

If you’re a smoker, this may affect period pains. TENS machines can be bought from your local pharmacy and are safe to use. These are thought to affect the pain signals that travel to your brain. This sends mild electrical signals to your skin near the place you feel pain.

Tips on how to stop period pain include the following. There’s a lot you can do to help yourself. Most women never see their doctor about period pain and manage the symptoms themselves at home. In some cases, your gynaecologist might recommend that you have other tests such as a laparoscopy, an MRI scan or a hysteroscopy. This is a doctor who specialises in women’s reproductive health. If your GP thinks there may be another specific cause for your symptoms or your symptoms are severe, they may refer you to a gynaecologist. The scan may feel uncomfortable but it shouldn’t be painful. A transvaginal scan is carried out from the inside using a device that goes into your vagina. An abdominal scan looks at your womb from the outside, through your lower abdomen. Blood tests to check for anaemia and other conditions.Using a swab to take a sample from inside your vagina, to check for infection.Your GP may also suggest the following tests. You can ask to have someone with you while you’re being examined. At the same time as the vaginal examination, they’ll use their other hand to press on the lower part of your abdomen. They’ll use a tool called a speculum to gently hold your vagina open while they check your cervix. If you’re sexually active or your GP thinks you may have secondary dysmenorrhoea, they’ll probably suggest you have a vaginal examination too.įor a vaginal examination, your GP will put gloved, lubricated fingers into your vagina to gently feel for anything different in your womb or cervix. If you’re young and not sexually active, and your GP thinks you may have primary dysmenorrhoea, they may just examine your abdomen. They may also ask you about your medical history and how your periods are affecting your day-to-day life.
