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Dysmenorrhea
Can I drink milk tea if I have menstrual cramps?
It is generally not recommended to drink milk tea during menstrual cramps. This is because milk tea contains some caffeine, and drinking caffeine during menstrual cramps can easily induce anxiety and irritability in women, which aggravates the symptoms of menstrual pain. It also consumes some of the energy stored in the body and affects metabolism. Additionally, tea contains tannic acid, and during menstruation, when a woman's blood hemoglobin levels are low, drinking milk tea can hinder the absorption of iron from food, which can exacerbate anemia. Furthermore, some dairy products in milk tea, such as cream, cheese, and cultured milk, can disrupt the balance of trace elements in the body and are factors that aggravate menstrual cramps. Therefore, it is not advised to drink milk tea during menstrual cramps.
The principle of dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea generally refers to lower abdominal pain during menstruation. There are two types of dysmenorrhea: primary and secondary. Primary dysmenorrhea involves no substantive lesions; that is, no problems can be identified through examinations, yet menstrual pain occurs. This type is generally due to internal inflammatory factors and pain mediators, such as an increased secretion of prostaglandins, making the pain more pronounced. Secondary dysmenorrhea generally refers to organic lesions, such as adenomyosis or endometrial cysts. In these cases, noticeable menstruation pain also occurs due to organic lesions leading to an increased secretion of pain mediators.
What is the cause of dysmenorrhea with scanty flow?
Dysmenorrhea and scanty menstrual flow are often related to a cold uterus. Therefore, women must be careful not to consume too much cold food, engage in appropriate outdoor activities, improve overall blood circulation, enhance gynecological circulation, and change their physical constitution. However, some people experience dysmenorrhea and reduced menstrual flow due to having undergone an abortion, which causes damage to the endometrium. Specific treatments are required in those cases, such as hysteroscopy for examination and treatment, and the use of estrogen and various traditional Chinese medicines for treatment and conditioning. It is also necessary to check for other issues like pelvic inflammation, endometriosis, adenomyosis, or cervical adhesions, etc. Identifying the specific cause is essential for targeted treatment.
Why do I have scanty menstrual flow and dysmenorrhea?
When women experience reduced menstrual flow and dysmenorrhea, it is important to ask in detail about their menstrual history, including whether they have had any intrauterine procedures. For instance, some women may experience reduced menstrual flow and dysmenorrhea after undergoing late-term abortions, multiple childbirths, diagnostic curettage, or abortion surgeries. At this time, it is essential to consider whether there are any uterine factors, such as intrauterine adhesions that could cause these symptoms. Besides affecting menstruation, these conditions can also lead to infertility in women. A hysteroscopic examination can be performed for diagnosis. Additionally, some women might exhibit these symptoms without any abnormal medical history; in such cases, the causes could be endocrine disorders or primary dysmenorrhea.
What should I do if I have severe menstrual cramps?
In clinical practice, dysmenorrhea can be divided into primary dysmenorrhea and secondary dysmenorrhea. If the patient has primary dysmenorrhea, there are no specific effective treatment plans available clinically. It is recommended that the patient take oral painkillers to alleviate the symptoms of dysmenorrhea. If it is secondary dysmenorrhea, the patient needs to immediately undergo gynecological ultrasound and examinations at a local hospital to determine the cause of the dysmenorrhea. Once the cause is identified, an effective treatment plan can be developed based on the cause. Once the cause is addressed, the symptoms of dysmenorrhea will naturally be alleviated.
Does dysmenorrhea affect pregnancy?
Whether dysmenorrhea affects pregnancy cannot be generalized. Dysmenorrhea can be divided into primary dysmenorrhea, which is physiological, and secondary dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea refers to cases where there are no pathological changes in the female reproductive organs, and the pain is solely due to uterine contractions during menstruation, commonly seen in adolescent girls. Moreover, conditions such as adenomyosis, severe uterine fibroids, and endometriosis can also cause pain and are associated with changes in the uterus, which can affect pregnancy. However, primary, functional dysmenorrhea generally does not impact the ability to conceive. Thus, whether dysmenorrhea affects pregnancy depends on the specific circumstances.
How to alleviate menstrual pain: little tips
For women with dysmenorrhea, it is recommended to maintain sufficient sleep and rest, apply a hot water bag on the abdomen or use heating pads for relief. During dysmenorrhea, drinking warm water, brown sugar water, or ginger sugar water can be helpful. Additionally, avoiding raw, cold, and spicy foods can alleviate the symptoms. Dysmenorrhea is a common gynecological disease characterized by pain in the lower abdomen, a sense of heaviness, backache, and other physical discomforts before and during menstruation, significantly affecting the patient's quality of life.
How is dysmenorrhea caused by adenomyosis treated?
Adenomyosis is a condition in which active endometrial tissue invades the muscular layer of the uterus. The main symptom of adenomyosis is progressively worsening dysmenorrhea. When symptoms are mild, conservative treatments such as physical therapy, traditional Chinese medicine, or pain relief medication can be adopted. However, if the symptoms are severe and conservative treatments fail to alleviate the dysmenorrhea, surgical options may be considered. There are several surgical methods available: one is presacral neurectomy for pain relief, and another, for patients who do not require fertility, is total hysterectomy.
Causes of irregular menstruation and dysmenorrhea
There are many causes of menstrual disorders and dysmenorrhea, so we must first consider changes caused by organic lesions, such as adenomyosis, which can cause increased menstrual flow, prolonged menstruation, and progressively worsening dysmenorrhea. There may even be pain during sexual intercourse, and abdominal pain may also occur occasionally. Apart from organic lesions, even after excluding organic conditions, some women may still experience menstrual disorders and dysmenorrhea. For example, adolescent girls often experience primary dysmenorrhea along with menstrual irregularities, which could lead to functional bleeding.
Can I drink milk tea during menstrual cramps?
Dysmenorrhea primarily requires avoiding cold beverages. Milk tea can certainly be consumed as long as it's not too cold and you don't have a diet that leans excessively in any direction. Pay attention to not consuming too much to avoid conditions such as high blood sugar, high urine sugar, and high body weight. Dysmenorrhea mainly involves identifying the underlying causes. It's important to determine whether it is related to inflammation of the uterus, or conditions such as endometriosis or adenomyosis. Some cases of dysmenorrhea are simply due to what is known as a "cold uterus", which requires regular physical exercise to improve overall blood circulation and body constitution, gradually alleviating the symptoms of dysmenorrhea.