Common Symptoms

What Does It Feel Like?

1. Period cramps can be described as throbbing or cramping pain in the lower abdomen that starts at the onset of your period and lasts 8-72 hours.

2. Subsides in 2-3 days.

3. Dull, continuous ache.

4. Radiates to lower back and thighs.

What Are The Common Symptoms?

Common symptoms may include:

1. Abdominal pain

2. Lower back pain

3. Pain radiating to the legs

4. Nausea

5. Vomiting

6. Headache

7. Diarrhea

8. Fatigue

9. Weakness

10. Bloating

11. Breast tenderness

Secondary dysmenorrhea can be associated with varying intensities of pain and, at times, other symptoms such as dyspareunia, menorrhagia, intermenstrual bleeding, and postcoital bleeding.¹

What is the impact on everyday life?

Dysmenorrhea may have a significant impact on patients' day-to-day lives.

In approximately 16% to 29% of women, dysmenorrhea is associated with significant impairment in quality of life.²

Dysmenorrhea may also limit a patient's participation in sports or social events.

Furthermore, there are associated emotional stressors associated with dysmenorrhea. In the United States alone, dysmenorrhea is estimated to be the cause of missing roughly 140 million working hours per year, a public health matter that has a significant economic impact.³

References

1. Nagy H, Carlson K, Khan MAB. Dysmenorrhea [Internet]. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan– [cited 2025 May 11]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560834/

2. Ju H, Jones M, Mishra G. The prevalence and risk factors of dysmenorrhea. Epidemiol Rev. 2014;36(1):104–13. doi:10.1093/epirev/mxt009.

1. Zhao Y, Wang X, Zhang Y, et al. Prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea and factors associated with its severity in nursing students. Pain Manag Nurs. 2015 Dec;16(6):798–804. doi:10.1016/j.pmn.2015.06.002.