The body of a woman is a complex system, as well as her character. You must admit that many of us sooner or later have the notorious premenstrual syndrome, during which we are capricious, experience a whole range of emotions for a short time and, sometimes, we cannot explain why this happens. And another frequent companion of premenstrual syndrome is abdominal pain. By the nature of this pain, a woman realizes that she is a precursor of menstruation. For each of us, this happens differently, but at a certain period of life, anyone at least once experienced pulling and sore sensations in the lower abdomen. Where they come from and what to do with them: surely many young ladies are interested in solving this issue. This is what we'll talk about.
It hurts the stomach before menstruation: when not to panic?
By itself, the word "pain" causes some discomfort. Well, who would like to experience it every month, sometimes throughout life. True: the pain does not need to endure. But it is extremely important to know where this pain comes from and when to start to panic if it suddenly appeared.
As usual, weak nagging pains localized in the lower abdomen, which are not accompanied by deterioration of the condition, should not particularly disturb the woman. Sometimes the pain before menstruation can spread to the chest area. When it is not protracted and passes quickly without the use of antispasmodics, it means that you should not pay attention to such a symptom.
Pain before menstruation is a consequence of the hormonal surge that occurs in a woman’s life every month. The body is preparing to reject the functional layer of the endometrium, that is, the mucous membrane of the uterus, so hormonal adjustment is quite logical. And the pain that can accompany this process in the first 12-24 hours before, and also within 24-48 hours after its onset, is called dysmenorrhea. In general, dysmenorrhea should not bring any discomfort, but the painful sensations of a low degree can accompany it.
If you notice the following symptoms:
• Irritability,
• Weeping,
• feeling of increased fatigue,
• pain when touching the mammary glands,
• Pulling sore pain in the lower abdomen and lower back.
This may mean that menstruation is approaching. The main thing is that the pain is not unbearable, otherwise it may indicate functional impairment, as well as inflammatory processes taking place in your body.
Lower abdominal pain before menstruation: what if they are too strong?
Unfortunately, sometimes it happens that a woman feels severe pain in the lower abdomen. They are so unbearable that it is difficult to even move and do without painkillers is not possible. This factor should alert you, as there are many diseases behind the pain, including severe infections of the urinary and genital systems, as well as pathologies that can be transformed into infertility without appropriate therapy and even cause death in some cases.
So, what you should pay attention:
1. If you feel strong cutting pains just before the menstrual period, and besides this there is an increase in body temperature, cycle disturbance and discomfort during sexual intercourse, perhaps this can all be regarded as signs of adnexitis or inflammation of the appendages. Often this disease appears in lovers wearing short skirts in the cold season after a banal hypothermia, but it is also provoked by bacteria, such as chlamydia or gonococcus. Treat inflammation is vital, otherwise it can lead to infertility.
2. The proliferation of the epithelium or endometriosis is also characterized by pain in the lower abdomen, preceding the onset of menstruation. They can be localized at the bottom of the back and give to the leg, and over time the pain only intensifies. In addition, you may feel weak, menstrual periods become too abundant and some discharges appear between them. Endometriosis often occurs in a latent form, so only a qualified gynecologist on the basis of a variety of tests can solve this problem.
3. Too much menstruation, accompanied by pain in the back and lower abdomen, a violation of the cycle schedule may also indicate the appearance of a benign tumor - myoma. It is dangerous in that it may not manifest itself at all for some time, but then it may become inflamed and burst. As a result, the woman enters the hospital with heavy bleeding, high fever and unbearable pain.
If the stomach hurts before menstruation, it can also be urinary infections, which are often characterized by other symptoms, including:
• Rash, itching and burning of the genitals,
• weakness
• Headache,
• Increased body temperature
• Pain in the back and lower back.
• mucous or purulent discharge,
• pain during urination or intercourse,
• Unpleasant smell.
In no case do not lose sight of these signs, because each of them may indicate the presence of gonorrhea, herpes, trichomoniasis, mycoplasmosis and other infections in the body, which require immediate treatment.
