Things You'll Need:
- Doctor or gynecologist
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Step 1
Know that primary dysmenorrhea includes severe cramps without any underlying illness or cause. These cramps can be disabling and lead to two to three days of total inactivity. Primary dysmenorrhea mostly affects young women within the first 2 years of the onset of menstruation.
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Step 2
Look for symptoms that include backache, leg pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache and dizziness. These symptoms are in addition to the normal menstrual cramps.
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Step 3
Speak to your doctor if you experience two or more painful periods--especially if the pain is totally disabling. A doctor can usually diagnose dysmenorrhea with a simple pelvic exam to make sure there is no underlying cause for the pain.
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Step 4
Make sure you schedule your doctor's appointment between periods. Examination during menstruation may produce false results and discomfort.
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Step 5
Be sure to let your doctor know about any symptoms beyond pain that you may be having. If you are not honest about other symptoms, including pain during sex or breakthrough bleeding (bleeding between periods), you may be misdiagnosed.
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Step 1
Understand that secondary dysmenorrhea is caused by an underlying disease or condition, such as endometriosis (abnormalities in the tissue lining of the uterus), adenomyosis (non-malignant growth in the uterus), pelvic inflammatory disease, uterine fibroids, cervical narrowing or pelvic tumors. Most of these conditions occur in older women.
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Step 2
Schedule a pelvic exam if you have any persistent pain. Your doctor may be able to diagnose dysmenorrhea through this exam, but more tests may be required to figure out the underlying cause.
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Step 3
Expect to have an ultrasound to see if there are any growths or cysts on any of the pelvic organs that may be causing the cramps.
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Step 4
Prepare yourself for a laparoscopy if your doctor can't immediately find a cause for your pain. During a laparoscopy, your doctor will cut a slit under your navel and insert a scope to examine the pelvic and reproductive region.
Comments
digupstuff said
on 1/31/2009 By the way, my doctors never knew what was wrong with me. It was my husband who mentioned to my OBGYN, right in front of me, without even discussing it with me first (!), that I probably needed a hysterectomy. It wasn't until after I'd had the hysterectomy that the doctors knew it was adenomyosis. And even today, that seems very strange to me that they didn't know what it was after all of those years.
digupstuff said
on 1/31/2009 Adenomyosis is what I had and why they had to take all of my female organs out of me. My cervix was pre-cancerous my doctor told me, which terrified me to pieces. I always had really bad, painful periods that made me sick to my stomach. So much so that I would miss at least 3 days of school out of the month when I was in junior/high school and even college. I went for years bleeding to death (well almost) from 1986 when it started getting worse up until 2002 when I finally had my hysterectomy. Thank God I got to have that hysterectomy! It saved my life!
DrNancyMalik said
on 8/3/2008 dysmenorrhoea:
Magnesia phophorica: This is the homoeopathic anti-spasmodic drug. There is a severe colic during the periods. The pain is cramping and is relieved by hot water bottles or by bending over. She is also relieved by passing out some clots. The bleeding is dark red and clotted, with the tendency for the flow to be more pronounced at night.
Colocynth: Like in Magensia phosphorica, the pain is again cramping, but is likely to be seen in girls who are very sensitive- especially to insults or rudeness. The pain is relieved by hard pressure (she doubles up with the pain) and also by using hot water bags.