A doctor explains why period cramps can hurt way more than a heart attack

Period cramps can be really intense.

 

Two years ago, according to a published story in which a professor said period cramps can be "almost as bad as having a heart attack." 

Last week, the story resurfaced, going viral on social media. 

But gynecologist, who blogs about women's health, wrote that the comparison between heart attacks and period cramps doesn't really work. 

That's because heart attacks are often just mildly painful — and in many cases, they're not painful at all. 

It would be more accurate, she wrote, to compare cramps to being in labor.               

Back in 2016,according to an article, on the monthly misery faced by women all over the globe: period cramps. The story acknowledged that menstrual pain can be serious and even debilitating — and yet, there's been disappointingly little research on how we can treat it.

But the story had a resurgence on social media last week after a lady zeroed in on a single quote from the piece. Reproductive health professor  told  that patients have described cramp pain as "almost as bad as having a heart attack."

That quote sparked immediate interest. Other news outlets  picked up the story, and it spread like wildfire on Twitter. To many women, the comparison wasn't so much surprising as it was glaringly obvious.

But gynecologist, who writes a popular health blog, has called that comparison into question. In a new post published, the Dr. wrote that period cramps are often much more painful than heart attacks. 

"If you are waiting for terrible , excruciating chest pain to tell you that you are having a heart attack, well, you are going to miss the heart attack," the Dr. wrote. "Heart attacks often produce vague symptoms or mild pain, that is why many people ignore them ... In addition, more than 40 % of women  have no pain with heart attacks. It would be dangerous for women to think that a heart attack should be at least as bad as their menstrual cramps."

Besides pain, heart attack symptoms can also include shortness of breath, a lightheaded feeling, nausea, vomiting, and unexplained tiredness, according to the specialists.

But primary dysmenorrhea — the scientific term for painful periods — always hurts.

Period pain happens mostly because of substances called prostaglandins, the Dr.  explained in the post. They're released from the lining of the uterus and make it contract. And during these period contractions, pressure on the uterus can be just as high as it is during the "pushing" stage of labor, she added.

"So if you need an analogy to describe period pain," the Dr. wrote, "use labor or cutting your finger off without an anesthetic."  

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