All too often women’s pains, especially period pains are dismissed as being ‘normal’, but
are they really? I’m going to explore this question today. Lets begin with the main question…
Are period pains normal? Well, a small amount of cramping up and pain in
the lower abdomen that doesn’t restrict your everyday life is supposed to be normal.
You may even experience constipation, tiredness, moodiness and even acne. What isn’t normal
is when the cramping and pain hinders your life. This isn’t meant to be pain that debilitates you
causing you to remain curled up in bed for hours and days not wanting to move. You’re
not supposed to hurt so much that it leaves you screaming and crying. You’re not supposed
to hurt so much that you throw up and have diarrhea. You’re not supposed to hurt so much
that it causes depression. In fact you’re not meant to feel these horrible cramps when you’re
not on your period either. How it’s supposed to be is, yes you go through some cramping
and discomfort, maybe for a day during which a hot water bottle, some stretching and a
pain killer should help you through – but not too much more than that should be needed.
So to answer the question, a painful day may be normal, but painful periods before it,
through it and after it are not normal. Now a very important question… What causes painful periods?
I’ve put together a list of just some of the medical conditions that contribute
to or cause painful periods – please remember that I am not a medical professional. I am
a patient and all this is purely informative and in no way am I providing medical advice.
So please consult a medical professional for your personal case.
Okay so here’s my list of 8 potential causes of more period pain than normal. The first
is – Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Affecting 1 in 10 women, PCOS is a condition caused
by the imbalance of the male hormone, which can be seen to be higher than normal – this
is usually determined through a blood test. Cysts in the ovaries are usually seen in an ultrasound
of the area. These cysts are small fluid filled sacs and because there are many of them the
term ‘polycystic’ is used. Irregular periods can be a strong indicator that you may have
PCOS so to understand this and as to.. and as a record to show your doctor, it’ll make sense
to chart your periods cycle, like how many days you bleed, how often and when in your
cycle do you feel pain or any other form of discomfort.
Some underrated symptoms are acne, facial body… facial or body hair, heavy bleeding
and painful periods, so it’s worth speaking to your doctor about it all. Number 2 is Endometriosis. Endometriosis
is when tissue lining that is usually found growing inside the uterus is found growing
outside of it, multiplying and finding its way to other organs which it tends to get
stuck to such as the bowel region, ovaries, bladder – it’s even known to travel to the
lungs and in very very rare cases, it gets to the brain too.
And because this tissue is similar to that of the uterus lining which sheds for a period
every month, this endometriosis thinks it’s having a period too, but it has nowhere to
go so the blood gets trapped causing an incredible amount of pain and cramping in those areas
and organs. Hormonal imbalances are also associated with endometriosis which can lead to heavy
bleeding during a period. It’s a never ending vicious cycle and what makes it tougher is
that you may or may not be on your period, yet endometriosis being the troublesome disease
that it is, can cause debilitating pain no matter what.
In fact, endometriosis features in NHS’s list of ’20 Most Painful Illnesses’. That’s another
reason why this pain shouldn’t be dismissed as regular menstrual or pre-menstrual pain.
I’ll link this NHS information in the description box in case you’re interested.
On to number 3… Adenomyosis. Adenomyosis is when the tissue that grows as the lining
of the uterus now breaks through and grows inside the muscle wall of the uterus.
This then thickens the uterus causing painful periods, heavy bleeding, cramping and extreme bloating. And
the only known cure for this is a hysterectomy. Number 4… Uterine Fibroids. These are muscular tumours
that grow in the wall of the uterus causing painful periods, heavy bleeding, constipation,
trouble while peeing, painful sex, miscarriages and infertility.
Number 5 is PID – Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.
PID is when the bacteria of a sexually transmitted disease spreads from the vagina
to the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes and the ovaries. This infection tends to cause
pelvic pain even when you’re not on your period. Along with pain, you can experience painful urination,
bleeding during intercourse, painful intercourse, mid-cycle bleeding and even fever.
At number 6, it’s Perimenopause. This is the phase where your body starts to transit towards
menopause. This phase can last anywhere from from four to eight years. So during this time
you can experience an array of symptoms from irregular periods, heavy bleeding, more cramping
than usual, hot flashes and abdominal pain. Number 7… Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome – EDS. EDS is a
connective tissue disorder classified into 14 subtypes. Its symptoms include hypermobility
of joints, stretchy skin, tissue fragility, joint pain, muscle pain, slow healing, osteoarthritis,
dislocations and a whole load of other symptoms – umm and even migraines and fluctuating blood pressure.
So there was a study done linking EDS and period pain that explained – I’ll link
the study in the description box. So the study said…”Heavy menstrual bleeding was
reported by 32.9% survey participants. Gynecologic pain reported included included dysmenorrhea
by 92.5% and dyspareunia by 77.0%.” By the way – dysmenorrhea is the medical term for
cramping during periods and dyspareunia is the term for painful sex.
And finally number 8… it’s the flu or fever. So something even as simple as having fever or
the flu will most likely increase pain during menstruation and it tends to get worse if
you have any of the conditions I’ve mentioned – or even a medical condition I may have missed
out on. When your body’s immunity is low you become more susceptible to pain which also
includes this time of menstruation. It’s tough to know and mention all the medical conditions
that contribute or cause painful periods. I’ve tried to give you this basic list of eight
possibilities to help push one important point… Painful periods are NOT normal. You do not have to
endure such pain – there must be a cause behind it. Speak to your doctor about this and if
he or she doesn’t listen then sadly, you’ll have to keep looking for a doctor that will
believe you. Now I hope this information has helped…
And on that note, please do subscribe to my channel,
please press the bell icon… like and share this video… thank you for watching… just,
thank you!
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