Period pain - what can you do?

Ingrid Müller is a chemist and medical journalist. She was editor-in-chief of for twelve years. Since March 2014 she has been working as a freelance journalist and author for, among others, Focus Gesundheit, the health portal ellviva.de, the publishing house living crossmedia and the health channel of rtv.de.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

Bulky pain, back pain, nausea - for some girls, the days are a real torture. But you are not alone: ​​Around seven to nine out of ten teenage girls have moderate to severe menstrual cramps. Why some people get through the period without pain and others don't is unknown. However, it is believed that certain hormone-like messenger substances, the prostaglandins, play a role. One consolation: with most girls, the pain gets lighter with age, with some it even stops completely.

Nausea, weakness & co

You will usually feel pain in your stomach and back, especially in the first one to two days. Dysmenorrhea is the technical term for period pain. Some girls also feel unwell, feel sick, have headaches, diarrhea, a feeling of fullness or circulatory problems. For some girls it is so bad that they cannot go to school.

Active uterus

But where do the unpleasant symptoms actually come from? The menstrual cycle lasts 28 days on average. For some it is longer, for some it is shorter. Especially when you are still young, the cycle has to settle in first. If no fertilized egg cells implant itself in the uterus after ovulation, part of the mucous membrane is broken down and the remains are rejected - and this process leads to the menstrual period.

The cramp-like pain usually occurs when the uterus contracts. But there are also external factors that can make the pain worse, for example if you are extremely stressed (school, parents, friends ...). When you are young, you may often have more severe menstrual problems because the hormone control circuits that control your bleeding are not fully developed.

When to the doctor

Sometimes there can be other causes behind the pain. These can be cysts on the ovaries (these are tissue cavities filled with fluid), myomas (benign growths in the uterus) or endometriosis. In endometriosis, the lining of the uterus is dispersed and also grows outside the uterus. It can be found in some girls of childbearing age. If you have severe menstrual pain that lasts for a long time, you should definitely consult a doctor and have the causes of the menstrual pain clarified.

Pain go away!

What works for one girl may not work for you. So you may need to test what works for you and what doesn't. Some options are:

»Painkillers: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are very effective. They contain active ingredients such as ibuprofen, diclofenac or paracetamol; but it is important that your stomach can tolerate them.

»Anticonvulsants (suppositories or tablets) can support general relaxation and thus relieve pain.

»Hormones: Doctors often recommend taking hormones (pill). It prevents ovulation, the uterine lining is less built up and better broken down. This results in fewer cramps in the uterine muscles and less bleeding.

“Warmth works well against menstrual pain. This includes, for example, a hot water bottle, baths, warming pads or a visit to the sauna.

“Certain teas can also help, for example yarrow tea. Herbal teas made from lady's mantle, chamomile and goose fingerweed also have an antispasmodic effect.

“A massage is also good for some.

»Regular exercise can help reduce pain.

»Relaxation and breathing exercises can relieve cramps and relieve pain. Think of something nice, take about ten deep breaths through your nose and slowly exhale through your mouth. You have to consciously let your buttocks loose. Autogenic training, TaiChi and Qigong are also effective.

»Alternative healing methods such as acupuncture, acupressure or homeopathy have also proven effective for menstrual pain.

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