Myths Of March... Painful Menstruation.

Hello Zara,

I am 15 years old and I am having the most painful menstrual pain in the world. During my period, I don’t sleep, I don’t eat and I can’t even go to school. I am in SS1 and anytime I am feeling it is time for my period, the thought of the coming pain scares me. The pain from the cramps is so bad that it leaves me in bed for 2days. I have tried all kinds of painkillers, but none works.

My girlfriend said she experienced the same thing but it stopped when she started having sex with her boyfriend. I don’t even have a boyfriend and there is nobody to have sex with me, because I am very willing to do it just for the pain to stop. Can you advice me on what to do?

Ezinne

Dear Ezinne,

Painful menstruation or secondary dysmenorrhea is not abnormal for young women who are menstruating, especially after the menarche. For some, it is severe or mild while some women don’t even experience any pain at all. Painful menstruation is as a result of the shedding of the uterine wall of a woman’s reproductive system. It has absolutely nothing to do with healing from sexual intercourse.

The first thing you can do when you start experiencing pain is to take a cup of hot tea, then you can take a mild pain killer, after which you need to place a hot water bottle on your lower abdomen. It helps to ease the effect of the shedding while stimulating the flow. Sex has never and will never stop menstrual pain. It will rather increase your chances of getting pregnant and of contracting sexually transmitted infections.

You can also take a walk as a form of exercise to help relieve the pain and possible as you grow older the pain will no longer be as severe as it is presently.

Yours,

Zara