Dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea: Introduction
Dysmenorrhea refers to period pain or menstrual cramping.
Some level of period pain is common.
On the other hand, some women put up with excessive pain
believing it to be normal.
Menstrual cramps
can be the symptom of numerous other disorders.
It is called secondary dysmenorrhea when caused by
another disorder.
Possible causes include pelvic infection, pelvic inflammatory disease,
endometriosis, adenomyosis,
and various other conditions.
» Review Causes of Dysmenorrhea:
full list
Causes of Dysmenorrhea:
The following medical conditions are some of the possible
causes of Dysmenorrhea.
There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor
about your symptoms.
See full list of 56
causes of Dysmenorrhea
» Review Causes of Dysmenorrhea:
full list
Causes of Types of Dysmenorrhea:
Review the causes of these more specific types of Dysmenorrhea:
See full list of 11
types for Dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea: Symptom Checker
Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Dysmenorrhea, as listed in our database.
Visit the Symptom Checker,
to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.
Symptom Checker
Symptom Checker
See full list of 773
Symptom Checker combinations related to Dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea Treatments
Review information on Dysmenorrhea Treatments.
Dysmenorrhea: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers
Products, offers and promotion categories available related to Dysmenorrhea:
Causes of General Symptom Types
Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:
Causes of Similar Symptoms to Dysmenorrhea
Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Dysmenorrhea:
Diagnostic Guides for Dysmenorrhea
Medical Books Excerpts
Read excertps from published book sections related to Dysmenorrhea
from the following published medical books
for more detailed information about Dysmenorrhea.
Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Dysmenorrhea
Medical Books Excerpts
- AMENORRHEA
- "Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs" (2003)
- [ read ]
- Amenorrhea
- "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Amenorrhea
- "A Pocket Manual of Differential Diagnosis" (1999)
- [ read ]
- Amenorrhea
- "Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition)" (2005)
- [ read ]
- Amenorrhea
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Menorrhagia
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Dysmenorrhea
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Amenorrhea
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
- Menorrhagia
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
- Dysmenorrhea
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
- Amenorrhea
- "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses" (2007)
- [ read ]
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Dysmenorrhea: Medical Mistakes
Dysmenorrhea: Undiagnosed Conditions
Conditions that are commonly undiagnosed in related areas may include:
Hospitals & Clinics: Dysmenorrhea
Research extensive quality ratings and patient safety measures
for hospitals, clinics and medical facilities in health specialties related to Dysmenorrhea:
Research Hospital & Clinic Quality Ratings » »
Dysmenorrhea: Research Related Doctors & Specialists
Other ways to find a doctor, or use doctor, physician and specialist online research services:
Misdiagnosis and Dysmenorrhea
Unnecessary hysterectomies due to undiagnosed bleeding disorder in women: The bleeding disorder
called Von Willebrand's disease is quite common...read more »
Rare type of breast cancer without a lump: There is a less common form
of breast cancer called inflammatory breast cancer.
Its symptoms can be an inflammation...read more »
Female athlete syndrome leads to undiagnosed osteoporosis: Younger women are not usually
considered as candidates for diagnosis of osteoporosis.
However, a pattern of three conditions can occur in female athletes: disordered eating, amenhorrhea,
and bone loss (...read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea: Related Rare Diseases
Rare types of medical conditions and diseases in related medical categories:
Diagnostic tests for Dysmenorrhea:
Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Dysmenorrhea. Some of these are listed below :
- Physical examination
- Manual vaginal examination to examine for masses, tenderness or enlarged uterus. If a mass around the ovaries or fallopian tubes is felt may suggest salpingo-oophoritis, endometriosis with a cyst, malignancy ovarian tumor or ectopic pregnancy. If the uterus is felt to be abnormal may suggest fibroids, endometrial cancer, uterine pregnancy, retroverted uterus, endometrial cast or cervical polyp. If considerable tenderness when consider pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and possibly endometriosis
- Examine for discharge coming from the cervix which suggests pelvic inflammatory disease
- Blood tests
- more tests...»
