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- BBC News World
3 hours ago
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Most women experience pain as part of their menstrual cycle.
This pain is usually felt as abdominal cramps, which can spread to the back, thighs, legs, and other parts of the body.
And it can be moderate and constant during the period, or in the form of stronger and more painful spasms.
Women can also suffer from nausea, diarrhea and headaches.
The truth is that menstrual pain varies greatly from woman to woman, from exactly where in the body it is felt to how badly it occurs.
Why do periods hurt?
“Between 30 and 50 per cent of women have painful periods, and some are so bad they affect their lives,” Dr Katy Vincent, a pain researcher at the Nuffield Department of Reproductive and Women’s Health, tells the BBC. Oxford University, England.
“When we have our period, the uterus contracts so the blood can flow out,” she explains.
“And that lightheadedness or dizziness that you get, which is associated with the clot coming out, is probably the cervix opening up a bit to let the clot through and that’s accompanied by a contraction.
It is also known that many inflammations occur during menstruation.
The tissues of the uterus release chemicals that cause pain. At the same time, the body produces prostaglandins, which increase during the menstrual period.
Prostaglandins are fatty compounds that are produced in cells and have a wide variety of functions in the body.
For example, during menstruation they cause the muscles of the uterus to contract and are involved in the inflammatory response, which causes pain.
Prostaglandins are not hormones, but they are often associated with them because of the way they work.
“We are convinced that prostaglandins are one of the factors that contribute to increased inflammation and pain during menstruation,” says Dr. Vincent.
But what is the function of this inflammation and the pain it causes?
“Inflammation has many positive functions. When you get injured, inflammation occurs, which leads to a process that helps the tissue heal and makes you aware that the injury is hurting you in order to protect that tissue as it heals. “, explains Mr. Vincent.
It is a necessary process that allows the body to repair itself.
So, during menstruation, all cramps and pains are due to prostaglandins which help the uterine lining to heal properly and ensure that all menstrual fluid is flushed out of the uterus.
The problem arises when this process occurs in excessive amounts.
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When should you worry regarding menstrual pain
For many women who experience period pain, it can usually be relieved with painkillers or anti-inflammatories.
But in some cases, period pain can be caused by an underlying medical condition.
Uterine fibroids, also called fibroids, are non-cancerous growths that can grow in or around the uterus and make menstruation heavy and painful.
Period pain can also be due to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), a bacterial infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes, or ovaries.
Salpingitis is often caused by bacteria from sexually transmitted infections, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea. And having unprotected sex with someone who has these infections can cause salpingitis.
Menstrual pain can also be caused by the intrauterine device, which is used as a contraceptive and inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy.
But perhaps one of the biggest causes of pelvic pain is endometriosis.
Possible causes of painful periods
- Endometriosis
- Fibroids
- Copper intrauterine device (IUD).
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
- Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
- Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI)
Source: US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What is endometriosis?
“We define endometriosis as the presence of tissue from the lining of the uterus – the endometrium – outside the uterus, in abnormal places such as the pelvic area, ovaries, bladder or intestines”, explains to the BBC Andrew Horne, professor of gynecology and reproductive science at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, who has conducted research into the causes of endometriosis.
In addition to pelvic pain, this condition, which affects between 6 and 10% of women, can lead to problems conceiving and carrying a pregnancy to term.
The exact cause of endometriosis is not yet understood, but it can have a huge impact on the lives of women who suffer from it.
“We shouldn’t underestimate the impact that endometriosis can have. It really is a terrible disease for people who have it,” says Andrew Horne.
“But our understanding of why endometriosis causes pain is quite limited.
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Endometriosis is the presence of tissue from the lining of the uterus – the endometrium – outside the uterus.
As the expert explains, one of the main problems faced by women with this disease is the difficulty in diagnosing it.
“Symptoms of endometriosis are often dismissed because they are thought to be normal (in menstruation),” she says.
“The other big problem is that endometriosis often has the same symptoms as other disorders, like irritable bowel syndrome or painful bladder syndrome, so it’s not an easy disease to diagnose.”
Symptoms of endometriosis
The ‘classic’ symptom, Prof Horne explains, is pelvic pain during menstruation, but this pain can also occur outside of menstruation, during defecation, urination or intercourse.
Also, endometriosis cannot be diagnosed by a CT scan or blood test. There is only one way to confirm the presence of the disease: a laparoscopy.
This is a surgical procedure during which the surgeon makes a small abdominal incision in which he inserts a viewing instrument – the laparoscope – in order to detect endometriosis inside the pelvic cavity.
There is no cure for endometriosis, only treatments aimed at relieving the symptoms can be offered.
Endometrial growths can be surgically removed or a hysterectomy can be done to remove the entire uterus. And there is also hormonal treatment.
But the goal of endometriosis research is to find a cure, that is, a drug or treatment that can stop the disease and relieve pain for many women.
