature.

For diagnosis, you should contact a gynecologist who will conduct several different tests for hormones and other substances. This will help determine the hormonal background during menstruation, before and after. A standard gynecological examination is also performed and a uterine smear is taken. Additionally, ultrasound and CT of internal organs are possible.

Methods of treatment

Therapy methods depend on the underlying cause of the pain, so there is no specific treatment. So, what helps with painful periods, read on.

Medicines

To eliminate the pain syndrome, the following hormonal drugs are used:

They have the ability to suppress the synthesis of prostaglandin and relieve spasms of the muscles of the uterus.

Folk remedies

For pain during the menstrual cycle, the following recipes can help:

• . Take 1 tablespoon of herbs in a glass of boiling water and insist 1 hour. Then filter and take half a glass every 2 hours. After the pain subsides, I drink the infusion twice a day: in the morning and in the evening.
• Gentian cruciform. For 2 teaspoons of crushed gentian root, take 3 cups of boiling water and incubate for 1 hour. The drug is taken 100 ml before meals.
• . Take 2 tablespoons of celery root and pour boiling water over it. The infusion is aged for 2 hours. It is taken 2 tablespoons each time before meals.
• Wild strawberry. For 1 tablespoon of strawberry leaves, you need to take 2 cups of cold, but boiled water and leave for 5 hours. Take half a glass daily during menstruation.
• Calendula. Take (2%) and dilute it with water 1 to 4. Enter into the vagina by douching.

It is also helpful to start drinking various soothing herbs a week before your period, such as chamomile, St. John's wort, valerian root, or motherwort. This will alleviate the condition and reduce the severity of pain.

Massage, exercise and physiotherapy

You can try to relieve pain with massage. To do this, massage the lower abdomen in a circular motion. Yoga with Pilates will be useful. A good tool is a special exercise for the uterus: we lie down on our back and press our tailbone against the wall, and stretch our legs up.

Alternately raise and lower each leg, bending at the knee. Or you can just put a heating pad on your stomach and relax. This will improve blood circulation and relieve spasm, if this is the reason. In any case, it is recommended that you first consult a doctor and undergo an examination.

In order not to harm even more, you should remember important points that can worsen the condition. You cannot do the following:

• engage in self-medication "at random";
• supercool;
• independently adjust the dose and method of taking medicines;
• stop taking medications without the knowledge of a doctor;
• engage in heavy physical labor during menstruation;
• have sex;
• use alcohol or drugs.

Prevention

There are a number of preventive measures aimed at preventing pain during menstruation:

• nutrition should be balanced so that the body does not experience a lack of certain elements;
• you should limit yourself to the use of alcohol, coffee, tobacco and drugs;
• stress and emotional overwork should be avoided;
• physical activity is useful, but within reasonable limits;
• observance of the sleep regimen will help stabilize the hormonal background;
• it is necessary to monitor the hygiene of the genital organs and treat any diseases of the genitourinary system in time;
• It is recommended to regularly undergo preventive examinations by a gynecologist.

Painful periods cause a lot of problems, especially at work and in your personal life. They can cause conflicts or poor performance, so the problem needs to be resolved. First, it is better to undergo examinations to find the cause, and then choose the right treatment.

Painful menstruation can indicate a serious illness that can disrupt the reproductive functions of the female body, so it's better to play it safe and go to the doctor.