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Are Painful Periods a Sign of Infertility?

BY Soko Directory Team · January 1, 2019 12:01 am

When a woman is trying to conceive, those experiencing painful periods, also known as dysmenorrhea, wonder if the condition can impact on their fertility. A bunch of women out there, at one point or another, have experienced menstrual pains, which usually occurs up to three days before the onset of the periods.

Painful periods are normal in teens and those women in their 20s. It occurs when the uterus contracts causing its lining to shed as blood capillaries are blocked off. When too many prostaglandins that make contractions, even more, are released, or when the uterus is intolerant to prostaglandins, the pains become severe. Severe cases can cause lots of discomfort ranging from nausea, fatigue, being too emotional, bloating, breast tenderness and headaches or migraines.

While painful periods will not stop you from getting pregnant, could the bad cramps be a sign of infertility?

The answer depends on the underlying cause of your period pains. Have you been experiencing them for long or they recently started? If you are used to the painful periods (primary dysmenorrhea), then worry less and take some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers or try other methods of easing the pain. This includes holding a hot water bottle against your lower abdomen or having a hot shower.

On the other hand, if the painful cramps are something new to you after having normal or less painful ones, this means that something else is causing the pains. This condition is called secondary dysmenorrhea.

Secondary dysmenorrhea mainly affects women in their 30s and 40s. Whatever causes secondary dysmenorrhea might damage your oviduct and as a result, your fertility may be affected.

Endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) are two of the major conditions that may damage your fallopian tube. They cause scarring and tissue build-up hence barring the sperm from fertilizing your egg.

In endometriosis, pain during sexual intercourse or recurrent pain before the start of periods is a symptom. It happens when a similar tissue to your lining grows outside your womb and bleeds monthly. Long-standing infection in your pelvis causes PID. It is characterized by pain during sex and abnormal vaginal discharge.

Other conditions include fibroids, which causes non-cancerous inflammations in the uterus and adenomyosis.

Adenomyosis is another condition every woman should not ignore. Unlike endometriosis, where the endometrium grows outside the uterus, it is characterized by the growth of the endometrium within and or into the muscle of the uterus. It is one cause of painful menstrual cramps; however, it hasn’t been ascertained as to whether it can cause infertility.

Another implicated condition is ovarian cysts. Ovarian cysts are sacs filled with fluid and they form in the ovaries leading to painful periods. The cysts are not cancerous and they usually clear on their own but they may cause fertility problems, especially if they form in the fallopian tubes or the ovaries, particularly if the sacs are abnormally large.

While most cases of dysmenorrhea should not be a cause for concern, when you experience severe period pains, talk to your gynecologist. She can give you a series of medication that will help you ease the pain. Not to worry too much, in most cases, also depending on the cause, these pains might end when you have a baby. They are not perpetual.

Soko Directory is a Financial and Markets digital portal that tracks brands, listed firms on the NSE, SMEs and trend setters in the markets eco-system. Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/SokoDirectory and on Twitter: twitter.com/SokoDirectory

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