Women’s health centre

Introduction

Painful periods can make life miserable. But there are things you can do to feel better.

We've brought together the best research about painful periods and weighed up the evidence about how to treat them. You can use our information to talk to your doctor and decide which treatments are best for you.

Many women get pains in their lower abdomen (pelvis) and sometimes their back or legs, during or just before their period. The pain can be mild or very bad.

Pain during a period is called menstrual pain or menstrual cramps. Your doctor may call it dysmenorrhoea.

There are two types of painful periods: pain that is not caused by another medical problem, and pain that is caused by a medical condition. We have looked at treatments for both types of pain.

Pain that is not caused by a medical condition usually begins shortly after you start having periods.^[1] Researchers think it is caused by the body making a lot of chemicals called prostaglandins. These chemicals help the womb to squeeze (contract) and push out its lining during a period.^[2]

Pain can also be caused by a medical condition, such as endometriosis, an infection, or cysts on your ovaries. This type of pain sometimes starts later in life, when a woman is in her 40s or 50s.^[2]

Your period pain may be worse if you:^[3]

• Have longer periods

• Have periods that started at a younger age

• Smoke (about 40 in 100 women who smoke get bad period pain, compared with about 25 in 100 who don't smoke).

Glossary

cysts

A cyst is a sac or cavity that develops under your skin and is filled with fluid. Cysts are benign, which means that they are not cancerous.

endometriosis

Endometriosis happens when tissue from the lining of the womb grows in other parts of the body, such as the ovaries or the intestines. It can make you bleed more and have more pain when you get your period. It can also make it difficult for you to get pregnant.

infection

You get an infection when bacteria, a fungus, or a virus get into a part of your body where it shouldn't be. For example, an infection in your nose and airways causes the common cold. An infection in your skin can cause rashes such as athlete's foot. The organisms that cause infections are so tiny that you can't see them without a microscope.

ovaries

Women have two ovaries, one on each side of their womb. They are small glands that store eggs. Inside the ovaries are hundreds of thousands of pre-eggs, called follicles. Some of these grow into eggs.

For more terms related to Painful periods

Citations