Every month, millions of women miss their periods and face symptoms that range from annoying to downright debilitating.
Many women recognize the characteristic cramps, strange cravings and irritability that accompany their time of the month, but there are three menstrual symptoms that women should pay more attention to, according to UK-based general practitioner Dr Raj Arora. which specializes in women’s health. .
He warned on TikTok that if you suffer from acute back pain, dizziness, or pain that makes it difficult to function, “you should go talk to your doctor.”
These three symptoms “are not normal and you should never ignore them,” she said, because they could be signs of underlying conditions, including some related to depression and infertility.
Dr. Raj Arora specializes in women’s health issues and has been open about her own endometriosis diagnosis.
Extreme pain that makes movement difficult could be a sign that you’re dealing with an underlying condition like endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Each month, if the egg a woman releases is not fertilized, the body naturally sheds the lining of the uterus to start over the following month. This is the blood you see.
Some unpleasant symptoms are normal during your period, such as bloating, cramps, breast tenderness, and irritability. But there is a limit to the amount of suffering that is normal.
Sometimes, Dr. Arora said, the symptoms that occur each month are a sign of something more serious.
“I often tell my patients that menstruation is a normal part of life and that they should generally be manageable and pain-free,” she explained on her TikTok.
First, acute back pain during this time of the month could be a sign that you have a condition called endometriosis, said Dr. Arora, who deals with the condition herself.
Endometriosis affects about 11 percent of American women, about 6.5 million people, according to the US Office on Women’s Health (OASH)
It is a condition in which tissue that normally grows inside the uterus begins to grow outside the organ: in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or other internal organs.
The tissue inside the uterus has somewhere to escape to each month with the menstrual cycle, but the extra tissue in misplaced parts of the body has nowhere to go when it responds to monthly hormonal changes, causing a wide range of uncomfortable symptoms. .
This can include painful intercourse, bloating, nausea, fatigue, depression, and infertility. Between 30 and 50 percent of people diagnosed with this condition may experience infertility, according to Massachusetts General Hospital.
People don’t know what causes endometriosis, but it’s likely an interaction of genes, hormones and the immune system, or it could have to do with trauma from surgery, according to OASH.
Because it is not as well understood, it takes an average of eight years after developing symptoms for someone to be diagnosed with endometriosis.
Then, there’s the worry about grogginess during your period.
Dr. Arora said that if you faint or feel dizzy or lightheaded during your period, it could be a sign that you’re bleeding much more than your body can handle.
This could be a sign of an underlying condition, such as hormonal imbalance, fibroids or polyps, and may require treatment, Dr. Arora said.
Finally, Dr. Arora warned that if your menstrual cramps are so painful that you have trouble getting out of bed during your cycle, you should see a doctor.
This could be a symptom of a number of reproductive conditions that could affect your fertility or quality of life, including uterine fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease, adenomyosis or cervical stenosis, or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
None of these conditions are life-threatening, but if you see a doctor and discover you have one, you could be a good candidate for treatment to dissolve your painful periods.
For example, if a doctor discovers that you have uterine fibroids, which are essentially non-cancerous tumors, he or she may be able to relieve your symptoms by treating the area with surgery, medications, or targeted ultrasound radiation. according to the mayo clinic.
Other conditions, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, are sometimes treated simply by taking hormonal birth control.
If you have experienced any of these symptoms, Dr. Arora urged you to visit the doctor. “You shouldn’t have to put up with that,” he said.