Menstrual cramps are truly a woman’s problem. From the year of their first menstruation period, up to 90% of girls say that they have painful menstrual cramps. Up to 50% of women experience some discomfort with some 15% having serious cramping during their menstrual period cycle.
What Period Cramps Feel Like
The signs of menstrual cramps can be:
- nothing more than a dull ache around to below your belly button, that is your pelvic region which goes after the first few days of menstrual cycle bleeding
- a sharp or crunching pain in the same area
- The pain can include pain in the lower back and in the legs
These signs of menstrual cramps sometimes start several days before you actual experience any bleeding. This is because your uterus is actively trying to shed its lining through normally unnoticeable but in this case very painful contractions.
When the pain is severe enough to prevent you from going about your usual daily activity it is known medically by the term dysmenorrhea. You may experience other signs of dysmenorrhea which include:
- feeling dizzy
- feeling like you’re going to be sick (nausea), or more seriously vomiting
- diarrhea, or poop that is more fluid than normal due to the increased activity of your digestive tract
- sweating
At the onset of menstrual period bleeding, i.e., from the first menstruation period, girls may see their mensis, but without any eggs being released from their ovaries (ovulation). Menstrual cramps don’t seem to start until ovulation begins.
It is a good idea to be sure that there is no other problem with your reproductive system that is responsible for the way you are feeling. So talk to your family physician if you are worried.