Period pain is common. Most women have it at some point in their lives.
You usually feel it as painful muscle cramps in your tummy. This can spread to your back and thighs.
The pain can come in intense spasms or be dull and constant.
Period pain may vary with each period.
How long period pain lasts
Period pain usually happens when your period starts or several days before your period.
The pain usually lasts up to 3 days, but it can last longer. It's usually at its worst when your bleeding is heaviest.
Period pain is more common in young girls.
If there is not an existing medical condition causing your period pain, it tends to improve:
- as you get older
- after you've had children
Non-urgent advice: Contact your GP if:
- you have severe period pain
- your normal pattern of periods changes
- your periods become heavier than usual or irregular
- you have bleeding between periods or after having sex
What we mean by severe pain
Severe pain:
- always there and so bad it's hard to think or talk
- you cannot sleep
- it's very hard to move, get out of bed, go to the bathroom, wash or dress
- you cannot work due to the pain
Moderate pain:
- always there
- makes it hard to concentrate or sleep
- you can manage to get up, wash or dress
Mild pain:
- comes and goes
- is annoying but does not stop you from doing things like going to work
Easing period pain
Ibuprofen and aspirin work best to help manage period pain. You can also try paracetamol.
Important
Do not take ibuprofen or aspirin if you have asthma or stomach, kidney or liver problems. Do not give aspirin to anyone under age 16.
If painkillers you can get without a prescription do not help, your GP may prescribe a stronger painkiller, such as naproxen or codeine.
There are other things you can do to ease mild period pain at home.
Do
-
gentle exercise like swimming, walking, cycling, yoga or Pilates
-
use a heat pad or hot water bottle (wrapped in a tea towel) on your tummy
-
have a warm bath or shower
-
try massaging around your tummy and back
-
use a TENS machine - it delivers a mild electrical current to your tummy
Contraceptives that can help period pain
Your GP may prescribe you contraception such as the:
- pill
- implant
- injection
These thin the womb lining, making your period lighter and easing the pain.
The Mirena intrauterine system (IUS) can sometimes help with painful periods.
Types of contraception - sexualwellbeing.ie
Treating an existing medical condition
If an existing medical condition is causing your period pain, your treatment will depend on which one you have.
For example, if you have fibroids, you may need surgery to remove them. If you have pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), you may need antibiotics to treat the infection.
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) - sexualwellbeing.ie
Causes of period pain
Period pain happens when muscles in your womb tighten (contract) during your period. Natural substances produced by your body (prostaglandins) make the muscle of your womb contract. These contractions are usually so mild that most women cannot feel them.
It's not known why some women have more period pain than others. It may be that some women have higher levels of prostaglandins, which means their contractions are stronger.
Period pain caused by a medical condition
Period pain can be caused by an existing medical condition. But this is not very common.
Women age 30 to 45 are most affected by period pain caused by an existing medical condition.
Medical conditions that can cause period pain include:
- endometriosis
- fibroids - non-cancerous tumours that make your periods heavy and painful
- pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) - sexualwellbeing.ie
Non-urgent advice: Contact your GP if
you have period pain and:
- the way you get period pain changes
- irregular periods
- bleeding between periods
- a thick or unpleasant smelling vaginal discharge
- pain during sex
Diagnosing period pain
To help find out or rule out what's causing your period pain, your GP may:
- carry out a pelvic examination
- order a pelvic ultrasound scan
- refer you to a women's health specialist (gynaecologist)
Having a pelvic exam
Your GP will insert gloved, lubricated fingers into your vagina to feel for any abnormalities in your womb or ovaries.
The examination will only be carried out with your permission.
To help you feel more comfortable, you can:
- ask to have a female GP do it
- bring a friend or relative to the appointment
- ask for the practice nurse to be there
Referral to a specialist
If your period pain does not get better after 3 months of treatment, your GP may refer you to a women's health specialist (gynaecologist).
A gynaecologist may carry out:
- a urine or blood test
- a pelvic ultrasound scan
- a laparoscopy - a procedure where a narrow telescope is passed through a cut in your tummy to see the organs inside your body or take tissue samples for testing (biopsy)
- hysteroscopy - a procedure that uses a narrow telescope passed through your vagina to see inside your womb
Period pain and fertility
Period pain that's part of your normal menstrual cycle will not affect your fertility. But if the cause is a medical condition, this may affect your fertility.
For example, endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) can cause scarring and a build-up of tissue in your fallopian tubes. This makes it harder for sperm to reach and fertilise an egg.
Content supplied by the NHS and adapted for Ireland by the HSE
