Many women have painful menstrual cycles, also called Dysmenorrhea, which is usually due to the contractions that the uterus produces for the detachment of the endometrium and its expulsion through the vagina.
There are two types of dysmenorrhea:
- Primary dysmenorrhea
- is the most common type and there is no associated cause. This type, as mentioned above, is due to contractions of the uterine musculature by an overproduction of substances called "Prostaglandins". This pain may begin one or two days before the menstrual period and usually has a very short duration. Primary dysmenorrhea usually begins in youth, just after the first menstruation (menarche) and becomes self-limiting as age advances and even disappears in some cases after the first childbirth.
- Secondary dysmenorrhea
- usually starts some years later and is caused by diseases affecting the uterus, such as endometriosis or uterine myomatosis. In addition, it is common for this pain to worsen over time. Secondary dysmenorrhea could be a cause of infertility depending on the underlying diagnosis.
Read the full article on: Is menstrual pain normal? Remedies to relieve period pain ( 36).
Read the full article on: Menstruation: symptoms and characteristics of the monthly period ( 70).
Guillermo Quea Campos
M.D.
Guillermo Quea, MD has a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of San Martin de Porres. He also has a Master's Degree in Human Reproduction from the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and another in Public Health and Preventive Medicine from the Universidad del País Vasco.
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