As a woman, one of the most difficult times to endure is every month for 3-7 days. For some women, getting your period once a month can be relieving, you know when you’re trying to avoid the big P-word that brings life into the world. For others, it might be really disappointing if that’s what you are pushing for at the moment. Regardless of how you may feel about being on your period, sometimes it can be the worst pain you’ve ever felt in your life. When it comes to pain, menstrual cramps can be as painful as a heart attack, and women are subjected to this every month. The cramps you get on your period can even be more painful than that if you have underlying issues such as endometriosis. In fact, pain from menstrual cramps can be torturous, even with a benign issue such as fibroids.
Now there are many reasons why your period cramps may be extremely painful. One reason for terrible cramps could be your diet.
Certain foods that you eat can determine how bad your period cramps will be.
Eating salty, processed and fatty foods can cause your period cramps to worsen. Consuming dairy and coffee can also cause bad cramps before your monthly cycle.
Certain pads and tampons that you use can also cause bad cramps. Many companies add harmful chemicals to the products that women need for their cycle.
These harmful chemicals not only throw off your body’s pH balance, but they also have the ability to make your period last longer than you would like it to.
Stress can too be a factor in why your pain may be more unbearable this time around.
RELATED: 9 Natural Ways To Relieve Menstrual Cramps
Though all of these reasons listed are valid reasons why your monthly cycle may be extremely painful this month, sometimes your pain may be because of something more. Sometimes it may not be stress or because of what you have been binge eating, sometimes it could be fibroids.
Uterine fibroids are growths (benign) that develop in the lining of a woman’s uterus. Though there is no specific evidence that shows who exactly will develop fibroids, African American women, and people who have a family history of fibroids or are overweight have a higher chance of developing them.
If developed during a woman’s childbearing years, there is a possibility of the fibroids growing so big that they change the size of your uterus or being so small that they cannot be seen by the naked eye. Thankfully once a woman reaches the age of menopause, fibroids will shrink or disappear completely.
Since fibroids develop in the uterine lining, they can cause heavy menstrual bleeding and extremely painful cramping but that isn’t the only thing fibroids can cause if left untreated.
They can also cause anemia because of the drop that happens in the body’s red blood cells when fibroids develop.
Long-lasting pelvic pain, trouble with emptying your bladder and lengthy periods are symptoms that can develop because of fibroids and unfortunately, there are more.
Though they are non-cancerous growths, fibroids, if left untreated, can cause problems with fertility and even pregnancy loss. They can cause the risk of complications during pregnancy such as fetal growth restriction, and preterm delivery.
When dealing with extreme period pains, see what you can do for yourself first. Cut out processed foods and dairy items from your diet or find alternatives. Use heating pads to place on the cramps and try over-the-counter medications to help with the pain. Drink herbal teas and do things to reduce your stress levels such as exercising and yoga.
If you’ve attempted some of those helpful tips and the extreme pain still isn’t going away, it’s time to see a doctor because there may be underlying issues (fibroids and or other medical issues). When you see a specialist, bring up your concerns and symptoms and ask to get some testing done. Most of the medical issues that lead to extremely painful and harsh periods can not be determined without one, so your best bet is going to be a test. Being a woman is hard so let’s do everything in our power to make life a bit easier wherever we can.
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