Is It Normal to Get Back Pain During Your Period?
Periods: A pain in the … back?
Back pain affects 80 percent of people at some point in their lives, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. However, if you’re a woman with a period, back pain might be a monthly occurrence.
But not all women get back pain during their periods. So if you do, is it normal, or could something be wrong?
Is back pain during your menstrual period normal?
Back pain and lower pelvic pain during menstruation is very common. The culprit is prostaglandins. These are substances that the uterus makes that help the body heal from injury or stress. They also regulate contraction and relaxation of the muscles. These prostaglandins tell your uterus to contract to trigger your period.
Those contractions can lead to the menstrual symptoms women love to hate: menstrual cramps and back pain. If your back, abdominal, or pelvic pain show up right before and during the start of your period, it’s probably related to these hormone-induced contractions.
Is this pain ever a problem?
It’s normal (albeit annoying) to have back pain during your period. However, if pain or severe cramps show up out of nowhere, you might want to visit your doctor. There may be underlying problems that are causing the back pain, and not necessarily your menstrual cycle itself. Some examples of a secondary cause is endometriosis and fibroids.
Your back pain may be a cause for concern if:
- You've started having back pain during your period, but you never used to
- The pain is constant throughout your menstrual cycle (not just during your period)
- The pain is severe
How can I cope with pain during menstruation?
If you have run-of-the-mill back aches during your period, you might find relief with over-the-counter pain relievers, just like with cramps. (Here are other home remedies for menstrual cramps.)
Certain birth control methods — such as the Pill or IUD — can also help reduce some symptoms caused by your menstrual cycle, including back pain. Talk to your doctor about birth control options or different types of pain relievers to find which one is right for you.
Dr. Wu is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist practicing in New York City.
00:00.141 --> 00:02.558
(calm music)
00:08.210 --> 00:10.130 line:15%
-: It's very common to have back pain
00:10.130 --> 00:12.440 line:15%
and lower pelvic pain during your period,
00:12.440 --> 00:13.910
this is caused by prostaglandins
00:13.910 --> 00:16.880
which are produced in the uterus and the uterus contracts
00:16.880 --> 00:18.800
as you're having your menstrual flow.
00:18.800 --> 00:21.540
For some women they've always had back pain
00:21.540 --> 00:23.360
and lower pelvic pain with their periods,
00:23.360 --> 00:25.100
it's very common, it's part of their cycle.
00:25.100 --> 00:26.610
But occasionally we'll have patients
00:26.610 --> 00:28.630
who develop it as they get older
00:28.630 --> 00:32.100
and then we worry about secondary causes this back pain.
00:32.100 --> 00:33.730
If you're experiencing back pain
00:33.730 --> 00:35.150
before or during your period
00:35.150 --> 00:37.680
this is probably hormonal related to your cycle.
00:37.680 --> 00:39.340
You do wanna talk about this with your doctor
00:39.340 --> 00:41.282
because there are many medications you can take
00:41.282 --> 00:44.871
such as Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Motrin,
00:44.871 --> 00:47.650
for the back pain during periods.
00:47.650 --> 00:48.810
But you also wanna explore
00:48.810 --> 00:52.310
whether this could be secondary to a different problem
00:52.310 --> 00:53.930
such as endometriosis.
00:53.930 --> 00:56.190 line:15%
When patients have constant pain throughout their cycle
00:56.190 --> 00:58.630 line:15%
then we're more worried about something else,
00:58.630 --> 01:02.100
maybe a fibroid or another problem
01:02.100 --> 01:04.053
that may not be related to their cycle.
01:05.176 --> 01:07.593
(calm music)
Back pain. Washington, DC: U.S. National Library of Medicine. (Accessed on December 31, 2021 at https://medlineplus.gov/backpain.html.)
Dysmenorrhea: painful periods. Washington, DC: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2015. (Accessed on December 31, 2021 at https://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Dysmenorrhea-Painful-Periods#start.)
Period pain: overview. Washington, DC: U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2016. (Accessed on December 31, 2021 at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0072508/.)
What can I do about cramps and PMS? New York, NY: Planned Parenthood. (Accessed on December 31, 2021 at https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/health-and-wellness/menstruation/what-can-i-do-about-cramps-and-pms.)