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Are there different types of menstrual cramps?
Most women
who have cramps are experiencing what's known as dysmenorrhea.
Most often this condition is classified as primary dysmenorrhea,
meaning that it isn't caused by a physical abnormality of the
reproductive organs. This type of dysmenorrhea usually takes the
form of sharp, spasmodic pains in your lower abdomen at the
beginning of your period, or a day or two earlier, and it lasts
two to three days. The condition is most common among young women
in their teens and twenties; it usually moderates with age and may
disappear if you give birth. According to some estimates, as many
as 10 percent of young women have such severe cramps of this type
that they're unable to maintain their normal schedules one or two
days per month. In some women the cramping is so painful that they
can't walk, and a few have compared it to the contractions of
childbirth.
Another kind of menstrual pain that's common in primary
dysmenorrhea feels more like a dull ache in the lower back and
pelvis. It's more likely to affect older women and can sometimes
get worse with age and multiple pregnancies.
Another type of menstrual cramps is a much less common disorder
known as secondary dysmenorrhea, also marked by pelvic and
lower-back pain. Unlike that of primary dysmenorrhea, however, the
pain is a symptom of another disease or condition that may require
treatment - perhaps endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease,
uterine fibroids, and adenomyosis (in when uterine tissue grows
into the wall of the uterus).
Signs
and Symptoms
If
you have primary dysmenorrhea, you'll feel either sharp cramps or
dull pelvic pain. You may also have backaches, headaches, pain in
the inner thighs, diarrhea or constipation, nausea and vomiting,
dizziness, bloating, weight gain, and breast tenderness. Many of
these symptoms are attributed to PMS (premenstrual syndrome), but
stem from the same source as the dysmenorrhea.
The symptoms of secondary dysmenorrhea include pelvic and back
pain, spotting between periods, pain during or after sex, a
puslike vaginal discharge, fever or chills, frequent urination,
and changes in bowel movement.
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The
cramps of primary dysmenorrhea are caused when your uterus
contracts to push out the menstrual blood. Hormonal changes
occurring naturally throughout your cycle can add to the pain;
it's thought that imbalances between the hormones progesterone and
estrogen worsen menstrual cramping. And when there's an
overabundance of the hormonelike chemicals called prostaglandins,
the uterus goes into spasms and racking cramps can result. (Some
studies have shown that a woman with cramps has an unusually high
level of the hormone prostaglandin F2 alpha in her menstrual
blood.)
Mental disturbances are the other main reasons of Dysmenorrhea.
Menstrual
Cramps & Homeopathy
Simran, age 20,
dreaded her periods each month. Her abdomen blew up like a balloon
and ached terribly. The pain was so intense that she would become
doubled over and couldn't even stand up. She felt like she would
fall over because she hurt so much. She was incapacitated with her
period every month since the onset of her menses six years before.
She became hot all over, as if she had a fever, then cold and
clammy. Her head and palms were covered with perspiration. She
developed diarrhea, trembled, and "cried at the drop of a
pin". She was totally incapacitated and lost all desire to
eat and drink. To make matters worse, her periods came every 24
days. This was compounded by premenstrual anger and moodiness, in
contrast to her usual loving nature.
The correct
constitutional homeopathic remedy can bring great relief to
sufferers of dysmenorrhea. Some of the more common remedies are Belladonna
, Chamomilla ,
Kali carbonicum ,
Pulsatilla , Sepia , however the prescription is
highly individual and only the one correct remedy will be
effective. The appropriate homeopathic remedy will only need to be
taken once or several times a year, rather than monthly regimens
such as those which follow.
You may still be
wondering if Simran got the help she needed. She did. Homeopathic Veratrum
album , white hellebore, brought her great relief. She was
free of cramps. Her gas was at least 70% better and she had no
diarrhea. Her stools were much firmer. She was no longer as hot
during her period. She felt less angry and depressed before her
period. She was glad to be a woman again! She was spared up to
thirty years of menstrual misery.
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