No woman is the same, so no menstrual cycle is the same. One woman has PMS, the other has no problems at all. One person has severe pain, another has minor discomfort, and one woman bleeds profusely and the other only bleeds a little. What menstrual complaints can occur and when is there more to it?
Menstrual pain
Menstrual pain is pain that begins just before menstruation and continues during menstruation. We are usually talking about stitches and cramps in the lower abdomen. This abdominal pain can extend to the lower back or/and to the upper legs. Some women have little or no discomfort and in other women the pain can be so severe that they cannot work. The complaints can also change as you get older. This can be done in both a positive and a negative way. Taking the (contraceptive) pill often provides a solution. This often reduces the pain during menstruation.
Cause
Menstrual pain is caused by contraction of the uterus. This contraction causes the mucous membrane that has grown during the cycle to loosen. There is no connection between the amount of pain and blood loss. A woman can have a lot of pain and relatively little blood loss and vice versa.
PMS
PMS stands for premenstrual syndrome. This can cause emotional instability, mood swings and poor sleep. Forty to sixty percent of women suffer from a less severe form of PMS. Three to five percent of women have such a severe form of PMS that they cannot function normally. There are even murderers who received a reduced sentence due to PMS complaints, such as the cases of Anna Reynolds, Christine Engels and Sandie Craddock.
PMS complaints can become less severe through a lot of exercise, taking the (contraceptive pill), the so-called combination pill, and through dietary adjustments such as extra calcium and magnesium, no caffeine and alcohol and little sugar. While the latter is exactly what you need during these weeks. If you suffer a lot from PMS complaints and this advice does not help (enough), it is wise to visit your doctor.
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Extreme blood loss
Everyone loses blood during menstruation, but sometimes the blood loss is so extreme that you feel like you are constantly replacing sanitary towels and/or tampons (menorrhagia). If menstruation is so heavy every time, it is wise to go to the doctor. Maybe there’s more to it. If this happens occasionally, it is annoying, but it cannot do much harm. At most it can cause fatigue and anemia. Extreme bleeding is most common in women over 35 years of age, who are not using contraceptive pills and are overweight.
What can you do yourself?
You can also do something about heavy bleeding during menstruation and that is:
- Start taking the contraceptive pill
- Take naproxen, ibuprofen or paracetamol to reduce blood loss (Warning: ibuprofen does not help everyone, some people actually experience worse blood loss)
Other menstrual complaints
There are other complaints that can occur around menstruation, such as headache, diarrhea, dizziness and fatigue. These are not serious complaints, every woman suffers from this at some point. If fatigue and dizziness persist after menstruation, it is wise to have it checked whether you are not anemic.
read more
- Menstruation and the importance of personal hygiene
- Menopausal complaints, what can you suffer from?
