Joined: 21 Apr 2007 Posts: 111 Location: Australia
What Causes Period Cramps/labour Pains Posted: 05-17-07 22:47pm
Hey, i dont want to sound like an fool but
i will ask anyway.
when you get your period, i know that the
actual blood is the lining of the uterus
leaving your body. But what i never
thought of is, where do the cramps come
from, like if my uterus is the one
shedding blood (sorry about the graphic)
then why do you get cramps and pain in
your overies and what causes them?
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Kia
Supporter
Joined: 23 Jun 2004 Posts: 6594 Location: Planet Tampaxia,
Posted: 05-18-07 01:55am
The actual blood is blood, there is
actually fairly little blood, most of what
you see is endometrial lining.
this is the soft lining that builds up
ready for a fertilised egg to implant into
if you become pregnant.
As this thin layer is shed the uterus
contracts to help shed it - this is part
of the cramping.
the uterus is a muscle and as it contracts
it cramps.
as the lining and blood pass through the
cervix the cervix will often contract and
release - which is another source of
cramping.
It is common to feel cervical cramps when
passing clots.
Many women find the surrounding muscles
also cramp - ie their abdomen, back,
thighs.
It's not likely that you'd feel pain in
your ovaries at this time - more like
achy, cramping in the general pelvic area.
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*Vanessa*
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Apr 2007 Posts: 111 Location: Australia
Posted: 05-18-07 02:09am
cheers, yeah like all over cramps, but i
just overies caz yeah i dunno, so when you
go into labour n have a baby its just like
servere cramping, i know thats not all it
is is servere cramps but is that mainly
like...what the pain is from?
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Kia
Supporter
Joined: 23 Jun 2004 Posts: 6594 Location: Planet Tampaxia,
Posted: 05-18-07 03:34am
pain in child birth is from contractions -
which are uterus cramps but they are a
different kind to period cramps.
when you are pregnant the uterus has grown
and stretched a lot.
when you are not pregnant and having a
period the uterus is about the size of a
lady's fist or a small pear (upside
down).
so the amount of muscle is far greater.
also during childbirth the uterus is
trying to push the baby out and with that
comes some "twisting" too.
Then there are the other labor pains -
often felt in the back and legs.
Really it isn't possible to imagine how
childbirth is going to feel until after it
has happened.
