MANY of think of us think cramps are part and parcel of periods, right?
It’s true that pains are part of the normal mechanism of menstruation, according to a doctor.
Health practitioners can dismiss agonising periods as simply ‘heavy’ and not look further into what might be causing the pain
But lecturer and NHS surgeon Dr Karan Rajan this can lead some sufferers – and health practitioners – to dismiss agonising periods as simply ‘heavy’ and not look further into what might be causing the pain.
The TikTok famous doctor posted a video onto his Instagram page explaining what causes those pesky monthly cramps – and when you speak to a doctor about them.
“During menstruation, chemicals called prostaglandins are released which stimulate the womb to contract and shed its inner lining,” Dr Rajan said.
But did you know that these same chemicals are also responsible for triggering contractions during labour?
The higher the level of prostaglandins released, the more cramping you’ll experience, the doctor went on.
“When the wall of the womb contracts, it also compresses blood vessels lining the womb. This temporarily cuts blood and oxygen supply to the uterine tissues and without oxygen, these tissues enter a state known as ischemia,” Dr Rajan explained.
This will in turn prompt the release release of certain chemicals which cause pain, as well as the release of more prostaglandins, “which make the womb contract even more”, according to the NHS surgeon.
Aside from cramps, these prostaglandins can have another not-so-lovely side effect.
They can causing the muscles in your colon wall to contract too, resulting in diarrhoea – what you’ll know as period poos.
Dr Karan said: “Period cramps are part of the normal mechanism of menstruation and they can vary person to person and cycle to cycle.
“But this is where doctors can sometimes get dismissive of gynaecological health,” the GP warned.
“It’s assumed far too often that a person presenting with severe painful periods is just having a heavy period and is fobbed off with pain killers.
“Whereas in actual fact there may be an underlying cause and something that can be done to treat the problem.”
He listed off a series of conditions that could be making your periods especially painful:
endometriosisadenomyosisfibroidspelvic inflammatory disease
It’s estimated that one in 10 women in the UK suffer from endometriosis, a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty recently revealed she suffered from adenomyosis – a condition causing the lining of the womb to bury into the muscular wall of the womb – which leaves her in agony.
Fibroids – a form of non-cancerous growths which develop within the uterus, where an unborn baby develops and grows – are also common, affecting around two in three women, according to the NHS.
It’s unclear how many people suffer from pelvic inflammatory disease, but it’s a infection of the female reproductive system which includes the womb, fallopian tubes and ovaries, the NHS says.
Dr Rajan urged you to seek medical advice if period pain is preventing you from continuing normal activities.
“Just because period pain has been around for millions of year doesn’t mean women have to suffer in silence,” he stated.