Dysmenorrhea (Period Cramps) - Treatment, Causes & Home Remedies

Dysmenorrhea Diagnosis

Your doctor will first ask you to list your symptoms and menstrual cycles. Through the insertion of gloved fingers into your vagina, they will conduct a pelvic exam. Your doctor will also place a speculum within your vagina during this examination. This enables them to see your cervix and vagina more clearly. For testing, they could extract a tiny sample of vaginal fluid. Finding out if a medical problem is causing painful periods is the aim of the examination. Your doctor will determine that you have primary dysmenorrhea if there isn't a clear cause.

You could require extra testing if your doctor suspects you have secondary dysmenorrhea, which is dysmenorrhea brought on by another medical issue. Your doctor can see your uterus and other reproductive organs more clearly thanks to imaging and other diagnostic testing. Your provider might advise:

• Ultrasound: Ultrasound creates images of your uterus, ovaries, and other reproductive organs using sound waves.
• Hysteroscopy: With a narrow, illuminated instrument, your doctor performs a hysteroscopy to view your uterus. A screen receives photographs of your uterus thanks to the equipment.
• Laparoscopy: Using a laparoscope, which is a narrow tube with a light and camera at the end, your doctor will make a few small incisions in your belly to observe your pelvic organs.

Dysmenorrhea Treatment

You can take a number of actions to lessen unpleasant periods.

• NSAIDs and additional medications

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs), which act as painkillers, are frequently used to treat dysmenorrhea. These include drugs that you can get at your neighborhood pharmacy or grocery store, such as ibuprofen or naproxen. They function by lowering your body's prostaglandin levels. Take these as soon as cramping starts for optimal results. If NSAIDs are off-limits, try acetaminophen or another painkiller instead.

Your doctor may also write prescriptions for you, including stronger doses of ibuprofen or another anti-inflammatory drug than are available over the counter.

•  Hormone-related treatments

Additionally, your doctor might advise hormonal birth control as a treatment. Hormone therapy patients typically experience reduced menstrual pain. This might comprise contraceptive methods like the pill, a patch, or a vaginal ring.

If testing reveals that you have secondary dysmenorrhea, your doctor will talk to you about how to treat the pain-causing condition. Oral contraceptives, additional types of medicine, or surgery may be needed.

Dysmenorrhea Remedies

Without using medication, there are a number of ways to relieve period cramps. Here are a few of them:

• The application of a heating pad or hot water bottle to your lower back or abdomen to relieve cramps
• Additional sleep
• The avoidance of caffeine
• Don't consume alcohol or smoke cigarettes
• Your abdomen and lower back should be massaged
• Routinely working out

References

Coco, A. S. (1999). Primary dysmenorrhea. American family physician, 60(2), 489.

Dawood, M. Y. (2006). Primary dysmenorrhea: advances in pathogenesis and management. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 108(2), 428-441.

French, L. (2005). Dysmenorrhea. American family physician, 71(2), 285-291.

Ju, H., Jones, M., & Mishra, G. (2014). The prevalence and risk factors of dysmenorrhea. Epidemiologic reviews, 36(1), 104-113.