# Contractions vs menstrual cramps



## Eline

I was wondering if you can compare these? I often have really bad menstrual cramping, so that I have to take pain medication to get through them. Sometimes they are really unbearable. (I must say, before, when I wa on the pill I only had minor cramps and couldn't understand that there are women who stay home when AF shows, but now I understand.)

Now I was wondering how these compare to contractions. Is there anyone who had really severe cramping who can compare? Do you think your experience with AF cramps helped you cope during labor?


----------



## Dragonfly

With both mine they where nothing like menstrual cramps, nothing. Very very painful. Periods cramps would be preferred.


----------



## solitaire89

I would sometimes get the most horrendous period pains, I would curl up into a ball, rock and cry my way through them, and that was after all the meds I could take!
Labour, on the other hand, I had no pain whatsoever.
I don't think the painful periods had any bearing on my ability to cope in labour, they are a completely different type of sensation - ie period pains hurt, contractions don't! ;) Seriously, when I get period pains, there's just pain, nothing else, but the contractions were a sensation of tightening and tensing with no pain.


----------



## LoraLoo

solitaire89 said:


> I would sometimes get the most horrendous period pains, I would curl up into a ball, rock and cry my way through them, and that was after all the meds I could take!
> Labour, on the other hand, I had no pain whatsoever.
> I don't think the painful periods had any bearing on my ability to cope in labour, they are a completely different type of sensation - ie period pains hurt, contractions don't! ;) Seriously, when I get period pains, there's just pain, nothing else, but the contractions were a sensation of tightening and tensing with no pain.

:shock: how did you get away with no pain in labour?!


----------



## solitaire89

LoraLoo said:


> solitaire89 said:
> 
> 
> I would sometimes get the most horrendous period pains, I would curl up into a ball, rock and cry my way through them, and that was after all the meds I could take!
> Labour, on the other hand, I had no pain whatsoever.
> I don't think the painful periods had any bearing on my ability to cope in labour, they are a completely different type of sensation - ie period pains hurt, contractions don't! ;) Seriously, when I get period pains, there's just pain, nothing else, but the contractions were a sensation of tightening and tensing with no pain.
> 
> :shock: how did you get away with no pain in labour?!Click to expand...

natal hypnotherapy mainly, but the right surroundings, support, prep, practice and birth partner all contributed hugely :) birth story in siggy if you're interested.


----------



## LoraLoo

solitaire89 said:


> LoraLoo said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> solitaire89 said:
> 
> 
> I would sometimes get the most horrendous period pains, I would curl up into a ball, rock and cry my way through them, and that was after all the meds I could take!
> Labour, on the other hand, I had no pain whatsoever.
> I don't think the painful periods had any bearing on my ability to cope in labour, they are a completely different type of sensation - ie period pains hurt, contractions don't! ;) Seriously, when I get period pains, there's just pain, nothing else, but the contractions were a sensation of tightening and tensing with no pain.
> 
> :shock: how did you get away with no pain in labour?!Click to expand...
> 
> natal hypnotherapy mainly, but the right surroundings, support, prep, practice and birth partner all contributed hugely :) birth story in siggy if you're interested.Click to expand...

I'll read now thanks, interested in the hypnotherapy- i generally have good labours, hubbys fantastic and i always feel well in control but still bloody kills :haha: so will be looking in to this! x


----------



## Dragonfly

Right thats it I am going for hypnotherapy this time. Tingling and tightening will do for me thanks.


----------



## solitaire89

Well, if you guys have any questions once you've looked into it, feel free to shout me :) I recommend it to everyone who will listen to me! There's another lady on the forums who used Natal Hypnotherapy recently who also had a great birth experience. Can't remember her username though...


----------



## Eline

solitaire89 said:


> I would sometimes get the most horrendous period pains, I would curl up into a ball, rock and cry my way through them, and that was after all the meds I could take!
> Labour, on the other hand, I had no pain whatsoever.
> I don't think the painful periods had any bearing on my ability to cope in labour, they are a completely different type of sensation - ie period pains hurt, contractions don't! ;) Seriously, when I get period pains, there's just pain, nothing else, but the contractions were a sensation of tightening and tensing with no pain.

That sounds great. I always thought that, since I need pain meds just to get through my period, I would never be able to give birth without pain medication either. But apparently there's hope ;)


----------



## Mazzy17

when i first started my periods (when i was a young whippersnapper :haha:) i would get pains which would make me double over...that was what my contractions was like


----------



## mrscitysmith

My cramps ar always more in my back (like when you have the runs) but my contractions were in a different place, right around my belly with a pulling sensation down below. Just a different feeling altogether.

Incidentally Eline I love your avatar! I am a huge Blur fan and think that is my all time fave music vid!


----------



## Eleanor ace

I used to have bad period pains, I was on strong prescription medicine for them. For me contractions were a lot worse, but in a way better as at least I knew they would be gone sooner! Also the contractions didn't really feel like period pains, only the ones at the start.


----------



## dan-o

Yes mine started off like bad period cramps and then built in intensity to full contractions :flower:


----------



## little_lady

I used to get very bad period pains to the point where I didn't care if I died or not. They were so bad that medication couldn't touch them. 

Contractions however were not crampy or painful in the same way at all. They were very unpleasant but more like intense pressure.


----------



## disneydarling

I get the most awful period cramps, they are terribly painful and often leave me unable to move for 24 hours. (that's the reason I did the pregnancy test in the first place, the pains start about 12 hours before my period, and I was wondering why they hadn't arrived lol)

Throughout the pain I am unable to sleep, eat, or do anything apart from lay there and cry, I've tried everything and while a few things slightly soothe me, nothing works, no painkillers are strong enough.

Of course I am under no illusions that labour and contractions will be extremely painful, but I feel like I am equipped to cope with the pain after going through what I go through every month with my periods! My period pains are mainly concentrated in my back, which I think is the worst place in the world to have pain, so I'm REALLY hoping that I don't have back labour, because I can't even imagine how much that would hurt. I feel like belly pains are more manegable than back pains, for me.


----------



## chulie

What's funny is I had the WORST stomach pains last night. I ate something that didn't agree with me and ended up having the runs and really bad cramping. As I was curled in a ball in bed I had this "hey this is familiar" thought. It's exactly what my early contractions were like! I seriously was brought right back to when I was labouring at home because that's exactly what the pain was like early on. The difference is, with each cramp you feel empowered and know your baby is closer and closer....and not just sitting on the toilet crapping for no reason when you want to be sleeping. So the pay off justifies the pain and makes it more tolerable! Lmao!!!


----------



## MindUtopia

In my experience, they weren't really anything like period pains (okay, maybe the very early ones, a little bit) but I also don't get much in the way of period pains. For me (and I've heard others say this too), they were much more like the kind of cramps you get if you have a stomach bug or gas pains and the contractions you get during the 2nd stage are kinda like that too, like when you get bad diarrhea and your whole body just pushes without you having much control over it (you know that feeling when you really, really have to poo?). But don't let it scare you because assuming you have a natural birth (aren't induced) the sensations are very manageable with the right preparation. I used natal hypnotherapy as well (actually I think it's me that solitaire89 was referring to above) and that must have helped so much. The contractions were never not something I could cope with and I was at home by myself with just my husband all the way through dilation/transition to the start of pushing without even feeling like I needed to call the midwives. When they did arrive (I had a home birth), I was starting to push and they were amazed that I was that far along because I was just chillin' on my birth ball, chatting and breathing. The second midwife actually almost left to go home because she thought it would be awhile, but they checked me (ouch! _that_ did hurt!) and I was fully dilated. The pushing part was hard work (it lasted 4 hours for me), but I wouldn't necessarily describe any of it as horribly painful. It was really doable. I think the fact I used natal hypnotherapy helped to make that possible. I felt very in control, relaxed and in a really positive state of mind the whole time.


----------



## solitaire89

MindUtopia said:


> (actually I think it's me that solitaire89 was referring to above)

Yip, it was you ;)

And now Duffers has written up her Natal Hypnotherapy birth story too - @MindUtopia, have you read it yet?


----------



## we can't wait

dan-o said:


> Yes mine started off like bad period cramps and then built in intensity to full contractions :flower:

^WSS.

Mine actually started off feeling like gas (TMI) pains... they were really low in my belly, almost in my thighs, which I hadn't been expecting. Honestly, prefer the contractions over just menstral pains. The contractions were empowering.... they were for a purpose! (I'm one of those nuts that loved labor and delivery, :lol:)


----------



## Eline

disneydarling said:


> Of course I am under no illusions that labour and contractions will be extremely painful, but I feel like I am equipped to cope with the pain after going through what I go through every month with my periods!

I was thinking the same thing. I try not to take pain meds for period pains, thinking it's good practice. Unfortunately, I often have to give in. :oops:


----------



## melfy77

As a teen I would get pretty bad period cramps, but when I hit my 20's it got better. So I thought (I was soooo naive:haha:) that contractions would kinda be like my periods pain as a teen, but ended up with 100% back labor. So period cramps (when I finally get AF back), are gonna be a breeze:haha:


----------



## tinkerbelle93

My labour started off feeling like a bad period pain, just in my back. By the end of it though it was nothing like a period pain, so much more painful that it's not worth making the comparison. I don't know why soo many say labours like bad period pains, maybe I've just never had really bad menstrual cramps? xx


----------



## XJessicaX

It really soooo depends on your labour! What position the baby is in and how long you labour for! My first was a back to back and HAH....menstrual cramps my arse. Bloody AGONY from go. Awful pain, hated every second. It was long and I was exhausted so the pain seemed so much worse. I compared it to having abdominal and back surgery without any anaesthetic!

2nd labour was I guess more textbook. The only non textbook thing was the speed! The cramps were indeed like menstrual cramps except I could actually feel my cervix opening, very concentrated sensation but not painful until right at the end where the pain was so intense I wasnt sure if I could survive 1 more contraction but then baby flew out.


----------



## MummysMiracle

I have always suffered from very bad period pain. Sometimes the cramps would be so intense I would get in bed with my hot water bottle, curl up in a ball and stay there for 2 days. But labour... I had a very quick, drug free labour for a total of 1 hour, lol. I thought because I was such a baby every month with my menstrual cycle I would be an absolute joke in labour and scream the hospital down, but i shocked the pants off myself and my OH!
Don't get me wrong, labour hurts but it's nothing like your period pains, you will most definitely tell the difference between the two no matter how strong your period pains are, it's a completely different sensation.


----------



## amjon

My contractions were no different than menstrual cramps.


----------



## MaxNMom

I had back labor-way more painful than menstrual cramps. I also had really bad menstrual cramps and the labor pains was nothing similar in sensation.


----------



## lauren26

So interesting that some women find it similar and some don't! Seems unique to everyone. I had severe endo that required me to take a handful of ibuprofen to get through days 1-3 of my period, so I always thought that if labor were 50 times as painful (as some women describe labor vs. cramps) that I would NEVER get through it. Based on what some of you are saying, though, maybe I have a nice preview of labor.


----------



## patooti

I have period pain requiring naproxen and heat pads etc. it is pretty bad. My labour was four days long and though the location and nature of the pain was similar the intensity was of another world entirely. I had back labour until the very end though so it was intense. I don't know like someone ripping out all my organs. Lol good think its just a distant memory two months later.


----------



## nancy32

very painful


----------



## Krissys

W my failed enducment my contractions felt like a push from the inside then it shot down to my vagina like cramps


----------



## HopefulPony

My early contractions were like bad period pains but once I got into active labour they felt more acute and stabbing. I also felt them in my back and thighs.


----------



## ppgirlsteph

For me, there is no comparison.
I get awful menstrual cramps but nothing compared to contractions, I couldn't talk or hardly breathe through them lol


----------



## lozzy21

LoraLoo said:



> solitaire89 said:
> 
> 
> I would sometimes get the most horrendous period pains, I would curl up into a ball, rock and cry my way through them, and that was after all the meds I could take!
> Labour, on the other hand, I had no pain whatsoever.
> I don't think the painful periods had any bearing on my ability to cope in labour, they are a completely different type of sensation - ie period pains hurt, contractions don't! ;) Seriously, when I get period pains, there's just pain, nothing else, but the contractions were a sensation of tightening and tensing with no pain.
> 
> :shock: how did you get away with no pain in labour?!Click to expand...

I had no pain, it was uncomfortable but not painfull. The cramp in my leg i had during contractions hurt more than the contractions themself.


----------



## The Alchemist

My period cramps aren't too bad. When prelabor started, it felt like my usual period cramps. The more dilated I became, the more painful it got. I felt contractions in my lower back too, like period cramps at the back. So as the hours went, the sharp, burning, period-like cramps increased. My contractions weren't anything like pullings or pressure like some other ladies. Mine actually felt like period cramps that increased as the hours went by. Every woman experiences it differently.


----------



## Blah11

Imo theyre absolutely nothing like period pains but both my babies were posterior.


----------



## 2011Maybebaby

I always had extremely painful periods where I would be almost fainting with the pain. Hot water bottles and strong painkillers were the norm. Contractions for me (induced) were completely different. The pain started down low and radiated up through me where I couldn't breathe, speak, sit or lie down. I had to stand. Am hoping next time I start labour naturally and things feel different! It just shows how everyone feels each labour so differently.


----------



## CLH_X3

My contractions felt exactly like period cramps ... Jut a lot worse then what I would get if I was on my period.. 
I never had any tightenings or back pain, just period pains that would come every few minutes


----------



## d_b

Mine were nothing like menstrual cramps.. I felt my contractions only in my inner thighs (weird!).


----------



## amjon

d_b said:


> Mine were nothing like menstrual cramps.. I felt my contractions only in my inner thighs (weird!).

I did also, but that's normally where I get menstrual cramps anyway.


----------



## katiefx

When I first started my periods and for years after I had very severe period pains. So bad I'd be doubled over, vomiting, fainting and crying out with the pain. My contractions an hour before giving birth weren't as bad as that! They were intense but not to the point where I was crying etc. So it definitely helped having that experience, as I had learnt to breathe though the period pains and try and block them from my mind. :flower:


----------



## momto3kiddies

for me...cramps doesn't even come close to what contractions felt like.


----------

