Severe pain during menstruation is defined as “dysmenorrhea”. These pains can be mild or severe enough to disrupt the quality of life. In cases of increased severity, you should be alarmed and see a specialist for the underlying disease.
There are two types of dysmenorrhea: primary and secondary.
Primary dysmenorrhea
Primary dysmenorrhea is pelvic pain caused by the natural production of prostaglandins. It starts in young girls during their first menstrual cycle and in most cases the pain episodes become less painful with age. The pain associated with primary dysmenorrhea may decrease after childbirth.
Secondary dysmenorrhea
Secondary dysmenorrhea is pain other than pain caused by natural prostaglandin release. It starts at a later age than primary dysmenorrhea. Patients do not have a history of dysmenorrhea during their first menstrual period. It usually occurs later. Secondary dysmenorrhea pains last longer than normal cramps. The pain may start before menstruation starts and may intensify during the period and continue after it ends. The most common causes of secondary dysmenorrhea are endometriosis and fibroids.
Is severe menstrual pain normal?
Severe menstrual pain can have different causes. Since there may be more serious medical conditions underlying periodic pain, a specialist should be consulted. This condition is called secondary dysmenorrhea in medical language. Menstrual pain with different underlying causes mostly affects women between the ages of 30-45. These pains can be caused by endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease.
Fibroids Benign tumors that can cause women to have heavy and painful menstrual periods.
Pelvic inflammatory disease: A broad term for infections of the upper reproductive organs, such as the fallopian tubes and ovaries. In the case of widespread infection, there is severe pain.
Menstrual pain and endometriosis: Endometriosis is when tissue that should be in the uterus is located in extrauterine tissues such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. These tissues bleed and shed in response to monthly hormonal changes. They cause bleeding and pain in the places where they are seen, like menstrual bleeding with the menstrual period. Persistent pain during menstruation may indicate endometriosis.