Causes, Signs and Symptoms of Primary Dysmenorrhoea
Primary dysmenorrhoea is painful menstruation in the absence of any underlying problem of the uterus (womb) or pelvis.
The pain generally starts a year or two after establishment of menstrual cycle.
It occurs mostly between 15 and 25 years of age.
Pain is usually first noticed about 24 hours before menstruation and rarely persists for more than 48 - 72 hours.
Symptoms usually decrease as the woman grew old.
Causes Here the pain is due to body's natural process of shedding the womb lining.
It is still not clear why some women experience more pain than others.
Prostaglandins, a chemical present in the womb can cause spasm of the womb.
Scientists believe that build up of prostaglandin in high levels in some women cause severe spasms.
Some scientists believe that the cramps are due to reduced blood flow to the uterus.
A mother may induce expectations in a daughter that menstruation is painful as a result of her own experience.
Signs and symptoms The main symptom is cramp like pain in the lower abdomen.
It usually starts as bleeding starts and usually lasts for 12 to 24 hours.
In some patients the pain may start a day before the start of menstrual bleeding and may lasts up to 3 to 4 days.
Pain may vary with each period and tend to become less severe as the individual grows older or after a child birth.
Some women may experience (non-gynecological symptoms) headaches, fainting episodes, sickness, bloating and feeling emotional along with the menstrual cramps.
In this type doctor would not be able to find any problem during examination.
In this category there is no need for any investigations and diagnosis is usually made after taking adequate history and examination of the patient.
This article is the second part of "Walking with a Doc Series - Dysmenorrhoea"
The pain generally starts a year or two after establishment of menstrual cycle.
It occurs mostly between 15 and 25 years of age.
Pain is usually first noticed about 24 hours before menstruation and rarely persists for more than 48 - 72 hours.
Symptoms usually decrease as the woman grew old.
Causes Here the pain is due to body's natural process of shedding the womb lining.
It is still not clear why some women experience more pain than others.
Prostaglandins, a chemical present in the womb can cause spasm of the womb.
Scientists believe that build up of prostaglandin in high levels in some women cause severe spasms.
Some scientists believe that the cramps are due to reduced blood flow to the uterus.
A mother may induce expectations in a daughter that menstruation is painful as a result of her own experience.
Signs and symptoms The main symptom is cramp like pain in the lower abdomen.
It usually starts as bleeding starts and usually lasts for 12 to 24 hours.
In some patients the pain may start a day before the start of menstrual bleeding and may lasts up to 3 to 4 days.
Pain may vary with each period and tend to become less severe as the individual grows older or after a child birth.
Some women may experience (non-gynecological symptoms) headaches, fainting episodes, sickness, bloating and feeling emotional along with the menstrual cramps.
In this type doctor would not be able to find any problem during examination.
In this category there is no need for any investigations and diagnosis is usually made after taking adequate history and examination of the patient.
This article is the second part of "Walking with a Doc Series - Dysmenorrhoea"
