3. Pelvic inflammatory disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease is an infection that is caused by a certain type of bacteria that starts in the uterus. The bacteria can spread to other reproductive organs in the reproductive system and cause serious problems and complications.
One of the first complications that a person may notice is the development of dysmenorrhea, which can be unpleasant at the best of times and excruciatingly painful in some cases.
A study in the UK found that in nearly all cases of chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, women showed signs of interrupted or problematic menstrual cycles, with many of these women actually developing dysmenorrhea.
Pelvic inflammatory disease is hard enough to cope with on its own and when it is coupled with dysmenorrhea the issue is made ten times worse for a sufferer. Especially in younger women, who may be sexually active, dysmenorrhea can put people off actually having sex through fear that it might worsen their symptoms.