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.
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We have an exciting new addition to the clinic - Visia skin analysis.
We’ve had a growing focus in the clinic on skin quality and skin health over the years with more and more investment in lasers and devices that improve skin quality as the foundation of what we do in aesthetic medicine.
The Visia is a great tool for helping us to analyse the skin and track progress of treatments over time. As well as doing a thorough analysis of all the components of sun damage and skin health, it also gives us an estimate of our ’true age’, which is a reflection of the condition of our skin compared with average for our age.
This is one of my own analysis images. It got my ’true age’ pretty much spot on with my chronological age, which is perhaps surprising given that I spent most of the 90s lying under a sun bed. What was interesting is that I scored really well on superficial pigment and redness, which is consistent with the fact that I love BBL and have a treatment a few times per year. I scored less well on deeper pigment and texture issues, which I guess is consistent with the fact that I’ve not had a Halo laser for nearly 4 years now. So I guess I will be booking another Halo for myself very soon!!!
We`re offering the Visia skin analysis free as part of our laser consultation process. If you`re interested in laser treatment, come in for a consultation with Dr Sharon and you’ll have your analysis done as part of planning your treatment strategy.
You’ll also be scanned again after your course of treatment so we can track your progress.
What do you think of this new addition to the practice?
I am very humbled to share these incredible reviews from our patients.
We are very fortunate to have a team who LOVE their work and will always go the extra mile to ensure our incredible patients are properly taken care of at every step of their journey with us.
We couldn’t do what we do without our incredible (and growing!) team and I am so proud of every one of them.
We have some very exciting developments on the horizon, so keep watching this space!
Laser eye rejuvenation! Thank you to our lovely patient for allowing us to share her photos, just one week after her laser eyelid rejuvenation.
Crepe skin, loose skin, wrinkles are all common signs of ageing around the eye which do not respond well to surgery. The optimal treatment for these problems is laser resurfacing - which is exactly what this patient had.
We’ve been performing these treatments in the clinic for several years, although I’ve recently modified the technique to achieve incredible results with less downtime.
What do you think?
Here’s another fantastic result from our phenomenally talented plastic surgeon, @bramhallplasticsurgery .
As we age, the eyebrows naturally descend which allows excess skin to fall into the upper eyelids. The two main surgical options to address this are a brow lift, an upper eyelid lift (upper blepharoplasty) or both, but for many patients the most appropriate option is also the simplest: to leave the brows exactly where they are and address the excess skin at the eyelids alone.
Upper blepharoplasty is a straightforward procedure with scars hidden in the natural eyelid crease, making them very hard to see once healed. Brow lifts are usually more involved, often require a general anaesthetic, and tend to create a more noticeable change to the face.
The aim with upper eyelid surgery is subtle improvement - looking fresher and more rested, without it being obvious that you’ve had anything done.
This 42-year-old gentleman had a bilateral upper blepharoplasty under local anaesthetic and is shown here six months after surgery.
What do you think?
With darker evenings and fewer social engagements, January is a great time to think about treatments which benefit from a little down time or those that will deliver their best results by spring.
Here’s Dr Darren with his top recommendations for treatments to have over the winter months, including Sofwave, HALO, full-field resurfacing and varicose vein treatment, all of which will deliver beautiful results in time for the weather getting better and social calendars filling up!
Which treatments are you planning?
Another year, another round of incredible transformations from our team at McKeown Medical!
Eye bags banished, jowls lifted, skin refined, veins gone. Thank you so much to all of our patients who have allowed us to share their photos with you and thank you to our incredible team who work so hard to take care of every patient who trusts us with their care.
Here’s to 2026 and another year of incredible transformations!
“But Daddies, WHEN is Santa coming? I want to wait up for him!”
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night 🎅🏻
Laser rejuvenation of the eye area can be an incredibly powerful tool for the right patients, especially those whose ‘bags’ are more about loose skin and fine lines, like this lovely patient here.
We treated her with full field ablation, which takes around 2 weeks to recover from. Her she is a few weeks later and you can see how much tighter the skin is, the crepey skin has gone and the fine lines have been ironed out. The patient is over the moon.
What do you think?
Eyelid surgery is one of the most popular procedures we do in the clinic. It’s a great fix for hooded eyes! Excess skin on the upper eyelids can not only create a hooded, heavy appearance but often affects the vision too.
Here’s the very talented @bramhallplasticsurgery discussing how upper eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) can restore a more open, refreshed look by removing the excess skin and subtly redefining the natural eyelid crease. Scars are hidden within the fold of the eyelid, leaving eyes that look brighter, not “done.”
Do you have any questions about surgery? Ask in the comments or send us a message!
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.
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