Period Pain - Dysmenorrhoea

Period pain attacks a large number of young women. Pain usually starts within 24 hours of a period beginning and usually does not persist past the first day of the period. If severe pain persists beyond this you may have endometriosis.

Management of period pain

Simple Remedies.

Go to bed, use a heat pack or hot water bottle.
Use Naprogesic, Nurofen or even aspirin. These over the counter medications counteract chemicals called prostaglandins which are the main mediators of period pain.
Use the old fashioned herb "Chasteberry" which has been effective for many women with period pain for hundreds of years.
Cut down on refined flour, wheat products and coffee, chocolates etc which all increase the bodies production of prostaglandins and related chemicals.

More permanent methods:

Go on the pill - this will greatly reduce period pain for many women. There are obviously risks with the pill especially if you smoke, so discuss all this with your doctor.
Go on natural progesterone cream or lozenges
If you still get period pain on the pill , skip the sugar tablets that is go straight onto the next active tablets. You can do this for 2 months in a row, then next month take the sugar tablets and you will get a period, and maybe period pain but only every third month which has to be an improvement. You should consult your doctor before doing this.
Ask your doctor about Depot - Provera. This is a three monthly contraceptive injection which stops periods in many women, no periods = no period pain. The main side effect is spotting or breakthrough bleeding in about 20% of women.
Ask about Implanon Implants. This is a small rod which is implanted in the upper arm and gradually releases tiny amounts of progesterone. It provides contraception for three years and in many cases women stop having periods altogether for this time again No Periods = No Period pain.
Have a baby!!! Not a good reason for having a baby but if you are considering pregnancy, most women find that their period pain is far less after having a child.