What causes menstrual cramps?

The bleeding, called menstruation, occurs because the uterine wall, which is normally prepared for baby development, is expelled by the body as a result of a lack of fertilization. The uterus is actually muscle tissue. Here, this muscle tissue begins to contract to help shed the soft wall that surrounds it. The hormone prostaglandin triggers these contractions in the uterus. Prostaglandin reaches high levels in the blood a day or two before the onset of menstruation and begins to decline after the first two days of menstruation. The higher the prostaglandin level, the more severe the menstrual cramps. For this reason, menstrual pain is felt at the beginning of menstruation. Menstrual pain felt due to the menstrual cycle is called primary dysmenorrhea.

Apart from that, menstrual pains caused by the following medical conditions are called secondary dysmenorrhea:

  • Cervical stenosis,
  • Endometriosis,
  • Uterine fibroids,
  • Adenomyosis,
  • Pelvic inflammatory disease

What are the symptoms of menstrual cramps?

The pain is concentrated in the lower abdomen.

This pain, which can start 1 to 3 days before menstruation, reaches its peak 24 hours after the onset of menstruation and subsides in 2 to 3 days.

Continued pain with a feeling of heaviness (which may also be felt in the groin or inner thighs)

It is a pain that can spread to the waist and cause numbness.

  • For some women,
  • Nausea,
  • soft stool,
  • Headache,
  • Symptoms such as dizziness are also encountered.

Who Experiences More Menstrual Pain?

  • Under 30 years old,
  • Precocious puberty, 11 years old or younger
  • Those who have heavy bleeding during the menstrual period,
  • Those with irregular menstrual bleeding
  • Those who have a family history of menstrual pain,
  • Smokers.

Should I go to the doctor because of menstrual cramps?

If your menstrual cramps are so intense that they affect your daily life significantly, if your symptoms are getting worse, or if you start experiencing severe menstrual cramps after the age of 25, although you have never experienced them before, you should consult a specialist. delay. Frequent menstruation does not have a negative effect on pregnancy. Menstrual pain does not prevent pregnancy. In addition, with the widespread use of IVF treatment, pregnancy has become easier.