Dysmenorrhea Treatment

Dysmenorrhea means painful menstruation.It may be a result of inflammation of the womb, tubes or ovaries. Displacements of the womb, or cysts and tumors, may also cause this condition. In some cases painful menstruation is initiated by disease in other organs, as disease of the urinary bladder.

There is no use in taking drugs to relieve the painful menstruation  in these cases, the cause should be attended to and remedied.

It is misleading, to put it mildly, when millions of dollars worth of the most harmful drugs are forced on women yearly for the relief of painful menstruation or the indisposition accompanying it.

Where an abnormality is causing the pain, it should be remedied by treating the abnormality. On the other hand, if it is just the natural indisposition which every woman experiences at the menstrual period, no drugs are called for or needed.

The modern normal woman is neither self-conscious about her menstruation nor about the slight indisposition associated with it.

There is certainly no excuse for taking the poisonous barbiturates and coal-tar products.

Pain and discomfort before menstruation will be relieved by improvement in general health, proper diet, plenty of fresh air, regular hours of sleep, regular and thorough bowel evacuation, hot douches daily, and a hot sitz bath for ten minutes twice a week.

Young girls who experience pain (cramps), feel nauseated or vomit from the very first appearance of menstruation will be helped by the above advice.

They should rest and take things very easy for a couple of a days before they expect to menstruate, take hot foot baths daily when menstruation starts, and apply a hot water bag or electric pad to the lower part of the abdomen.

They ought also to be on a very light diet during the menstrual period. The following antispasmodic prescription will be of definite help in all cases:

• Spirit of chloroform                             1 ounce


• Spirit ether compound                        6 drams


• Tincture lavender compound          6 drams


• Tincture cardamom compound ( enough to make 4 ounces)

Mix and direct to take a teaspoonful in water every 2 hours, or oftener, for the first three doses.

Pain in those beginning to menstruate may arise from an undeveloped womb (infantile uterus) or from a very thin and tight cervix.

These cases may require hormones or stretching (dilation) of the cervix. A cystic ovary may occur also in the young and will often require removal by operation