See full list of 18
diagnostic tests for Dysmenorrhea
Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Dysmenorrhea.
Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing
your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information
you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- How long have you had the dysmenorrhea (painful periods)? - If you have always had painful periods within 2-3 years of the onset of your menstrual periods (menarche) it is called primary dysmenorrhea. If the painful periods started later in life it is called secondary dysmenorrhea. Determining whether or not the dysmenorrhea is primary or secondary will assist in determining the possible cause and also the course of the painful periods. Primary dysmenorrhea may be due to uterine hypoplasia, congenital malformations, ovarian dysfunction or psychogenic causes. Secondary dysmenoorhea may be due to endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, adenomyosis, intra-uterine contraceptive device, submucous fibroid, intrauterine polyp or pelvic adhesions.
- What was your age when the dysmenorrhea started? - Primary dysmenorrhea usually starts from age 15 to age 25, decreases with age and often ceases after childbirth. Secondary dysmenorrhea is unusual before age 25 and uncommon before the age of 30.
- When does the pain start and stop with relation to the period? - e.g. Pain with primary dysmenorrhea may commence up to 12 hours before the periods appear, is maximal at the beginning of the period and usually lasts 24 hours but may persist for 2 or 3 days. Pain with secondary dysmenorrhea usually begins 3 to 4 days before the period starts and becomes more severe during the period.
- Have you got an intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) in the uterus? - a disadvantage with this method of contraception is that it may increase dysmenorrhea and may also increase heaviness of periods ( especially in the first 4 months after insertion).
- Past surgical history? - e.g. previous abdominal or pelvic surgery increases the risk of pelvic adhesions which may be the cause of secondary dysmenorrhea as well as pelvic pain, infertility and intestinal pain; previous termination of pregnancy, dilatation and curettage for miscarriage, insertion of IUCD may introduce bacteria to upper genital tract and increase the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease which may cause secondary dysmenorrhea.
- more questions...»
See Diagnosis Checklist for Dysmenorrhea (18
listings)
Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse
your condition.
The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Dysmenorrhea) may include:
- Vaginal discharge? - may suggest pelvic inflammatory disease (may be an offensive, pus-like vaginal discharge).
- Infertility? - may suggest endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease or pelvic adhesions.
- Dyspareunia (pain with intercourse)? - may suggest endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease.
- Menorrhagia (heavy periods)? - may suggest endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, intra-uterine contraceptive device, fibroids.
- Fever? - may suggest acute pelvic inflammatory disease.
- more symptoms...»
See Diagnosis Checklist for Dysmenorrhea (18
listings)
Home Diagnostic Testing and Dysmenorrhea
Home medical tests possibly related to Dysmenorrhea:
- Pregnancy -- Related Home Testing:
- Menopause: Related Home Testing:
- Vaginal Health: Home Testing:
- Breast Cancer: Related Home Tests:
- more tests...»
Stories from Users for Dysmenorrhea
Real-life user stories relating to Dysmenorrhea:
Videos for Dysmenorrhea
Germs are a fact of life and catching an infectious disease like a cold may seem inevitable. But there are simple ways to protect yourself against...
Sexual contact can sometimes result in problems. An unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases may be some of those consequences. But by...
Stress takes its toll by making us anxious, depressed and not able to function as fully as we'd like. What many don't know is that stress can...
Sleep is necessary to feel refreshed, but now we know sleep actually impacts the way the body functions. Sleeping poorly can affect how often you get...
See full list of 4 related videos
Patient Surveys for Dysmenorrhea
Causes of Dysmenorrhea listed in Disease Database:
Other medical conditions listed in the Disease Database as possible
causes of Dysmenorrhea as a symptom include:
See full list of 56
causes of Dysmenorrhea
- (Source - Diseases Database)
Definitions of Dysmenorrhea:
Painful menstruation.
- (Source - Diseases Database)
Painful menstruation
- (Source - WordNet 2.1)
Detailed list of causes of Dysmenorrhea
The list below shows some of the causes of Dysmenorrhea mentioned in various sources:
See full list of 56
causes of Dysmenorrhea
How Common are these Causes of Dysmenorrhea?
