More than half of all menstruating women have cramps, in

 Nigeria the cramps are severe in atleast one in seven women

(Medicinenet.com)

What Causes Menstrual Pains?

Having menstrual pain is no fun, when it starts the moaning and the sighs become a normal trend. Almost all women experience discomfort at the time of their periods for most, this does not interfere with their daily activities. However, for some ladies the monthly period are dreaded, it is painful, problematic and in some cases it is incapacitating, it can interfere with their lives because of the inconvenience it causes.

It is agreed that menstrual pain is a normal part of womanhood, gosh! That really hurts. But do you know why it happens?

THE CYCLE

Before you can understand menstrual pain, you must first comprehend a little bit about the menstrual cycle.  According to Dr. Tokunbo Akinsanya a Gynecologist, the typical menstrual cycle is between 28-30 days, it is a natural process that happens every month as the body gets ready for pregnancy. At the beginning of each cycle the uterus develops a somewhat soft lining more like a fence made of soft blood-rich tissues in preparation for an egg that will be released from the ovary. If fertilized the egg will develop into a baby, often times this fertilization does not occur the blood-rich lining of the womb is shed, as it is no longer useful. This shedding is what we call period, or menstruation.

So why the cramps?

“MENSTRUAL cramps are periodic abdominal and pelvic pains experienced by women”

During the time that the lining of the womb is being shed you might experience some cramping pain in the lower part of the stomach, your lower back and at the top of your leg. Experts have reviewed that the reason for this pain is that the uterus wall is contracting or squeezing to remove the soft blood-rich lining it no longer needs because you are not pregnant. To facilitate this removal the womb secretes a hormonal chemical called PROSTAGLANDINS.  “gibberish right?”  Unfortunately it is this chemical that induces the pain.

According to Dr. Akinsanya he said, “The pains are caused by contractions in the wall of the uterus, these contractions are caused by the release of some hormones produced by the lining of the womb, this hormone produces an interrelated cycle of cramp like pain, and bleeding.”

No one really know why the menstrual pain differs in women, for some women and girls it can be mild, in others it is stronger than moderate, experts have suggested that this may be as a result of over secretion of prostaglandins which causes the womb to contract more harder reducing the blood flow to the womb and causing more pain.

So now you know menstrual pain is perfectly natural to womanhood. What’s more important is how to manage it. For more information on how to manage menstrual pain visit our website for tips

www.femcaredrbrowns.com