Painful menstruation or menstrual pain (masalah haid). Are you affected?

In the medical world, it is known as dysmenorrhoea. Common women simply refer to them as cramps or painful menstruation. Men obviously found women in menstrual pain to be fascinating and at times irritating. Women should not bother too much about men’s views on this since they really have no idea what you are really going through. Maybe it is best that women would take the opportunity to explain to the other opposite sex what menstrual pain is all about. Tell them that painful menstruation is excruciating, it is a feeling of sharp intermittent aching pain felt in the pelvis or lower abdomen. Discuss it openly and they would understand sooner or later.

Medical records have shown that menstrual pain affects approximately 50% of menstruation women and 10% from this 50 would be suffering in extreme pain for a number of days. It is one of the leading causes of lost time for women in workplaces and higher learning institutions. Menstrual pain would normally happen before menstruation and subsides when the whole menstruation period tapers off. Our Malaysian Health Ministry one time ago did mention that majority of women in Malaysia still lacks understanding on menstrual pain. Obviously Malaysian women are still embarrassed to talk about their intimate problems openly even with professional medical practitioners!

Back to the subject, menstrual pain is suffered most by women in their late teenage years and those in the early 20s. It would decline as women gets older but it might resurface when they reach their late 30s or 40s as their bodies are preparing for menopause thus decreasing hormone and fertility levels. Having pain during menstruation is actually quite normal for women but living with excessive pain is certainly not especially when you see that you are losing a lot of heavy blood (menorrhagia). There are two types of menstrual pain or dysmenorrhoea:

1. Primary dysmenorrhoea refers to menstrual pain that is not caused or related to any external factors.
2. Secondary dysmenorrhoea refers to menstrual pain that is attributed and caused by some other underlying external factors such as diseases or structural abnormalities within or outside the uterus.

Now you know what menstrual pain or dysmenorrhoea is all about, please take this matter more seriously. If you find yourself affected by it, please place your vote here. More importantly, seek immediate help and assistance from your private doctors if you are constantly stung by painful menstruation. Only you know more about your body better than anybody else.