This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases,
not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Dysmenorrhea.
Of the 56
causes of Dysmenorrhea that
we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:
- 5
causes are "very common" diseases
- 2
causes are "common" diseases
- 0
causes are "uncommon" diseases
- 0
causes are "rare" diseases
- 1
causes are "very rare" diseases
- 53
causes have no prevalence information.
See the analysis of the prevalence of 56
causes of Dysmenorrhea
Conditions listing symptoms: Dysmenorrhea:
The following list of conditions
have 'Dysmenorrhea' or similar
listed as a symptom in our database.
This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete.
Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause
of any symptom.
A
Adenomyosis
... menstrual cramps, painful menstruation, menstrual painAlcoholism
... premenstrual discomfort, Menstrual painAutoimmune Endometriosis
... DysmenorrhoeaC
Chapple syndrome
... painful menstruationD
Double uterus-hemivagina-renal agenesis
... dysmenorrheaDysmenorrhea
... menstrual cramping, painful menstruationDystrophia myotonica 1
... dysmenorrheaE
Endometrial conditions
... DysmenorrhoeaEndometriosis
... pelvic pain between periods, period pain, excessive menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea), excessive menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea)F
Female infertility
... DysmenorrhoeaM
Miscarriage
... menstrual crampsO
Ovarian cysts
... painful menstrual periods, pain during menstruationP
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
... menstrual painR
Renal nutcracker syndrome
... dysmenorrheaS
Secondary Dysmenorrhea
... dysmenorrhea, menstrual crampingT
Tubal ligation syndrome
... painful menstruationU
Uterine fibroids
... painful menstrual bleedingUterus conditions
... DysmenorrhoeaY
Y chromosome pericentric inversion
... Pelvic cramps
Join in at the forums
Ask or answer a question about symptoms or diseases at one of our
free interactive user forums.
Medical story forums: If you have a medical story then we want to hear it.
See a list of all the medical forums
Causes of Dysmenorrhea Based on Risk Factors
This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Dysmenorrhea based
on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient:
Travel - has the patient travelled recently?
Doctors and specialists: Who should I consult about Dysmenorrhea?
Depending on the seriousness of the onset of Dysmenorrhea, you may want to consult one of the following medical professionals.
Important:In extreme cases, always seek advice from emergency services :
What are the alternative names for Dysmenorrhea:
Menorrhalgia, Menstrual pain
- (Source - Diseases Database)
Classifications of Dysmenorrhea:
Subtypes of Dysmenorrhea:
Menstrual cramps (7 causes), Menstrual pain (3 causes), Painful menstruation (4 causes)
Medical Conditions associated with Dysmenorrhea:
Female sexual symptoms (452 causes), Menstrual irregularities (316 causes), Sexual symptoms (1608 causes)
Symptoms related to Dysmenorrhea:
Menstrual cramps (7 causes), Amenorrhea (85 causes), Vaginal bleeding (63 causes), Menstrual symptoms (316 causes), Heavy periods (63 causes), Vaginal symptoms (143 causes), Normal menstrual cycles, Primary Dysmenorrhea, Secondary Dysmenorrhea, Pelvic inflammatory disease (2 causes), Endometriosis, Fibroids, Adenomyosis, Premenstrual syndrome
Medical articles on signs and symptoms:
Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:
These general medical articles may be of interest:
See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
Medical News summaries about Dysmenorrhea
Our news pages contain the following medical news summaries about Dysmenorrhea and many other medical conditions:
Related medical articles from our Disease Center for Dysmenorrhea:
More Ways To Research Medical Signs and Symptoms:
» Next page: Causes of Dysmenorrhea
Rate This Website
What do you think about the features of this website?
Take our user survey and have your say:
Website User Survey
Medical Tools & Articles:
Next articles:
Tools & Services:
Medical Articles:
Forums & Message Boards
- Ask or answer a question at the Boards:
