From a medical point of view, there is usually no reason to concern - some women even simply accept menstrual pain as anunchangeable side effect of fertility. For most people, however, period pain is an unacceptable “inconvenience” in their daily lives.

And rightly so, because the dull or cramping abdominal pain, which often radiates to the back or thighs, interferes with almost all everyday activities. Often, they even lead to school absences or inability to work, or at least to a reduction in quality of life and mobility: A current representative online survey on the topic of menstrual pains among more than 1,000 women between 14 and 45 years of age showed that 81 percent suffer from pain during their menstruation - and 88 percent of them would like to actively do something about it.

The typical symptom of painful menstruation is lower abdominal pain. The pain is cramp-like or appears as a dull continuous pain, most severe in the first 24 hours of menstruation. Good to know: Most of the time, abdominal pain during the menstruation is not an illness, but has completely natural causes - the turbulent interplay of female hormones. They control the menstrual cycle, which lasts for an average of 28 days and is - right after the natural sleep rhythm - the most important clock in a woman’s life. In some cases, however, extremely severe menstrual pain can indicate endometriosis (a growth of the lining of the uterus), a myoma (a benign growth of the uterine muscles) or a cyst (a fluid-filled cavity, such as in the ovaries). If an illness is suspected, a gynaecological evaluation should be carried out.

What exactly are the causes of abdominal cramps? In the first two weeks of the cycle, hormones stimulate the production of eggs and ensure that ovulation occurs in the middle of the cycle. After menstruation, the preparation for a possible pregnancy starts and the uterus builds up a thick, well perfused mucous membrane again.

Shortly before ovulation, the oestrogen level rises rapidly: During these days, women have a greater sexual desire. With ovulation, which usually takes place around the 14th day of the cycle, the oestrogen content of the blood drops again. Now progesterone, which is responsible for the remodelling of the uterine lining, takes over. However, if fertilisation does not occur in the following days, the lining of the uterus is broken down, the uterus contractions and a feeling of tension in the chest occurs. Women can suffer from mood swings and in addition, water retention and digestive problems can occur, for example. Such symptoms are typical of the so-called premenstrual syndrome, or PMS for short.

Primary or secondary menstrual pain?

Primary period pain often occurs from the first menstrual period onwards - but only becomes fully pronounced when the body has adjusted to the menstrual cycle. Other forms of joint pain are more likely to need heat treatments. This is due to an overproduction of certain hormones, so-called “uterine prostaglandins”. These stimulate the uterine muscles so that the mucous membrane can be rejected. The contraction of the uterus impairs the blood flow, especially smaller vessels are essentially squeezed - which increases the pain and promotes the occurrence of other symptoms. Unfortunately, there is no cure-all for menstrual pain yet. Nevertheless, women do not have to helplessly accept these unpleasant accompanying symptoms of their menstruation, but can do a lot against them with simple means - for example, with relaxation exercises, in part also by taking the contraceptive pill, and last but not least, with heat applications.

Secondary menstrual pain is far less common. They have an organic cause and therefore usually only appear in middle age. The underlying condition must be determined and treated here. Secondary menstrual pain can be caused by endometriosis (an overgrowth of the uterine lining), a myoma (a benign growth of the uterine muscles) or cysts (cavities filled with fluid, for example in the ovaries). In addition, the use of mechanical contraceptives such as the IUD can sometimes lead to secondary menstrual pain.

Menstrual complaints? Every woman experiences it a little differently, with impairments ranging from mild discomfort to significant cramping. However, most women are familiar with menstrual pain, i.e. pain in the lower abdomen during their period.

Period pain has many faces, it can include pulling and cramps or present themselves as a dull continuous pain, usually strongest in the first 24 hours of bleeding. It is not uncommon for pain to radiate into the back or thighs, and sometimes it takes on violent proportions. Although recurring menstrual pain is not caused by illness in most of the cases, the underlying hormones work throughout the body. This is why period pain is often accompanied by other symptoms.
These include among others:

Quite a few women are so severely affected that they cannot go to school or work. Fortunately, however, the symptoms of menstruation usually subside after one to two days. In addition, lifestyle changes and simple home remedies can significantly help to alleviate them.

Risk factors

Why do I have such pain and other women don’t? This is a question asked by many who suffer from monthly period pains for which no medical cause has been found.
But the answer is not always easy. This is because there are numerous factors that favour the occurrence of abdominal pain and other symptoms. The most important ones are:

• Age: Young and childless women suffer more often from menstrual pain. After childbirth and with age, the symptoms usually become less severe.

• Early menstruation: Those who experience their first menstrual period (menarche) at the age of twelve or earlier are more at risk.

• Diets: Trying to reduce body weight can also increase the pain. Similarly, very slim women - with a body mass index below 20 - often have more severe symptoms.

• Cycle intensity and length: Women with heavy, prolonged or irregular periods often develop more severe pain.

• Lifestyle: Smoking clearly has a negative influence on the severity of period pain. Whether these are also influenced by alcohol and lack of exercise has not yet been fully clarified. On the other hand, the negative influences of stress can be clearly identified - those who are under psychological pressure often literally feel more pressure in their abdomen.

• Uterine abnormalities: If the uterus is very small or not quite properly positioned in the abdomen, this can also make its contractions painful.

Unfortunately, menstrual pain cannot be totally managed - and there is no generally effective therapy. Some women take pain-relieving or antispasmodic medication for their symptoms, others swear by relaxation techniques such as yoga or autogenic training. Even if they do not have a pathological cause in most women: Menstrual pain and its accompanying symptoms are no trivial matter. After all, they cause distress and considerably restrict the active everyday life of affected women.

In addition, menstrual pain sometimes leads to social and/or psychological conflicts, for example because you cannot appear at work or simply no longer feel comfortable in your own body and also suffer mentally from the pain and other symptoms of the menstruation. Therefore, no woman should simply give up with menstrual pain - but actively do something about it. Here we have listed some of the most important treatment methods for you and show you which therapy helps quickly and effectively.