Menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea) overview

Menstrual cramps overview

Menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea) are cramps in the lower abdominal area that occur during menstruation. Most women start to experience painful menstrual cramps within several years of their first menstruation. Dysmenorrhea typically becomes less painful and less common with age, especially after childbirth.

For about 10% of young women, severe or longer lasting menstrual cramps may signal an underlying problem with reproductive organs, such as endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disease. Menstrual cramps that have an underlying ailment is called secondary dysmenorrhea.