Symptoms dangerous to life and health: what to look for if the lower abdomen hurts
There are two dangerous diagnoses that accompany pain in the lower abdomen in women: this is an ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage in the early stages. Both of them pose a threat to the girl and require the immediate participation of doctors.
Remember the most important factors to pay attention to:
1. If the lower abdomen hurts all the time, and no position brings relief, whether sitting, standing or lying down. When the pain increases with the bending and turning of a part of the body, it is localized on one side or in the middle of the abdomen, and there is at least scant spotting, not to mention bleeding, this is an occasion for prompt treatment to the doctor. All these symptoms may indicate the presence of ectopic pregnancy.
2. Pulling pain of a weak nature, as well as a little bit of a red or brown tint with a confirmed pregnancy will say that there is a risk of losing a fetus or a miscarriage has already occurred. If you find too abundant discharge, sanitary pad has to be changed once an hour and all this is accompanied by acute pain, call an ambulance as soon as possible.
In addition to these diagnoses, pain in the lower abdomen may well go hand in hand with appendicitis. Only with everything else, there is always an upset stomach, vomiting and high body temperature. Pain during inflammation of the appendix can be localized in the lower abdomen or may be wandering. In any case, this symptom requires an ambulance call.
What to do when lower abdomen hurts before menstruation
Given the numerous symptoms that can be present in a girl in addition to lower abdominal pain, a thorough diagnostic examination should be conducted in order to find out the cause of the discomfort and eliminate it if possible.
Sometimes painful periods are the norm and the individual feature of the body, but often this factor requires medical correction, especially in case of severe pain. In order to find out why the lower abdomen hurts before menstruation and in the first few days after they start, you need to do some simple points:
1. First, be sure to visit the gynecologist, explaining the reasons for complaints,
2. Secondly, undergo ultrasound diagnostics of the pelvic organs and, if necessary, other parts of the body,
3. To pass the necessary tests starting with a general analysis of blood and urine and ending with the diagnosis of infections of the urogenital system, as well as the determination of hormonal levels,
4. If necessary, perform a survey using laparoscopy and hysteroscopy.
In rare cases, the pain before menstruation is neurological, then as an additional examination it may be necessary to undergo an electroencephalogram or MRI diagnosis.
As a treatment for painful menstruation is used:
• stopping attacks with antispasmodics or pain medication,
• physiotherapy,
• acupuncture,
• as well as correction, which is carried out with the use of oral hormonal contraceptives.
Eliminating pain is allowed drugs that are allowed in many countries around the world, for example, ibuprofen or paracetamol. If you take them irregularly, but only from time to time they do not suffer any harm to health.
From home remedies, a simple bottle with warm or even hot water wrapped in a towel will help you. You just have to attach it to the lower abdomen and lie quietly for half an hour. If possible, rest in a warm bath with the addition of sea salt or a few drops of rosemary, lavender, ylang-ylang or juniper essential oils is allowed.
With severe pain, it is allowed to take decoctions of medicinal herbs that help lower the pain threshold. It can be:
• plantain,
• chamomile,
• yarrow,
• valerian root,
• hops
• zvoroboy,
• hawthorn.
How to protect yourself from pain before the start of menstruation?
The basic rules for the prevention of pain in the lower abdomen before menstruation are reduced to the observance of the correct rhythm of life and the elimination of bad habits:
1. make a choice in favor of quitting and taking alcoholic beverages, especially before the start of menstruation.
2. Try to correctly distribute the workload, be sure to get enough sleep.
3. Regular physical exertion, which alternate with good rest, can virtually eliminate the likelihood of pain.
4. Take vitamins. In order to avoid discomfort and unpleasant sensations in the lower abdomen, it is necessary to consume in sufficient quantities vitamin E, A and group B. In addition, it is useful to introduce foods into the diet in which the content of these vitamins is large enough. This may be fish and seafood, dried fruits and nuts, spinach, oatmeal, as well as cheeses and cottage cheese.
5. With increased body weight, you need to be prepared for the fact that pain before the onset of menstruation can occur quite often. That is why it is worth monitoring your weight, avoiding obesity and taking care of your own health.
6. Limit the use of salty foods, because salt retains fluid in the body, causing swelling and creating additional discomfort in the lower abdomen.
