To the women who suffer every month of their period: we salute you.
While it is common for many to suffer with menstrual camps throughout their cycle, accompanied by a host of other PMS symptoms, it is important to know when this kind of period pain is NOT normal.
If you find yourself bent over in pain each month, vomiting or passing out and having to cancel plans, the following article is for you.
Menstrual cramps can be accompanied by the following – nausea, fatigue, headaches, dizziness and constipation or diarrhoea.
According to Healthline, more severe cramps tend to begin earlier in the menstrual cycle and last longer.
In order to know if you fall under this category of severity – your pain probably doesn’t improve when you take over-the-counter pain medication, interferes with your daily activities and is often accompanied by heavy bleeding or clotting.
If this sounds like you, it is important to address these symptoms and get in touch with your GP or gynaecologist.
These are the following warning signs that your period pain may be abnormal:
- Severe pain that disrupts your daily life
- Cramps that last more than 2 to 3 days
- Periods with heavy bleeding that lasts more than 7 days
- Periods with nausea, bowel problems or urinary problems
- Over-the-counter medication doesn’t relieve your cramps
- You experience period pain at other times of the month
While painful cramping is not uncommon during one’s period, some women may suffer from endometriosis or PCOS, unbeknownst to them.
Endometriosis is a condition when tissue or cells similar to the lining of the uterus, called the endometrium, grow outside the uterus.
This leads to inflammation and the growth of scar tissue in the pelvic area and on occasion, elsewhere in the body, “case reports of these endometrial sounds in the heart or the brain or the lung, so they can actually occur anywhere but most commonly occurring in the pelvis,” says Dr. Doireann O’Leary.
While pelvic pain, or intense cramping during one’s period, is one of the main symptoms, women with endo can experience pain during intercourse, heavy bleeding, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, lack of energy, bloating and bowel and bladder symptoms including diarrhoea and constipation.
Goss.ie previously chatted to the GP and can read everything there is to know about the inflammatory disease, that affects approximately 10 percent of women in Ireland, here.
PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome affects how a woman’s ovaries work.
Symptoms include irregular or light period or no periods at all, difficulty getting pregnant, excessive hair growth (hirsutism), weight gain, thinning hair and hair loss from the head, oily skin or acne.
The 3 main features of PCOS include:
- Irregular periods – which means your ovaries do not regularly release eggs (ovulation).
- Excess androgen – high levels of “male” hormones in your body, which may cause physical signs such as excess facial or body hair.
- Polycystic ovaries – your ovaries become enlarged and contain many fluid-filled sacs (follicles) that surround the eggs.
For more information on PCOS, you can head over to the HSE’s website here or to the Dublin Well Women Centre’s website.
Please see your GP or gynaecologist if you feel you suffer from any of the above issues.
