Why cramping during period

They usually last about one to three days. They may start strong and feel better as the hours pass, or come and go more randomly. Cramps can be barely noticeable, or quite painful or severe 2. Moderate to intense pain is more common 2 to 3 years after your first period menarche and usually gets better after age 20, or after pregnancy and birth 2. Menstrual cramps that are severe are usually associated with medical conditions like endometriosis or adenomyosis.

Keeping track of your pain with an app, like Clue , can be helpful. Getting familiar with the basics of menstrual cycle-related pain can help you understand if your pain might be something to talk to your healthcare provider about. Primary dysmenorrhea the clinical word for painful periods is pain caused by the period itself. Secondary dysmenorrhea is period pain with another root cause, such as a health condition like endometriosis.

This article discusses primary dysmenorrhea. Menstrual cramps are most likely caused by an excess of prostaglandins —hormone-like compounds that are released from the uterine lining the endometrium as it prepares to be shed.

Prostaglandins help the uterus contract and relax, so that the endometrium can detach and flow out of your body. They are a necessary part of the process, but in excess, they cause pain if the uterus contracts strongly, blood flow is reduced, and the supply of oxygen to the uterus muscle tissue decreases, causing pain 5. Inflammation may play a role. The production of prostaglandins is related to inflammation, and inflamed tissue tends to produce more prostaglandins 6.

People who experience more menstrual pain have also been shown to have higher levels of inflammatory markers in the blood, even after adjustment for factors related to chronic inflammation, like BMI, smoking, and alcohol consumption 7. Inflammation has also been linked to the worsening of other premenstrual symptoms, including mood changes.

People are more likely to have painful periods if they have heavy or long period bleeding, if they started menstruating early in life, or if their periods are irregular 8, 9.

Other factors that have been associated with painful periods include smoking, being thin, being younger than 30, having a pelvic infection, and being sterilized 8. Research done by Clue with Oxford University also found that Clue users with undiagnosed sexually transmitted infections STIs were more likely to experience certain premenstrual symptoms, including cramps, than those without STIs If your periods are heavy, irregular, or extremely painful, trying to find and treat the cause of your irregularities may be important for your health.

Other approaches to relieving cramps, like hormonal birth control, act by preventing the building and shedding of the endometrium. Anti-inflammatory painkillers are an effective way to get relief from period pain NSAIDs non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , like ibuprofen, inhibit the production of prostaglandins and inflammation.

Other types of over-the counter painkillers may reduce pain, but tend to be less effective for treating menstrual cramps NSAIDs are also used in reducing heavy bleeding PMS causes many different symptoms, including weight gain, bloating, irritability, and fatigue. PMS often starts one to two weeks before your period starts. Primary dysmenorrhea is the most common kind of period pain. It is period pain that is not caused by another condition. The cause is usually having too many prostaglandins, which are chemicals that your uterus makes.

These chemicals make the muscles of your uterus tighten and relax, and this causes the cramps. The pain can start a day or two before your period. It normally lasts for a few days, though in some women it can last longer. You usually first start having period pain when you are younger, just after you begin getting periods.

Often, as you get older, you have less pain. The pain may also get better after you have given birth. Secondary dysmenorrhea often starts later in life. It is caused by conditions that affect your uterus or other reproductive organs, such as endometriosis and uterine fibroids. This kind of pain often gets worse over time. As the lining is shed, the levels of prostaglandins in your body is lowered. This is why cramps typically subside after the first couple of days of your period.

Pain relievers like ibuprofen Advil can help relieve cramps. Estrogen and progesterone are hormones that help regulate the menstrual cycle. They can also affect chemicals in the brain that are associated with headaches. Right before your period starts, there are lowered levels of estrogen in the body, which can trigger headaches.

If possible, lie down in a dark and quiet room. You might also want to place a cold cloth on your head or do some deep breathing for relaxation. Over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs like naproxen Aleve might also provide relief. Fluctuating hormone levels can also cause breast pain and tenderness, which can be very uncomfortable for some women. Estrogen enlarges the breast ducts, and progesterone makes the milk glands swell.

This results in breast tenderness. If the pain is severe, prescription hormonal treatment might be an option for you. While some pain or discomfort with your period is normal, severe or debilitating pain — or pain that interferes with your life or daily activities — is not normal.

But treatment is out there. No matter what the origin, there are treatments for your pain. The Mirena intrauterine system IUS can also sometimes help with painful periods. If your period pain has not been controlled after 3 months of treatment with painkillers or a suitable hormonal contraceptive, your GP may refer you to a specialist, which will usually be a gynaecologist.

The specialist will carry out further tests to help confirm or rule out an underlying medical condition. Tests you may have include:. If your period pain is caused by an underlying medical condition, your treatment will depend on which condition you have.

For example, if you have pelvic inflammatory disease PID , you may need antibiotics to treat the infection, while fibroids may need to be surgically removed. Period pain that's part of your normal menstrual cycle will not affect your fertility. However, if the cause is a medical condition, this may affect your fertility.

For example, endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease can cause scarring and a build-up of tissue in your fallopian tubes, making it harder for sperm to reach and fertilise an egg.

Page last reviewed: 07 August Next review due: 07 August Period pain. Sometimes you may get pelvic pain even when you do not have your period. Causes of period pain Period pain happens when the muscular wall of the womb tightens contracts. Period pain caused by a medical condition Less commonly, period pain can be caused by an underlying medical condition. Medical conditions that can cause period pain include: endometriosis — where cells that normally line the womb grow in other places, such as in the fallopian tubes and ovaries; these cells can cause intense pain when they shed fibroids — non-cancerous tumours that can grow in or around the womb and can make your periods heavy and painful pelvic inflammatory disease — where your womb, fallopian tubes and ovaries become infected with bacteria, causing them to become severely inflamed adenomyosis — where the tissue that normally lines the womb starts to grow within the muscular womb wall, making your periods particularly painful Period pain caused by contraceptive devices An intrauterine device IUD is a type of contraception made from copper and plastic that fits inside the womb.

You may also have: irregular periods bleeding in between periods a thick or foul-smelling vaginal discharge pain during sex See a GP if you have any of these symptoms as well as period pain. How long period pain lasts Period pain usually starts when your bleeding begins, although some women have pain several days before the start of their period.