{"id":7191,"date":"2019-06-12T08:28:37","date_gmt":"2019-06-12T08:28:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=7191"},"modified":"2021-04-12T20:41:10","modified_gmt":"2021-04-12T20:41:10","slug":"14-most-common-symptoms-of-dysmenorrhea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-most-common-symptoms-of-dysmenorrhea\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Most Common Symptoms of Dysmenorrhea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Dysmenorrhea is the term used for menstrual cramps <\/a>in a clinical and medical sense. These cramps can be painful and incredibly difficult to deal with for anyone who finds themselves affected. The condition can be emotionally draining, just as it is physically draining and there are several symptoms that always seem to come along for the ride. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst it is certainly true that everyone\u2019s own experiences with the condition are as unique as the person they are themselves, similarities can be drawn between cases based on the similarities found in the symptoms experienced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The symptoms range from the mildly annoying right through to the excruciatingly painful and can extend beyond the reproductive system, which is unsurprisingly where the majority of the symptoms occur and can be felt. The symptoms that are most commonly experienced during dysmenorrhea are listed and expanded upon below. It is always advisable to seek the advice of a medical professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Cramping in the lower belly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cramping is the very nature of the condition, but it is cramping in the lower belly that can sometimes be amongst the most painful of the symptoms. The cramping tends to come in waves, building to a crescendo of tightness and pain <\/a>before receding and becoming gradually easier to bear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The feeling has been likened to having a cord tightened around the belly and released intermittently. It is always hard to provide an analogy that resonates with everyone when it comes to describing pain, which is why doctors like to use a score out of ten for rating and assessing pain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recent study of women admitted to hospital with severe dysmenorrhea symptoms, 74% of patients who completed the survey regularly scored their pain between 8 and 10, with the rest of the respondents falling no lower than 5. This indicates just how painful the belly cramps associated with dysmenorrhea can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

2. Pain in the lower belly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How many times did you complain to your parents about having a tummy ache when you were little? Well, chances are the answer is either not at all or virtually every minute of every day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever your childhood habits of faking and complaining though, the pain felt in the lower belly as a result of dysmenorrhea would give even the most hardened faker no room to disguise their anguish. People with the pain in the lower belly from dysmenorrhea can hardly stand up straight through the pain and whilst some over the counter medications claim to be effective in treating this pain, most people choose to curl up in bed with hot water placed firmly over the area that feels the most pain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This kind of brutal, draining pain can sap the energy right out of someone and turn them into a shell of a human for as long as it lasts. If they’re lucky, it won’t last all that long. For the more unfortunate, the pain can last as long as the cycle and even a little longer afterward too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. Lower back pain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The vast majority of people in the world will be affected by low back pain at some point in their lifetime. It is up there with the most common complaints that people show up to the doctors with and is second to none in terms of being a reason why people take time off work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Low back pain sucks however it comes on. Whether it’s from a strained muscle, a little too much digging in the garden or a little too much action in the sack, there’s no denying just how miserable low back pain is. Imagine the scenario then, if you will, of already being struck down with the awfully painful cramping of dysmenorrhea, only to find that you suddenly start feeling an incredibly painful back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It really isn’t fair and you really don’t deserve it, but unfortunately, this pairing of pains is very common. Sorry about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

4. Pain radiating down the legs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pain-related to a complicated and compromised menstrual cycle<\/a> isn’t normally something a person would expect to feel in their legs, but a common symptom of dysmenorrhea is exactly that. For one reason or another, someone suffering from dysmenorrhea might find that they experience pain radiating down one or both of their legs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pain can sometimes seem to come in perfect harmony with the wave-like cramping that is typical of the condition, although some people report to only feeling the pain in the time in between the cramping and contracting. It’s hard to establish which would be worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On one hand, you have both types of pain coming in one fell swoop, which might be intense but at least it gets it out of the way, and on the other hand, you have the pain spread out but with little chance of any kind of reprieve. It isn’t really your choice though!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

5. Nausea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You may have heard someone say that their pain is knocking them sick. This is something that has become a bit of a misunderstood and misplaced saying, as, in actual fact, pain can knock someone sick. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nausea <\/a>that people feel during intense spells of pain is not imagined at all, it is a real symptom of dealing with extreme pain. It is true that pain can knock you sick, it isn’t just a saying. Plenty of people who suffer from dysmenorrhea have claimed to have felt sick in the build-up to their cycle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are just as many people who claim that they feel the bulk of their nausea whilst actually in the midst of a rather unpleasant cycle. Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of people who claim that nausea brought on from dysmenorrhea can linger on for quite a while after the cycle has finished. What fun!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

6. Vomiting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What comes after nausea? Well, if you’re lucky, nothing comes after that horrible feeling of sickness but if you’re unlucky, you might want to find yourself somewhere to throw up or somewhere to throw up into. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as it is true that dysmenorrhea can cause someone to feel sick, it can actually cause someone to get sick too. Vomiting <\/a>is a very common side effect or symptom of dysmenorrhea and when you’re already struggling with your belly due to cramps and contractions, the last thing you need are cramps and contractions caused by vomiting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that any kind of vomiting is particularly graceful, the vomiting during dysmenorrhea seems particularly apocalyptic. Pictures of people rushing to bins and washbasins to empty their stomachs out of their throats come to mind as you think about the last person you saw engaged in a brutal spell of dysmenorrhea induced vomiting, nice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

7. Diarrhea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If it doesn’t come up, there’s a good chance it’ll end up coming down and so for those people lucky enough to escape nausea and the vomiting, there could well be some devil in the detail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The clause in the contract for someone with dysmenorrhea, if they’re going to be lucky enough to miss out on the sickness and vomiting, is that they’re likely going to be paying a visit to the bathroom themselves, only to empty their bowels with what can only be described as explosive diarrhea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you’re in the middle of a particularly painful cycle, anything in the near proximity to the reproductive organs is going to be sensitive and that includes the anus and the bowels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diarrhea <\/a>is unpleasant for anyone at any time, but there is a case to say that it is much worse for people with dysmenorrhea. It really isn\u2019t very nice to think or talk about though, is it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

8. Fatigue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You may well be feeling fatigued <\/a>having reached the end of this list of the most common symptoms experienced by people with dysmenorrhea, but we can assure you that any fatigue you feel is absolutely nothing to the level of fatigue felt by someone with dysmenorrhea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is essentially like having the life sapped out of you in a matter of hours, and then struggling to regain that life within the few days of the month that you endure the symptoms for. With the pain of dysmenorrhea, sleeping can be difficult, meaning that the fatigue a person feels from dealing with their symptoms is multiplied to an even more tiring degree. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever anyone is suffering from dysmenorrhea, you can be sure that the first thing on their mind is crawling into bed, which is a sure sign that they’re feeling incredibly fatigued, even more, fatigued than someone who has managed to read to the end of this list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

<\/div>