Menstrual Cramps - The Pain of Women

Women would often complain about menstrual cramps during their menstrual period. The medical term for menstrual cramps is dysmenorrhea. This is also referred to as period pains because as mentioned, this occurs during the menstrual period of the woman.
Menstrual cramps are usually painful and can be felt on the lower abdomen. This is a contracting pain which can be dull or extreme, depending on the severity. Usually, this pain is felt when the egg cell is released by the ovaries and it travels down to the fallopian tube. This process is called as ovulation.
Actually, there are two kinds of period pains. These two kinds would be primary dysmenorrhea and secondary dysmenorrhea. The primary type is the most common and oftentimes, there is no known reason behind the pain. This begins usually one day or two days before the period and would usually last for a maximum of four days.
On the other hand, the secondary type of dysmenorrhea is caused by an underlying medical problem like uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and even pelvic inflammatory disease. This pain is characterized by cramping pain related to the mentioned conditions.
Generally speaking, menstrual cramping is caused by the release of a substance called prostaglandin which is greatly associated with inflammation and pain. Aside from that, the uterus contracts, that is why pain is felt.
As mentioned earlier, cramping can also be caused by underlying medical conditions such as pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids.
Period pains have varying symptoms aside from the fact that it causes pain. Symptoms of this condition would include pain in the lower back that also radiates to the thighs, dull and throbbing pain located on the lower portion of the abdomen, lightheadedness, headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal bloating.
Although menstrual cramping is expected as long as the woman will have her monthly menstruation, having these pains can still be prevented. Some of the recommended preventive measures would be eating a well balanced diet by limiting intake of fatty or greasy foods, caffeine, salty foods, sweet foods, and alcohol consumption. Aside from that, having a regular exercise will also greatly help in preventing cramps. One way is to exercise through the use of a Swiss ball.

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