Menstrual cramps, or dysmenorrhea, can be broken down into primary and secondary causes.
Primary dysmenorrhea means painful periods that occur since the onset menstruation in a young girl (menarche). This is usually caused by an innately higher level of prostaglandins in the menstrual blood of the women that suffer with this condition, and the prostaglandins cause myometrial contractions that cause pain.
Secondary dysmenorrhea occurs in women who develop painful periods later on in life, and causes may include endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease and birth defects in the vagina or uterus that may block the egress of blood.
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