Period pain or something more ?

[Lemolime]

Hi, I’m new to this and wasn’t to sure what community to post on.

I’m 18 years old, and have had painful periods for most of the time since I first started my period. I must say, the pain has improved over the years as I went from being in pain for the first 2-3 days of my period, to just being in pain severely on the first day. I’ve been prescribed co-codamol (the lowest dose) and will take 1 sometimes 2 on the first day of my period. I am a bit worried that my pain is indicative of an underlying condition, but I don’t know if I’m just over worrying, which I tend to do. Sometimes I feel like I’m being a wuss or being weak, but I’m sick of planning my life around my period and worrying about the pain 10 days before my period comes. After the pandemic, I intend to get on the IUS but I feel like I should ask my GP for further tests. It could easily be nothing, and as I’ve been continuously told over the years, the pain is normal, but it just doesn’t feel normal for me. Also, if it is something I’d rather find out now and deal with it, preventing it from potentially getting worse.

I know I’ve rambled a bit, but does anyone have any advice or has shared a similar experience ?

Thanks.

[wobblybee Administrator Pioneer]

🙂 It’s not always possible to identify the cause of painful menstrual periods. In my case I had adhesions around my ovaries, this was caused by abdominal surgery when I was very young. Some people are just at a higher risk of having painful periods, but it isn’t always a sign that there’s something severely amiss. If your GPs advice on pain medication isn’t helping you, go back and discuss it further.

These risks include:

being under age 20

having a family history of painful periods

smoking

having heavy bleeding with periods

having irregular periods

never having had a baby

reaching puberty before age 11

A hormone called prostaglandin triggers muscle contractions in your uterus that expel the lining. These contractions can cause pain and inflammation. The level of prostaglandin rises right before menstruation begins.

Painful menstrual periods can also be the result of an underlying medical condition, such as:

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS). PMS is a common condition that’s caused by hormonal changes in the body occurring 1 to 2 weeks before menstruation begins. Symptoms typically go away after bleeding begins.

Endometriosis. This is a painful medical condition in which cells from the lining of the uterus grow in other parts of the body, usually on the fallopian tubes, ovaries, or tissue lining the pelvis.

Copied from healthline.com

[Lemolime in reply to wobblybee]

I think I will speak to my GP about alternatives to the medication for the pain. Having read through the risks, four of them ring true for me which could also be the reason for the period pains, but I’ll definitely speak with my GP.

Thanks for your help !