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Here's How To Identify If Your Period Cramps Are Abnormal

If you have at times complained that your period cramps are worse than that of your friends, then, well, you might just want to read further into it. Not all forms of menstrual cramps are normal. Read on to find out if the period cramps that you face each month are actually normal for your body or not.

Cramping for days and may be even before the periods actually set in can be the worst days that every female folk needs to face each month. Accompanied with the mood swings and the constant irritability, period cramps can really put you off.

menstrual cramps worse than usual

However, it is also highly important to know whether the way you are cramping is abnormal and if at all you can do anything to reduce the pain.

Reasons Behind Abnormal Menstrual Cramps:

So, if you happen to see that every month you are cramping in an abnormal manner with no relief whatsoever, then there could be potentially serious medical reasons behind it. Doctors term increased, abnormal period cramps as "dysmenorrhea". Following are some of the prime culprits behind abnormal uterine cramping.

1. Uterine Fibroids:

Your uterus can be home to several non-cancerous growths known as uterine fibroids. Being extremely common, especially among the middle-aged, almost about 75 percent of women face them at some point.

Most of the time, their presence goes unnoticed and a woman doesn't even realize that she has them. Nevertheless, they are the prime culprits behind your heavy menstrual cramps. Uterine fibroids are known to make cramps extremely painful. This also makes the bleeding during your periods very heavy and longer.

The most efficient way of detecting fibroids is through an ultrasound. You doctor will advise you to get an ultrasound done if you complain of heavy bleeding with unusual uterine cramps.

Symptomatic fibroids that do not let you live a normal lifestyle need treatment. You might be put on medication to reduce the cramps during periods. In severe cases, your doctor might advise you to get the uterine fibroids removed surgically.

2. Endometriosis:

When the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus, the disorder is referred to as endometriosis. When the endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus and yet continues to thicken and bleed during the menstrual cycle, the blood has no place to go.

This results in an irritated tissue, which eventually develops into a scar tissue, or otherwise called adhesions. This results in heavy pain in the pelvic region. Moreover, this issue could also result in infertility.

With this form of a disorder, the path of the egg is obstructed causing difficulty in women trying to get pregnant. Only a doctor will be able to confirm if you have endometriosis or not. Once detected, you will need to complete the entire course of medical intervention to wipe out this disorder entirely.

You can take painkillers to resolve the pain symptoms. Doctors could also suggest hormone therapy for its treatment. Surgical procedures are advised in case the symptoms are extremely worse. Surgery to treat endometriosis could result in early menopause or, at times, a hysterectomy.

The bad news is that endometriosis is a disorder that can come back, in spite of being treated, at a later stage. Therefore, it is essential that you keep a check on it and talk to your doctor about it for long-term solutions.

3. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID):

This is a disease when the reproductive organs get infected. Possible causes of this disease could be bacteria getting in may be through the insertion of a non-sterilized intrauterine device (IUD), which is used for contraception.

However, PID is more than often found to be the result of sexually transmitted bacteria like gonorrhoea or chlamydia. Most of the time, PID goes unnoticed, especially if the disease is not too severe. The symptoms are minimal in mild forms of PID, but if you start to feel your pelvic hurting abnormally, you will need to consult a doctor immediately.

Other general symptoms of PID are painful intercourse, foul-smelling discharge and irregular periods. PID, if left untreated, can lead to scar tissue or much serious cases of infected fluid filling up your reproductive space.

This results in immense pelvic pain. For women, trying to get pregnant, untreated PID can cause ectopic pregnancy, where the fertilized egg implants in the fallopian tube rather than in the uterus. Nevertheless, PIDs can be cured through antibiotics.

Ignoring your health can cost you more than you can imagine. So, if you face abnormal cramps during periods or have issues such as heavy bleeding or irregular periods, it is time that you approach your healthcare provider at the earliest.

Read more about: women health health