Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
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Dysmenorrhea - Menstrual Cramps
- Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
- Symptoms & Signs
- Diagnosis & Tests
- Prevention & Expectations
- Treatment & Monitoring
- Attribution
- View All
Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
Menstrual cramps are the pain and cramping some women experience during their monthly periods. The term dysmenorrhea usually refers to pain and cramps severe enough to prevent normal activity.
What is going on in the body?
About half the women of childbearing age have menstrual cramps. Fifteen percent of women have dysmenorrhea. There are two kinds of dysmenorrhea:
Menstrual pain is linked to a hormone that prompts ovulation. Women who ovulate, or release an egg during monthly cycles, make the hormone progesterone. This hormone boosts the body's level of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins stimulate uterine contractions. As the uterus contracts, it sloughs off the lining. The tissue passes out of the uterus through the cervix. Women with dysmenorrhea have prostaglandin levels that are 5 to 13 times higher than normal.
What are the causes and risks of the condition?
Experts do not know what triggers high prostaglandin levels. Secondary dysmenorrhea is caused by other disorders, such as:
Here are some factors that increase a woman's risk for menstrual cramps: