What is dysmenorrhea? Any serious pain in the lower abdomen, abdominal swelling, accompanied by lumbago or other discomfort that affects study, life and work is called dysmenorrhea. After the menstrual blood is discharged, the pain will be relieved, and usually disappears after two or three days. Dysmenorrhea is a symptom, not a disease. The typology of dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea is generally divided into two categories: primary dysmenorrhea and secondary dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea (i.e., functional dysmenorrhea) has no genital lesions but has symptoms of dysmenorrhea, and is common in adolescent girls and unmarried young women, especially in the former. Causes and treatment of primary dysmenorrhea Western medicine believes that the main causes of primary dysmenorrhea are: 1. uterine dysplasia: spasmodic contractions during menstruation, causing pain from local ischemia and hypoxia of the uterus. 2. Cervical stenosis: poor discharge of menstrual blood, causing pain due to strong contraction of the uterus. 3. Membrane-like dysmenorrhea: The endometrium is discharged in a whole piece, and the uterus contracts strongly during discharge, and the pain improves after discharge. At present, it is believed that primary dysmenorrhea is associated with increased prostaglandin content in the endometrium and blood flow. Western medicine treats this disease mainly with symptomatic pain relief, often using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as anti-inflammatory pain, aspirin, ibuprofen, etc. The recent pain relief efficacy is certain, but the drug dependence is strong, and long-term repeated use is prone to gastrointestinal discomfort, headache, dizziness and other side effects, easy drug resistance, long-term efficacy is yet to be further studied. The earliest record of dysmenorrhea in Chinese medicine is found in the Han Dynasty. Zhang Zhongjing’s “Jin Kui Yao Yao” (The Essential Guide to the Golden Horoscope). The first record of dysmenorrhea in Chinese medicine was published in Zhang Zhongjing’s “Jin Kui Yao”: “Dysmenorrhea, menstrual flow, fullness and pain in the abdomen”. For the pathogenesis of primary dysmenorrhea, it is mainly believed that the stagnation of Qi and blood and the lack of flow of Qi and blood cause pain. In clinical practice, primary dysmenorrhea in young girls or unmarried women is mostly caused by Qi stagnation and blood stasis and cold and damp stagnation, so the basic principle of treatment is to move Qi and blood, warm the menstruation and disperse cold, and add and subtract according to the symptoms. Chinese medicine treatment of dysmenorrhea has the advantages of significant efficacy, longer duration and less side effects. Prevention of dysmenorrhea 1, strengthen physical and mental health care during menstruation, eliminate nervousness and fear of menstruation, maintain emotional stability and a happy spirit; 2, pay attention to menstrual hygiene, pay attention to warmth, avoid cold stimulation; 3, pay attention to the dietary balance, do not partial food, should not eat too much acid, spicy, cold and other stimulating food; 4, menstruation can be appropriate to participate in labor and exercise, but pay attention to rest, to ensure adequate sleep; 5, usually to strengthen Physical exercise, especially for the physically weak, pay attention to the prevention of chronic diseases. Finally, special advice: recurrent dysmenorrhea in adolescent girls or unmarried women, when the onset of dysmenorrhea is unbearable, you can take Western painkillers for a short time to relieve pain. In order to control dysmenorrhea in the long run, you can take Chinese herbal soup 1~2 weeks before the next menstrual flow to ease the pain and prevent it.