When your period is not the culprit
THE moment a woman complains about having abdominal cramps, we immediately chalk it up to Aunt Flo — after all this is her most common symptom. But what if she is not the guilty party? Obstetrician-gynaecologist Dr Robyn Khemlani said that there are a number of other common as well as not-so-common reasons why you may be experiencing these cramps.
“A woman can experience abdominal pain and cramps for a variety of reasons; your period is just one of the reasons that are to blame. The origin of the pain may, in fact, be from a number of conditions that are affecting various organs in the body,” Dr Khemlani told All Woman.
She said that among the list of other possible guilty parties are these three causes. We will continue with some others next week.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis)
“With Crohn’s disease, you’ll feel cramped as well as pain in the right lower or middle parts of your belly. They can be mild to severe. If you have ulcerative colitis, the cramps will be on the lower left side of your stomach,” Dr Khemlani explained. She said that if any of these diseases are to be blamed, you are likely to experience other symptoms such as severe changes in bowel movements like diarrhoea, alternating with constipation, urgent need to pass stool, and feeling like your bowels aren’t completely empty after you go; as well as fever, weight loss and blood in the stool.
Ovulation
A woman may experience some amount of cramping when the ovaries release an egg to ready her body for a possible pregnancy. Ovulation occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle, or about 10 to 14 days before your period.
“You’ll notice pain on one side of your lower belly. It lasts a few minutes to a few hours. It can be sharp and sudden, or you might just have a dull cramp. The side of the pain depends on which ovary released the egg. It is known as Mittelschmerz and affects about 20 per cent of women,” she said.
Ruptured ovarian cysts
A cyst is a sac of fluid that sometimes forms on your ovaries. Most are harmless, but if one grows large, it could burst.
Most times, abdominal pains are nothing to worry about — they are usually mild and resolve on their own. However, Dr Khemlani says that you should always seek medical attention if any of the following serious symptoms accompany cramps or pain:
•Abnormal vaginal bleeding
•Sudden, severe, or worsening abdominal or pelvic pain
•Pain in the chest, arm, neck, or jaw
•Frequent vomiting
•High fever
•Blood in vomit or stool
•Black or tarry stools
•Shortness of breath
•Unexplained weight loss
•Slow or rapid heartbeat.
