Dysmenorrhea (Painful Periods)
"Rest less nights and Weary days"
Just imagine: For a second not being
able to move or do anything on your own, because of the ongoing
pain in your body... scary enough to be imagined, right? But in reality many women
go through this pain as a part of their monthly period cycle/menstruation (a
process which commonly signifies a girl turning into a woman or in medical science
when a woman’s uterus sheds its lining). Painful periods is a thing that’s a
nightmare for most of the women. The sharp pain during menstruation often
bounds a woman to be at her home away from her daily chores or at her workplace.
Painful periods in medical science is termed as ‘Dysmenorrhea’.
Dysmenorrhea is of two types one is primary and the other is secondary. Primary in medical science is generally considered as regular menstrual cramping which slows down as the age declines or after giving a birth, while secondary can be due to an underlying medical issue in female reproductive organs (uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries).
Dysmenorrhea Symptoms
In both cases(primary and secondary) the sharp pain is felt near lower abdomen, lower back, lower belly button, ribs, thighs and sometimes the backbone due to sitting in prolong fetus position other than that nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive sweating, headache, dizziness, fatigue and weakness also occur due to loss of blood. The duration of pain is different in both (primary and secondary). In primary it lasts between 12-72 hours while in secondary it lasts more than 72 hours.
Dysmenorrhea Cause
The answer lies in the gland namely
‘prostaglandin’ that causes the uterus to contract so
firmly that even sometimes it presses the blood vessels which eventually stops
the oxygen supply to the tissues of the muscles, resulting in excruciating pain.
Dysmenorrhea Treatment
It’s always better to consult your gynecologist first, but here are some remedies that may help you in coping up the situation,
so that you can do your daily house chores and be present at your workplace
without any hassle.
1. Take the prescribed
medicines, usually the doctor recommends NSAIDS (non-steroidal
anti inflammatory drugs).
2. Put a hot water
bottle or heating pad on your lower abdomen, it will minimize the pain
3. Take a warm
shower or a hot water bath it will help you to relax.
4. Exercise, if you can. Medical science says that daily exercise helps a woman to in lowering down her menstrual pain.
5. Eat and drink
healthy foods (a brief discussion regarding the food items is listed down below).
6. Take rest and
sleep well.
Food items that should be avoided during dysmenorrhea
1. Avoid caffeine
intake (tea, coffee) instead take herbal tea(chamomile tea, ginger tea,
peppermint tea)
2. Take less of
these dairy items (ghee, cheese, milk, butter).
3. Avoid salty, fatty,
fried and saturated foods as it will cause you bloating, instead take fiber
active and water rich fruits and vegetables.
4. Avoid
carbonated soft drinks.
5. Avoid refined
and processed food.
6. Avoid sugary
items (I know sugar is the thing that most woman crave for especially on their
periods, but to lower down your pain it’s necessary to cut off sugar from your diet).
7. Avoid alcohol and smoking.
NOTE:
If your pain exceeds more than 3 days you
should visit a gynecologist. In some cases different tests (ultrasound,
MRI, Laparoscopy, Hysteroscopy) are conducted in order to determine the root cause of the problem.
All the above medical information is highly
scrutinized from various medical sources as well as by the doctor.
Amna Zaeem ©.
