June 5, 2009

Menstrual Cramps and Back Pain: Dysmenorrhea Treatment

Posted in Category : Women's Health

Cramps and pain during your period is medically termed as dysmenorrhea. Medically, this is diagnosed if the uterine pains are so severe that they require medication or some kind of treatment. Fortunately, this is a problem that has many remedies to it.

A period is the biological process of a woman’s body disposing of the endometrial tissue. During the menstrual cycle the endometrium starts to thicken await a possible pregnancy. After pregnancy, if an ovum is not fertilized then the endometrial tissue is discarded. This process happens through inflammation and constriction of blood flow to the area. All this activity can cause severe pain, which can then even radiate backwards to the spine. To deal with this problem, nutritionally, one must be prepared and supplements of vitamin E, iron, and zinc must be taken a few days before the period starts. When the pain begins, and it becomes unbearable, it is advisable to take preparations of ginger lemon tea as ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory. Medically, you could also take a regular painkiller on really bad days to counter the effects of the pain. Dairy products are also a good nutritional supplement to have because of the heavy blood loss and it is believed that taking diary products tends to reduce the possibility of any pain at all. Temperature treatments are also advocated. For using a temperature treatment, you will need two hot water bags. Fill them both and put one on your stomach and the other on your back. This will provide temporary relief. One’s emotional well being is also of prime importance at this time. Some forms of dysmenorrhea can be so debilitating that one would sometimes need to spend an entire day in bed because of it. It is at times like these that measures like massages and having some company around would greatly alleviate the stress of the situation.

There are some alternative treatments as well that are available to treat menstrual cramps. These usually involve traditional systems like Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture. Unfortunately, there has been no scientific evidence that any of these therapeutic systems and procedures actually work. One can also take heart in the fact that dysmenorrheal is condition that starts to reduce with age. Statistically, it has been shown that the condition totally disappears after childbirth. There some complications that could also occur due to your cramps as well and if combined with an inability to not urinate or defecate properly, you should go to the doctor immediately.