5 Reasons for Painful Periods

Here’s Why Your Period Might Be So Painful

Painful periods are not uncommon. In fact, a high number of women report feeling some type of pain or discomfort at some point during their menstrual cycle. The body’s activity during a menstrual cycle should, in no way, induce pain. However, there are certain complications and conditions that can arise in some women, which bring about pain throughout their period.

1. Stress and Anxiety

A body’s automatic, physical response to stress and anxiety is usually never positive. Both factors can cause serious health issues in women especially, like low energy, headaches and stomach issues. A woman’s menstrual cycle is most definitely affected when a female is stressed or anxious. Experiencing severe stress during a period can make the menstrual cycle shorter, or prolong it from arriving at all during certain months. This is usually associated with the fact that some women eat very little while they are anxious, which interferes with the uterus’ ability to shred during a menstrual cycle.

2. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)

Defined by an infection of the reproductive organs, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) can be a big culprit of pain during a woman’s period. Pelvic inflammatory disease directly affects, and brings pain to, the lower abdomen—including the fallopian tubes, ovaries, cervix and uterus. The common condition can bring about pain for women while they have intercourse and urinate, and can also bring about painful periods and irregular bleeding between menstrual cycles.

3. Endometriosis

Endometriosis is an unfortunate disorder, causing the tissue that forms the lining of a woman’s uterus to grow outside of her uterine cavity. Endometrium, which is the lining of the uterus, can grow on ovaries, bowel and tissue lining the pelvis—it can even spread beyond the pelvic region. During a woman’s period, her hormones change and vary. This hormonal shift can affect the misplaced endometrial tissue, which then causes severe pain and inflammation. When a woman has endometriosis, she will almost always experience a lot of pain throughout her menstrual cycle.

4. A Heavy, Long Period Flow

While the duration of every woman’s period is different, there are specific instances that bring about period pain during her time of the month. When a woman’s menstrual cycle is extremely heavy, irregular or lasts longer than it should—especially if it’s longer than seven days total—it’s known as menorrhagia. Women who have menorrhagia oftentimes experience severe pain during their prolonged period. To make matters worse, women who have other conditions that already bring about period pain, like pelvic inflammatory disease or a cancerous growth, can cause menorrhagia to occur.

5. Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

Usually occurring just before a woman begins her menstrual cycle, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can arise and bring about a variety of negative factors for women during their period, affecting her emotions, behavior and physical health. As far as the physical symptoms of premenstrual syndrome goes, women can experience high amounts of pain in their lower abdomen during PMS. They may also have bad cramping, which brings about pain and discomfort during a woman’s menstrual cycle as well.

Schedule an Appointment for Period Pain at Dr. Quartell’s Office

Painful periods might be common, but they don’t have to be every woman’s reality. For those women who reside in or near Livingston, New Jersey, Anthony C. Quartell & Associates are available for help, assistance and medical guidance. Women who are experiencing pain during their periods should contact Dr. Quartell’s office by calling 973-716-9600. In addition to treating painful periods, Dr. Quartell and his staff can also tend to a wide variety of other conditions as well.