McKeown Medical
167 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4SQ
Is My Period Pain Normal? When To Seek Advice
Published by Dr Iain Martin
Date posted — 13.05.25
Period pain, medically known as dysmenorrhoea, is a common experience for many women. Although discomfort during menstruation is widespread, distinguishing between typical pain and severe symptoms that warrant medical attention is crucial for your health and well-being.
What is period pain?
Period pain typically manifests as cramping or throbbing sensations in your lower abdomen, which can spread to your back and thighs. It happens due to contractions in your uterus as it sheds its lining during menstruation. There are two main types of dysmenorrhoea:
- Primary Dysmenorrhoea: Commonly experienced since adolescence, caused mainly by natural chemicals called prostaglandins, which cause uterine muscles to contract.
- Secondary Dysmenorrhoea: Pain stemming from underlying reproductive conditions, such as endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease, or uterine polyps.
Symptoms to be aware of
Recognising symptoms can help differentiate between primary and secondary dysmenorrhoea.
Primary dysmenorrhoea symptoms:
- Mild to moderate cramps
- Fatigue
- Bloating
- Mood swings
Secondary dysmenorrhoea symptoms:
- Severe abdominal pain or heaviness
- Lower back pain
- Heavy or irregular periods
- Painful intercourse
Possible causes
Primary dysmenorrhoea occurs when prostaglandins build up in the lining of your uterus, intensifying contractions and pain during menstruation.
Secondary dysmenorrhoea is associated with conditions such as:
- Endometriosis: When tissue similar to the uterine lining grows elsewhere in the pelvis.
- Uterine fibroids: Benign growths within or around the uterus.
- Uterine polyps: Small growths attached to the inner wall of the uterus, which, though less common, can cause discomfort and menstrual irregularities.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID): Infection in reproductive organs.
When should I see a doctor?
If your period pain interferes significantly with daily activities or you notice sudden changes in the pattern or severity of your pain, it’s essential to seek medical advice. Tests such as ultrasounds, pelvic examinations, hysteroscopy, or sometimes diagnostic laparoscopy may be required to identify conditions causing secondary dysmenorrhoea.
At McKeown Medical, the team and I can provide thorough assessments and diagnoses, particularly for uterine fibroids and polyps.
MyoSure® treatment – minimally invasive relief
If uterine fibroids or polyps are identified, our minimally invasive MyoSure® procedure can offer effective relief without traditional surgery. MyoSure® gently removes growths from the uterine lining, significantly improving symptoms like heavy periods, irregular menstrual cycles, or fertility issues often associated with these conditions.
Take back control of your period pain with McKeown Medical
Period pain should never diminish your quality of life. At McKeown Medical, our expert gynaecological consultations provide personalised care, addressing your specific health concerns. With my extensive experience in women’s health, I am dedicated to diagnosing and alleviating your pain, helping you regain comfort and confidence in your daily life.
Painful periods can be difficult to manage and can affect your quality of life. At McKeown Medical, we can help investigate what may be causing your pain and provide a thorough diagnosis. Book a consultation to talk to us today.
Related Articles
1 / 2
2 / 2
Thank you once again to another lovely patient who has allowed us to share her photos with you.
She came to see me wanting a refresh and was open to suggestions, surgical and non-surgical. Her biggest concern however was wrinkles and lines and skin texture problems.
Surgery doesn’t help with this and injectables are limited too - the gold standard here is laser resurfacing, which is what we went with. We did a full field ablation of the full face including her eyelids.
This is her a month or so later. You can see she is still a bit red, especially around the eyes where we went the deepest, but she is already loving life with her new skin.
What do you think?
The non-surgical facelift!
You might have heard us talking a lot recently about combination treatments, using different treatment modalities to create synergy in non-surgical rejuvenation. The reason this works so well is that the different layers of the face age in different ways.
We focus a lot on skin tightening, which is super important, but that’s only the outer layer of the face. Below that the fat, bone and muscle are all changing too.
