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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Some more Quantum Lift magic!
This patient is just 24 hours after her Quantum lift with fat redistribution. As part of the procedure we sometimes take some of excess fat that’s been removed from the neck and jowls and replace it along the chin and jaw to create more definition.
Although she’s still bruised and swollen, I think we can all already see where this result is heading.
The patient is delighted! What do you think?
Here she is… the one we’ve all been waiting for!
Lorraine, our incredible Assistant Manager, was the very first patient to have The Quantum Lift.
She’s now approaching 12 weeks after her procedure - the point at which we really start to see the result mature - and she is absolutely over the moon with her new jawline.
It’s been especially exciting watching this result develop because Lorraine was patient number one and I think you’ll agree, she set the bar pretty high.
What do you think of her result?
This is not a facelift.
This patient is just one week after The Quantum Lift, immediately after having her tape removed - you can still see a little residual adhesive on her cheeks.
The Quantum Lift is our new minimally invasive approach to rejuvenating the lower face and neck. We first use precision liposuction to remove excess fat from beneath the chin and around the jowls, sculpting a cleaner jawline. We then use QuantumRF beneath the skin to contract and tighten the tissues of the lower face and neck.
What has impressed me most about QuantumRF is the degree of tissue contraction we can achieve. You can actually see the tissues tightening during the procedure itself, but that`s only the beginning. Most patients are through the main recovery within a week or two, while tightening and collagen remodelling continue for 3–6 months afterwards.
So, at only one week, this is still a very early result but she`s already delighted with the improvement.
No facelift. One week post-treatment. And plenty more improvement still to come.
What do you think?
Dr Rhona is back!
We’re delighted to share that Dr Rhona Cameron will be returning to clinic at the beginning of September following her maternity leave and her diary is now open for appointments!
We know many of you have been looking forward to seeing Rhona again, and we’re so pleased to welcome her back!
If you’d like to book an appointment with Dr Rhona, you can do so via our website or app, or contact the team on 0141 370 0509.
We’ve shown you lots of side profiles from the Quantum Lift, but what does it look like from the front?
This lovely patient is just four weeks after her procedure, and I think the front view really shows how much we can change while still keeping the face looking soft and natural.
As part of her Quantum Lift, we removed unwanted fat from beneath the chin and around the jowls. Rather than simply discarding that fat, we used some of it to restore volume to her chin and jawline, helping to replace some of the volume she had lost over time and bring back a little of the youthful softness to the lower face.
You’ll also notice a small amount of lumpiness beneath the chin. At four weeks, this is very common after liposuction in this area and is part of the healing process. She’s now using firmer massage to help soften this over the coming weeks, and we would expect the result to continue settling and refining.
Most importantly, she’s absolutely over the moon with the change, and we are too!
What do you think of the front view?
Once again, the combination treatment wins the day!
This patient came to us hating her neck and jowls, but she would not consider anything invasive. Treating the neck is always a challenge especially with non-invasive treatments only.
For this patient we first of all reduced the fat under the chin using CoolSculpting, then we did some hyaluronic acid under the mandible to define the jaw and finally we did some Sofwave to tighten the skin.
The patient is over the moon with her results. What do you think?
There is no single "best" facial rejuvenation treatment - only the treatment that`s right for the individual patient.
For patients with more advanced facial ageing, significant jowls and loose skin of the neck, a deep plane facelift remains the gold standard. In the right hands, it can achieve results that more significant than what we can do with less invasive treatments.
This is one of our recent patients following deep plane face and neck lift surgery, performed by the incredibly talented @bramhallplasticsurgery. It`s always a privilege to work alongside Russell and see the exceptional results he consistently achieves.
One of the things I`m most proud of at McKeown Medical is that we`re a genuinely multidisciplinary team. We don`t believe every patient needs fillers. We don`t believe every patient needs surgery either. We offer injectables, lasers, minimally invasive procedures like the Quantum Lift, and facelift surgery because different patients, at different stages of the ageing process, need different solutions.
Our job isn`t to sell you a procedure - its to help you choose the right one.
If you want to have a conversation about which option is right for you, you can send us some pics by PM.
#DeepPlaneFacelift #Facelift #NeckLift #FacialRejuvenation #PlasticSurgery #AestheticMedicine #NaturalResults #McKeownMedical #Glasgow #PlasticSurgeon
I genuinely think the Quantum Lift is changing what is possible for patients who want to improve their jawline and neck, but do not want to undergo facelift surgery.
I have used earlier generations of skin-tightening technology and, honestly, I was often underwhelmed by the results. This is different.
By combining precise power-assisted liposuction, targeted treatment of the neck muscle where needed, and QuantumRF skin tightening, we can address the three things that most commonly age the lower face and neck: muscle, fat and skin.
This patient is shown just 24 hours after treatment. There is still swelling to settle, but the early change in her jawline and neck contour is already clear.
I have also included clips from the procedure for anyone who likes seeing the technical side of what we do.
Would you consider a minimally invasive alternative to facelift surgery for your jawline or neck, or would you rather go straight to surgery?
And this is why we LOVE combination treatments in the clinic!
Different parts of the face age in different ways. And even different layers of the same part sometimes age differently, which is why we often need to combine treatments to achieve the best overall effect for each patient.
This lovely patient first underwent some laser resurfacing to her eyelid area to take away the lines and wrinkles and tighten the skin. Then we used some HA to blend the contour below the eye and cheek. Finally, we addressed the lower part of the face and neck with some Sofwave to tighten the skin and Sculptra to give her more connective tissue support.
She is over the moon with her improvement. 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.
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