Strongly sore stomach with menstruation: what to do? Learn from our article!

Abdominal pain during menstruation is a very common symptom experienced by every second woman of reproductive age. The painful sensations have the greatest intensity in the first days of menstruation and begin to subside, starting from the third day. The nature of the pain is usually pulling, but sometimes the pain syndrome can look like an acute or stitching pain localizing in the lower abdomen. This phenomenon in medicine is called dysmenorrhea and is most often observed in nulliparous women, as well as in those who have problems with weight or have bad habits.

Dysmenorrhea can be accompanied by a whole complex of symptoms: headache, nausea, lack of appetite, weakness, rapid fatigue. The most pronounced symptom of dysmenorrhea is the pain in the lower abdomen. Some women have a stomach ache so much that they can not do home and professional affairs. In such a situation it is important to know what to do, and by what means it is possible to reduce the intensity of unpleasant sensations.

Why does it hurt?

Drawing pain in the lower abdomen is caused by uterine contractions. The inner part of the uterus is covered with mucous membranes containing a large number of blood vessels and capillaries. This membrane is called the mucosal layer or endometrium. Endometrium during the period of ovulation produces hormones necessary to attach a fertilized egg to the walls of the organ and further development of the embryo. If fertilization does not occur, endometrial rejection occurs, accompanied by uterine bleeding. This period of the menstrual cycle is called menstruation( the medical name is reguli).

On the first day of the month, the uterus begins to contract intensively to purify itself of blood clots and blood accumulated in its cavity. Spasms of the uterine walls and cause pulling, painful sensations in the lower abdomen. They can have different intensity and resemble weak birth pains. About 35% of women experience very intense pain during menstruation and lose their habitual working capacity, so it is important for them to know how to deal with pain quickly and effectively.

Please note! The intensity of pain at the beginning of menstruation depends on the age of the woman, the way of life, the hereditary factor. Women, whose mothers or grandmothers suffered from dysmenorrhea, are more likely to experience a similar syndrome. The same clinical picture is observed in women with limited mobility or a sedentary lifestyle.

The incidence of dysmenorrhea in women aged 18 to 45 years

Age group	The incidence of dysmenorrhea during menstruation
18-25 Years	32%
25-35 years	28%
35-45 years	40%

Do I need to take pills?

To get rid of pain caused by contraction of the uterus, you can take antispasmodics. This group of pain medications, whose action is based on the weakening of spasms of smooth muscle fibers and blood vessels( with systemic use, spasm ceases completely).The most popular drug of this group is " No-shpa "( analogue - " Drotaverin ").To eliminate pain during menstruation, it can be taken in tablets( 1 tablet 2-3 times a day) or put intramuscular injections. With severe pain, it is best to use the injection form of the drug, and after stopping the acute attack go to oral intake.

Another known and affordable antispasmodic is Papaverin .It is best used in rectal suppositories. The daily dosage is 1-2 suppositories, the course of application should not exceed 3-5 days. If after the end of menstrual pain does not stop, you need to see a doctor."Papaverin" helps to quickly relieve a woman's condition and restore working capacity, but to get rid of unpleasant sensations completely in one day will not work.

If the stomach with a month's pains very much, you can use combination drugs with anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, analgesic effect. These include complex preparations " Spazmalgon " and " Pentalgin ".For relief of moderate pain syndrome, one-time administration of non-steroidal medications with anti-inflammatory action is allowed. It can be:

• "Ibufen";
• "Moment";
• Ibuprofen;
• "Nurofen Express";
• "Next".

Important! The exact dosage of any medication is indicated in the instructions. It is undesirable to use medicines with an antispasmodic and analgesic effect for more than 3 consecutive days without consulting a doctor. Some of them, for example ibuprofen-based drugs, can cause severe side effects with long-term admission, so they can only be used to relieve acute pain.

Phytotherapy for painful menstruation

Some herbs and medicines can help with painful menstruation, so before you drink pills, you can try to get rid of pain by folk remedies. The most effective in dysmenorrhea specialists recognize ginger tea. The root of ginger contains many glycosides, ethers and phytoncides - natural substances with antibacterial and analgesic effect. To make a drink, it's best to use fresh ginger, but in its absence, dried spices( 1 spoon of fresh ginger = 0.5 tablespoons dried root) will do.

To prepare tea, it is necessary: ​​

• rub or grind a small piece of ginger root( 2-3 cm) with a knife;
• pour a glass of boiling water;
• add a little cinnamon;
• insist for 7 minutes.

In the finished tea, you can add a few mint leaves, a slice of lemon and a little sugar. The therapeutic effect occurs after 15-30 minutes after ingestion.

