Painful periods are common, but they are not “healthy.” A healthy menstrual cycle should be relatively pain free. Sure, you may not feel your best, but you shouldn’t need painkillers, ice/heat packs or experience a major disruption in the activities of your daily life.
You should only be giving yourself more downtime because you know it’s good you, rather than needing to because you can’t get out of bed, or you’re too worried about what might happen if you go too far from a bathroom. Get the difference?
So why do so many women experience period pain? Here are a few of the most common reasons:
- Endometriosis: Severe pain often accompanied by infertility, pain with intercourse and pain with bowel movements.
- PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease): Often from infection, abnormal vaginal discharge, pain with intercourse.
- Fibroids: Pain with heavy or prolonged bleeding, passing larger clots and/or persistent low back pain.
If you are experiencing pain with menstruation, are bleeding longer than 5–7 days or bleeding more than 80-100 mL of blood each cycle (more than 3 full cups total), these are all reasons to seek support from a doctor who is well-verses in women’s health and is empathetic.
There is far too much dismissing of pain around periods by doctors. And too many doctors “treat” this with a bandaid, instead of treating the root cause.
Atlanta Fibroid Clinic can help you treat the root cause, the symptoms. Schedule your appointment for a consultation today.
