I amjust wondering if anyone else who has had really bad menstrual cramps noticed a connection between the two?
I have had Primary dysmenorrhea since I was young. I have had bouts so bad that I have been taken to the ER 7 times for the pain it has caused. I am just wondering if there is any connection between this and labor pains, since the cramps are caused by prostaglandins and these are also known to trigger labor.
Thanks in advance for your help!
2006-06-20 09:53:22 · 25 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
I am currently 33 wks pregnant. I will update with my experience after the big day!
2006-06-20 10:32:40 · update #1
Hi - I have very bad menstrual cramps with my period - but when I went into labor with my first daughter - it was nothing like it. The pain I felt in labor was caused from my daughter moving down the birth canal, it felt NOTHING like menstrual cramps. And I delivered fast, pushed for 1 hr and out she came. With my second pregnancy I had all back labor which felt like my menstrual cramps, to be honest I didn't even know I was in labor, till I got to the hospital and they told me I was 8 centimeters dialated! The back labor was more like my cramps towards the end of my period, just annoying not that painful. So I really think it just depends on the person how your labor will be. Hopefully fast! ;0)
Good luck to you
2006-06-20 10:00:47 · answer #1 · answered by kaije03 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I don't think labour will be as painful for you as it is for woment without primary dysmenorrhea -- let me correct that -- It will be just as painful, but I don't think it will surprise you because your pain tolerance is much higher as a result of your cramps.
You've had better training for labour than most women.
That said, the pain that comes from opening your cervix is much different from even the worst cramps. I don't even know how to explain it. The most important thing is, when you have the pain, is not to clamp down but to focus on opening, You actually want to pain to get a bit worse so that your cervix can open, which doesn't happen when you have menstral cramps, even terrible ones.
I hope you have a great labour and that giving birth helps relieve your dysmenorrhea like it does for ao many women.
Good luck!
2006-07-03 23:56:24 · answer #2 · answered by baggyk 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had dysmenorrhea...my cramps even made me pass out a few times when I was younger. I have had three children now, and I have to say, labor and cramps are each in their own universe. The worst thing you can do for yourself is to stress out about the unknown. Trust yourself and let your body do its thing (although keep in mind there is nothing wrong with pain reducing medication).
I have had 3 very short, intense labors. My cramping from my periods, once they returned, are less and less intense with each pregnancy. Good luck with everything!
2006-07-01 15:40:30 · answer #3 · answered by lyubovnitza 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cramps really have nothing to do with labor unless you're pregnant. But if you have really bad cramps it may prepare you for what is to come. Barely though, because even my worst cramps never measured up to the labor pains. Even now on occassion I don't have any cramps at all.
Isn't being a woman fun? I doubt it!
2006-06-20 10:27:59 · answer #4 · answered by Nisi 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. There is no correlation. I used to have horrible debilitating menstrual cramps and my labor was a breeze. Labor feels very different from cramps. The after birth pains were very similar though.
2006-06-20 10:26:14 · answer #5 · answered by herdoula 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cramps have nothing to do with labor. I have bad cramps, to the point where I can't even walk. When I had my baby, they had to induce so my labor pains were worse than normal, but I got the epidural so I didn't feel a thing for long.
2006-06-20 09:57:38 · answer #6 · answered by heather47374 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think I have ever heard of bad cramps during menstral cycle giving you extra painful labor. You might even find that after you have your baby, that your periods are alot less painful. This was the case with my daughter who suffered monthly for many years. Good luck and have a happy healthy baby.
2006-07-04 09:43:58 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO I HAD BAD CRAMPS MY WHOLE LIFE...IT WAS SO BAD I WOULD MISS DAYS FROM SCHOOL..HOW YOUR LABOR GOES IS UP TO YOU AND THE BABY...IF YOU WORK OUT A LOT AND WALK...OR JUST PLAN STAY ACTIVE IT WILL HELP YOUR LABOR GO FAST...LABOR HURTS PERIOD THERE IS JUST NO WAY AROUND THAT....BUT WHEN I WAS PREGNANT I WALKED ALL THE TIME AND I WAS ONLY IN LABOR FOR 4HOURS AND IT WAS OVER....AND FRO 2 OF THOSE HOURS I FELT NOTHING BECAUSE I HAD AN EPIDURAL AND IT HELPED SO MUCH.....SO AS ONG AS YOU TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF WHILE PREGNANT YOU SHOULD BE FINE
2006-07-04 08:30:51 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hope not! If my cramps are anything like giving birth, I will reconsider children. But I think being pregnant and then labor are different pains than cramps.
2006-06-20 09:59:14 · answer #9 · answered by holyterrar85 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think so but some women describe labor as feeling like a menstrual pain.
2006-06-20 09:58:12 · answer #10 · answered by Questions&Answers 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