Important! Drink from ginger is contraindicated in women with diseases of the digestive system( especially in the acute stage) and blood pathologies. If the monthly is usually long and abundant, it is also better to refuse this method.

Peppermint tea with melissa

An expressed analgesic effect has a mixture of mint and balm. To make tea that helps to get rid of pain during menstruation, it is necessary: ​​

• to mix 2 g peppermint and lemon balm( you can use fresh herbs or dried ones);
• add 4-5 drops of magnolia oil and 250 ml of boiling water;
• insist 5-7 minutes.

If the house does not have lemongrass oil, you can use a peel of citrus: oranges, lemons, grapefruits( 5 grams per cup of drink).To drink such tea is desirable every day until menstruation is over. For prevention, you can drink one cup after waking up and 1-2 hours before bedtime.

Chamomile tea with raspberries

It is very important for this method to use berries of raspberries, not leaves. The fact that the crimson leaves stimulate the contraction of muscle fibers and can lead to the opposite effect. Some pregnant women, wishing to speed up the approach of delivery, drink a drink from crimson leaves to cause the beginning of fights.

. To achieve relaxation of the muscles of the uterus, it is necessary to prepare tea strictly according to the recipe below:

• 1 tablespoon of chamomile flowers add 300 ml of boiling water;
• add 15 g of dried raspberries( berries);
• insist for 10 minutes;
• add a pinch of cinnamon and a little bit of natural honey.

Chamomile tea with raspberries also has a general restorative and soothing effect, therefore it is recommended for women with severe clinical manifestations of PMS and a violation of emotional stability during menstruation.

Thermal procedures

To remove muscle spasm, warming procedures are excellent, but they can be done only if there is complete confidence in the absence of an inflammatory or purulent process. You can not warm your belly with an inflammation of the appendix, so it's best to consult a doctor before using any of the methods listed below.

Hot-water bottle on the stomach

The easiest way to warm up the uterine muscles is to put a hot-water bottle on the bottom of the stomach. Doctors advise to replace the warmer with a warm diaper, which must be ironed from all sides several times. This method is considered more sparing and does not cause exacerbations, if in the pelvic organs there are sluggish inflammatory processes.

Keep heat for no more than 15 minutes and not more than 2 times a day. If the pain does not pass after this, you need to see a doctor to exclude gynecological diseases.

Warm shower

It is not recommended to take hot baths during menstruation, but a warm, short shower will perfectly relieve fatigue, provide body hygiene and help eliminate painful sensations. During the shower, you can gently massage the stomach with a massage mitten or a washcloth - this will relax the muscles and weaken the spasm.

Warm massage

A massage of the abdomen can also reduce the severity of the pain, especially if the procedure is supplemented with warm oil. It is possible to use cosmetic oils of industrial production with the addition of pepper of other warming additives or any essential oil heated in a water bath to a temperature of 36 °. As an antispasmodic, grapefruit, bergamot and saffron oil can be used. In their absence, even a baby massage oil or a vegetable oil of good quality.

Important! Do not heat oil too much, as this can lead to skin burn.

Video - Painful menstruation

Video - Strong pain with menstruation: what to do?

The role of drinking regimen in the prevention of dysmenorrhea

Sometimes the pain at the beginning of menstruation can be caused by severe dehydration. With blood, a woman loses a lot of fluids, and if during this period she does not get enough fluid, the body will experience a lack of moisture, which is expressed in the pain in the lower abdomen. To distinguish it from uterine spasms is possible by the nature of the sensations: when dehydrated, the pain syndrome is usually blunt or moderately acute. Intensity is rarely very high, but some women with a low pain threshold can cope with even such sensations.

As a drink during menstruation it is better to choose pure water, mineral water without gas, herbal teas and infusions, decoctions of berries, compotes from dried fruits. Vegetable and fruit juices are useful. But from alcohol, strong tea, cocoa and coffee for this period is better to refuse.

Useful advices

To be the least painful menstruation, women are advised to follow the tips below. They will help improve the overall condition and reduce the severity of discomfort.

1. Physical stress should be daily even during the period of menstruation. From the everyday complex it is necessary to exclude jerks, lifting weights and slopes.
2. One week before the start of menstruation, you need to include more vegetable salads, leaf greens, fruit juices and fresh berries in the diet.
3. It is desirable to completely stop smoking and drinking alcohol, as they contribute to the loss of fluid.
4. When involuntary reception of anticoagulants( drugs that reduce the viscosity of the blood) it is recommended to consult with a doctor and the possible correction of the dosage for the period of menstruation.

By observing these simple tips, you can alleviate painful periods and improve the quality of life during this period. If, despite all efforts, the pain does not pass, it is allowed to use medicines or recipes of traditional medicine. If the pain syndrome persists after the end of the period, contact your local gynecologist to find out the possible causes.