Painful periods

Painful periods (dysmenorrhoea) are very common, especially in teenage girls and young women. The pain is usually cramping in the lower belly, starts just before or at the start of the period, and lasts 1 to 3 days. Most often it is normal and can be eased with simple measures, but very severe pain, or pain that starts later in life, can be a sign of another problem such as endometriosis or fibroids.