This lovely lady was relatively new to aesthetics and wanted a more comprehensive rejuvenation without surgery. We decided to do the combination approach using @sofwave.uk to tighten the skin of the face and neck, whilst using HA to restore volume to the fat and bone.
This is her a few months later - her whole face looks tighter, softer, less tired - but in a way that looks completely natural. She is delighted with the result that still looks like her, just a really refreshed version.
What do you think?
HA Fillers are making a comeback! Here are my thoughts on the how and why 👀
How long does a facelift last? One of the most common questions we hear, but it doesn’t have a straightforward answer. Here is our facelift expert @bramhallplasticsurgery talking about some of the nuance.
I’ve been getting lots of questions about what I’ve been up to with my own skin recently. So here you are… the full uncensored version 👀
Introducing Julaine - a new biostimulator I am very excited about!
To explain the background, we need to start with Sculptra - which is having a bit of a moment again on socials. Sculptra is made of PLLA which stimulates your own body to create more collagen, which sounds instantly appealing especially for patients who want to avoid HA fillers.
The problem is that 1 in 5 people who have Sculptra develop nodules which is why - despite the beautiful results we often see from it - I have never used it in my practice (at least not in the face). The trade off in terms of the risk of nodules is just too high for me to feel comfortable with.
We now have a new version, called Julaine, made from a Swedish company called Nordberg. The scientists at Nordberg have refined the manufacturing process to make the PLLA particles smaller and smoother and in doing so have eliminated the problems associated with Sculptra.
I have only just recently started working with Julaine (it’s been around for a couple of years now, but I never like to be the first to use it - I always want to make sure the real world data matches up to what the pharma companies tell us). The treatment is delivered over three sessions, one month apart, with gradual tissue regeneration and volumising occurring slowly over time.
The course of 3 sessions costs £3000 and results typically last up to 2 years. It’s a great addition for other regenerative treatments like Sofwave skin tightening. It’s also great for patients who’ve had HA fillers and feel like they need something else, but aren’t quite ready for more HA yet.
What do you think?
One of Dr Kavita’s breast reduction patients sent this gorgeous bouquet of flowers after her follow up - simply because she felt so grateful for her result and the care our team provided.
Moments like this remind us why we do what we do and why ‘how’ we do it is so important. Surgery has traditionally been a very male-dominated world, but Kavita brings something different - exceptional technical skill combined with empathy, warmth and a genuine understanding of women’s bodies and aesthetics.
There can be a lot of pressure on women in surgery to abandon their femininity to fit in. Kavita hasn’t done that. She’s succeeded by being completely herself.
And that’s exactly why our patients love her (and why we do too).
We’re very proud to have her as part of the McKeown Medical team.
This patient came to the clinic thinking she needed a facelift to get what she wanted. We do facelifts - lots of them. But for this patient, her biggest issue wasn’t loose skin.
It was skin quality, which is something we see a lot of, so we suggested she fix that first. This is the result. Fully ablative resurfacing isn’t easy, but for the right patient, it can be life-changing.
The patient is delighted with her results. What do you think?
Another gorgeous result for another gorgeous patient by the very talented @bramhallplasticsurgery.
This patient is 2 months post-op and loving life with her new eyelids. As well as looking better, she can see better because the weight of the excess skin has been removed. The patient is delighted.
What do you think?
Join us on Instagram to keep up with the latest results and expert insights from the clinic team.
Our dedicated team of experts are on hand to help you as you navigate your journey with us.
When you first make contact with us you will be assigned your own personal Patient Relationship Manager. They’ll start by understanding your needs and liaising with our doctors to book you an appointment with the most suitable specialist. For any additional questions or needs, you can message or call them anytime and they’ll be delighted to assist you. Our entire team is dedicated to providing you with the best possible treatment and care tailored to your needs.
Sign up to our newsletter
Keep up to date with the latest news from McKeown Medical and get access to expert insights, our latest before and afters and exclusive offers.
