Feminax
Experts in period pain
Bayer Healthcare
What causes period pain?
As your body gets ready to break down the extra lining on the wall of your womb (uterus) it releases hormones called prostaglandins. These hormones trigger the muscles in your womb (uterus) to contract and push the lining out of your body through your vagina. (They're the same muscles that push a baby out of the womb during labour so they're pretty strong!) So why is it that you suffer from period pain when your friend hardly notices it? It could be because you have higher levels of prostaglandins which make the muscles in your womb (uterus) contract harder or faster. Or because the blood supply to your womb (uterus) decreases during the contractions so there's less oxygen reaching this part of your body, making the muscles cramp even more. Nobody really knows for sure - it's just one of those annoying facts of life that doesn't seem quite fair.
Period Predictor
Use our Period Predictor to find out the likely start dates of your periods for the next 12 months
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