Menstrual Cramps – An Overview

By Author: Emilly Bella
Total Articles: 7
Comment this article

Many women experience cramps just before and during their menstrual periods. For some women, the discomfort doesn’t bring much botheration, but for others it can be severe enough to interfere with day to day activities for a few days or weeks.
Menstrual cramps are classified as primary dymenorrhea or secondary Dymenorrhea. Primary Dymenorreha doesn’t show any physical abnormality and usually begins post six to twelve months after women beings menstruating. Secondary Dymenorrhea involves an underlying physical cause like uterine fibroids or endometriosis. If you have primary Dymenorrhea, there are certain measures that you can follow to lower your discomfort level. Rest assured, cramps decrease in intensity and may even go away completely after pregnancy. For secondary dymenorrhea, you can to get the underlying cause treated.
Symptoms
Menstrual cramps occur to most women at some part of their life. Whether its primary or secondary, dysmenorrhea can be a frustrating affair and can disrupt your routine life. signs and symptoms of dismenorrhea may include dull and throbbing pain in the abdomen and pain ...
... that radiates to lower back and thighs. Some other symptoms may include nausea and vomiting, loose stools, excessive sweating, dizziness.
Causes of cramps
During menstrual periods, your uterus contracts to expel its lining. Prostaglandin hormone like substances, which are involved in pain and inflammation, trigger contraction of uterine muscles. Though it hasn’t been testified, many health experts believe that prostaglandins are the main cause of primary dysmenorrhea. Increased secretion of leuketriene, which causes inflammation, is also a contributing factor.
There are a number of conditions that can cause secondary dysmenorrhea that includes endometriosis, andeomyosis, and pelvic inflammatory disease, use of an intrauterine device or uterine fibroids or polyps.
Risk factors involved with it.
There are certain risk factors that are considered with dysmenorrhea – early onset of puberty, heavy bleeding during periods, depression or anxiety, weight loss attempts in teen age, age younger than 20, never delivered a baby, smoking.
Diagnosis of secondary dysmenorrhea
Secondary dysmenorrhea can be diagnosed with ultrasound scan, computerized tomography, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Laparoscopy and Hysteroscopy.
Treatment of secondary Dysmenorrhea and drugs
For mild 133 cramping during pregnancy, one can use non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen and for severe cramping, women can take low dose oral contraceptive to prevent ovulation and reduce the production of prostaglandins.
Besides there are certain home remedies as well that can work well in reducing cramps. You can keep a heating pad on your abdomen to ease your cramps. Taking exercise daily can use increased release of endorphins that relieves pain. Take adequate rest.
When you suffer from 133 cramping early pregnancy, you should consult a physician. He can diagnose you for presence of primary or secondary Dysmenorrhea, so that timely and adequate precautionary steps can be taken.
For any help relating to pregnancy related issues you can simply log on to: http://www.thehealthybelly.com