What Causes Painful Periods?

Did you know that most women around the world have painful periods at some point in their lives? In fact, 50 to 90 percent of women of reproductive age experience some amount of pain.

For many, these painful periods can be so severe that they interfere with daily life. Some women even end up in urgent care because of the pain. It's frustrating when you visit the doctor and leave feeling like your concerns weren't taken seriously or are offered solutions that don’t feel right for you, like birth control or surgery.

When this happens, it’s easy to start doubting yourself, which can take a toll on your confidence.

So, what’s really going on with period pain?

Dysmenorrhea Definition 

Dysmenorrhea is the medical term for painful periods. It’s a condition that’s often overlooked or dismissed, but it can have different causes. Below, we'll break down primary vs. secondary dysmenorrhea.

What is Primary Dysmenorrhea?

Primary dysmenorrhea is the more common and easier type to treat. The pain is caused by hormone-like substances called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins make your uterus contract during your period to help shed its lining. However, the contractions can often elicit pain and discomfort.

Prostaglandins play a big role in the body’s natural processes. They help control inflammation, blood flow, and even how your body responds to injury. But in primary dysmenorrhea, when there are high levels of them during your period, they can cause pain.

If your period pain is due to primary dysmenorrhea, making some changes to your diet and lifestyle can help. Here are some tips to manage prostaglandin levels and reduce period pain:

• Cut back on alcohol.
• Limit oils like soy, corn, cottonseed, and safflower. It is also best to limit fried foods.
• Avoid foods that trigger pain, like those high in refined carbs and sugar, and consider any food allergies you might have.
• Eat more omega-3s.
• Increase your intake of magnesium, calcium, and zinc.
• Manage your stress.
• Get the right amount of exercise and sleep.

Using Beeya Wellness seed cycling products (use code DrDunlap for a discount!) has also helped many women reduce pain from primary dysmenorrhea. We’ve been using this technique for years in naturopathic medicine, and now Beeya Wellness has made it super convenient to take and rotate these seeds throughout your cycle.

What is Secondary Dysmenorrhea?

Secondary dysmenorrhea is usually harder to treat because it’s often linked to chronic pelvic pain and the conditions that cause that pain. If you’re dealing with this kind of pain, it’s important to figure out where it’s coming from. It could be due to issues in one of six different body systems:

• Musculoskeletal System: Pain might come from muscle tension, joint inflammation, or structural problems like a hernia.
• Nervous System: An overactive nervous system can lead to chronic pain, which might show up as an overactive bladder or heightened sensitivity to pain.
• Gastrointestinal System: Issues like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), with symptoms like diarrhea, constipation, and bloating, can add pressure in the pelvic area, causing pain.
• Reproductive System: Ovarian cysts, fibroids, and endometriosis are common sources of pain. Cysts usually cause sharp pain, while fibroids might feel like pressure or heaviness.
• Urinary System: Conditions like urinary tract infections (UTIs) and painful bladder syndrome (interstitial cystitis) can cause pelvic pain, especially during urination.
• Immune System: Infections like vaginitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can cause pelvic pain. Endometriosis, although often thought of as just a reproductive issue, is also linked to the immune system.

Chronic pelvic pain can be tough to treat because there are so many possible causes. That’s why it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider about all these possibilities to ensure you get the right treatment for the correct system.

Bookmark this blog post and discuss these potential causes with your healthcare provider to make sure you’re focusing on the right treatment for you!

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8933932/#:~:text=Dysmenorrhea is a common problem,majority group of these women.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8943241/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560834/#:~:text=Secondary Dysmenorrhea%3A Secondary dysmenorrhea is,in their 30s or 40s.