Menstruation - pain (dysmenorrhoea)
Menstruation - pain (dysmenorrhoea) Dysmenorrhoea is the term used to describe painful periods. Period pain from your first period or shortly after, and without a known cause, is known as primary dysmenorrhoea. Period pain caused by certain reproductive disorders, such as adenomyosis, endometriosis or fibroids, is known as secondary dysmenorrhoea. With primary dysmenorrhoea, the uterine lining produces hormone-like substances (prostaglandins) that cause the muscle of the uterus to contract strongly, causing pain and reducing blood flow to the uterus. There are different types of prostaglandins produced throughout the body, but prostaglandin F2X is responsible for the pain with periods. Women of any age can experience painful periods and some women find periods are no longer painful after pregnancy and childbirth. Symptoms of dysmenorrhoea Symptoms of dysmenorrhoea can include: pain low in the abdomen that can spread to the lower back and legs pain that is g...