Dysmenorrhea is pain associated with menstruation. MOst women who menstruate can have pain for 1 to 2 days each month. The pain is mild for most but for some women, the pain is so severe that it keeps them from thier normal activities.

If you have painful periods talk to your ob-gyn about your symptoms and your menstrual cycle. Sometimes a pelvic exam is needed for further evaluation. Medications are usually the first step when treating painful periods. If medications do not relieve your pain, treatment should focus on finding the cause of your pain.

Birth control methods that contain estrogen and progestin, such as the pill can be used to treat painful periods. Birth control methods that contain progestin only, such as the birth control implant and the injection, also may reduce period pain. Hormonal intrauterine device (IUD) also can be used to treat painful periods. For many women with an IUD, menstrual bleeding gets lighter the longer the IUD is in place. In some cases, bleeding stops for women with an IUD. If you are not trying to get pregnant, you and your ob-gyn may talk about hormonal birth control methods as a form of treatment.