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Maternal (Expert Forum)
Very painful menstrual cramping since the birth of my first child
Patient medical question and answer from The Maternal and Child Health Forum. Health topic area and articles about newborn care
Very painful menstrual cramping since the birth of my first child
by Michele__0, Dec 09, 1998 12:00AM
My daugther is now 18 months old and every since my cycle began again (which is pretty much a year ago), I've experienced extremely painful menstrual cramps. They get so debilitating that I'm in bed for a whole day and often vomitting. I also find that a various times throughout the month I'm assuming it's during ovulation) I experience painful cramping as well. I've seen my doctor and he says it's normal. I'm not so sure. I don't think I should be having painful cramps throughout the month...Can you help me or give me some direction?? He has suggested that I try an IUD and any of the information I've read says that you should avoid them if you experience painful menstrual cramping. HELP????
Dear Michele:
Following birth, menstrual cycles change. Although the most common report is that menses have less discomfort, nothing in medicine is 100%.
Besides clinical examination, tests that might be helpful include an ultrasound image of the uterus with instillation of a small amount of saline (saltwater), a procedure often called sonohysterogram, or a hysterosalpingogram with contrast dye (an X-ray procedure) looking for polyps, fibroids, adhesions that may be mechanical causes of pain; more agggressive are hysteroscopy (looking inside the uterus) and laparoscopy (looking inside the abdomen). The laparoscopy is intended to indentify endometriosis: although pregnancy is supposed to make endometrioisis better, this again is not always true. Cesarean section can be a cause for endometriosis to develop following a delivery.
Medical trials include oral contraceptive formulations; non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) began before the onset of the cramping/bleeding and continued throughout the days of painful flow.
Keywords: dysmenorrhea
This information is provided for information purposes only and is not a medical consultation. If you have specific questions, please contact your physician.
