1. What's Causing Your Pelvic Pain Slideshow
2. Disease Prevention in Women Slideshow Pictures
3. Happiness Quiz: Test Your Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ)

Medical Author:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Primary dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation) occurs in the absence of any anatomic abnormalities or causes for the pain. This type of painful menstruation is most often seen in young women in the years following the onset of menstruation.

Secondary dysmenorrhea refers to painful menstrual cramps that occur as the result of another medical condition such as endometriosis. This condition most commonly occurs in older women (30-45 years of age).

Prostaglandins are chemicals a woman's body produces that cause many of the symptoms associated with menstrual discomfort. The tissue that lines the uterus makes these chemicals. Prostaglandins stimulate the uterine muscles to contract. Women who have high levels of prostaglandin experience more intense contractions of their uterus and more pain. Prostaglandins may also be responsible for vomiting, diarrhea, and headaches that accompany painful periods.

Other menstrual-type pain or secondary dysmenorrhea can be caused by conditions of the reproductive tract, such as the following:

• Endometriosis: uterine tissue that appears outside the uterus
• Fibroids: non-cancerous (benign) growths in the uterus
• Adenomyosis: uterine wall thickening
• Infections: infections in the reproductive organs
• Ectopic pregnancy: (pregnancy that occurs outside of the uterus such as in the Fallopian tubes)
• IUD (intra-uterine device) used for birth control
• Ovarian cysts
• Narrow cervix: (cramps due to passing clots of blood and tissue through the cervix during menses)
• Retroverted uterus (tipped uterus)
• Stress

Must Read Articles Related to Menstrual Pain

Chronic Pain Chronic pain is pain that persists for a period of six months or longer, and is the result of a long-standing medical condition(s) or damage to the body. Common...learn more >>

Endometriosis Endometriosis is a common disorder of the female reproductive organs and is the leading cause of chronic pelvic pain in women. Examples of causes of endometrios...learn more >>

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) occurs during the first two weeks before a woman begins her menstrual cycle. Symptoms of PMS include mood and behavioral changes and...learn more >>

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