Dysmenorrhea

Diagnosis

Your doctor will review your medical history and do a physical examination, which will include a pelvic exam. Your doctor then examines your pelvis to search for any abnormalities in the reproductive organs as well as any indications of infection.

Additionally, your healthcare practitioner can advise getting tests like:

• Ultrasound. This test makes an image of your uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, and ovaries using sound waves.
• Other imaging tests. An ultrasound doesn’t offer as much detail as a computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, which might aid your doctor in identifying underlying issues.

With a CT scan, several X-ray images are combined to create cross-sectional images of your body’s bones, organs, and other soft tissues.

A strong magnetic field and radio waves are used in MRI scan to create precise images of interior structures. Both exams are painless and non-invasive.

• Laparoscopy. Laparoscopy can assist identify an underlying problem, such as endometriosis, adhesions, fibroids, ovarian cysts, and ectopic pregnancy, even though it is typically not required to diagnose menstrual pains. An outpatient surgery where your doctor will make a few tiny incisions in your belly and insert a fiber-optic tube with a tiny camera lens to view observe your reproductive organs and abdominal cavity.

Treatment

Your doctor may suggest the following to relieve your period cramps:

• Pain relievers. The day before you anticipate the start of your period, start taking regular doses of ibuprofen or naproxen sodium to ease pain. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications are also offered with a prescription.

Beginning at the start of your period or as soon as you experience symptoms, take the pain reliever as prescribed for the next two to three days, or until the pain is gone.

• Hormonal birth control. Hormones found in oral birth control pills stop ovulation and lessen the severity of menstrual cramps. Other methods of delivering these hormones include injections, skin patches, arm implants, flexible vaginal rings, skin implants under the skin, and intrauterine devices (IUD).
• Surgery. Surgery to treat the condition that is causing your period cramps, such as endometriosis or fibroids, may relieve your symptoms. Having your uterus surgically removed may be a possibility if you do not plan a pregnancy or alternative treatments have not worked.