Menstrual pain or dysmenorrhea is a menstrual condition characterized by severe and frequent menstrual cramps and pain associated with menstruation.
Dysmenorrhea is very common although the precise incidence is not known, as it frequently goes unreported. It is the most commonly given reason for absence from school amongst adolescent girls and approximately 15% will complain of severe dysmenorrhea. Longer duration of menses, early menarche, smoking, alcohol and obesity are all risk factor associated with dysmenorrhea.
Females who are depressed and/or have poor social support networks are also more likely to experience pain. It occurs also in overweight female and those who started menstruating before the age of 11 years.
Dysmenorrhea can be classified into two:
1 Primary dysmenorrhea: this is a painful periods without an underlying cause. It usually occurs in adolescents usually begins 2 to 3 years after a female starts menstruating. Pains may be mild to severe and may be associated with stomach problems. Primary dysmenorrhea occurs when a naturally- occurring substance in the body called prostaglandin cause the uterus to contract.
2 Secondary dysmenorrhea: this is a painful periods due to an underlying illness such as endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease. It always/commonly begins in women in their 20s. An increase in sexuality transmitted diseases among adolescents has led to a greater number of cases of secondary dysmenorrhea.