Period pain: symtoms and resolutions

My 20-year-old daughter has occasionally had painful periods but this is now happening more frequently. What would you suggest?

As many as one-in-10 women will experience period pain or dysmenorrhoea at some stage in their lives, it often occurs in between 15 and 25 years of age.

Most period pain occurs when the muscle wall of the womb contracts and a woman may experience muscle cramps in the lower stomach, and may radiate to the inner surface of the thighs and lower back.

Why women get period pain is unclear. It is thought that either there is a build up of chemicals in the body called prostaglandins or the womb is sensitive to these prostaglandins and this may cause the womb to contract too hard, reducing the blood supply to the womb and causing pain.

The pain can be either intense spasms or dull and constant and women may experience other symptoms including:

* Nausea

* Dizziness

* Diarrhoea

* Nausea

* Simple faint.

Some women may experience pain usually 24 hours before their period starts and it rarely lasts for more than 48- 72 hours.

As the pain that your daughter is experiencing has happened more frequently in recent months, I would advise her to make an appointment with her GP to rule out any other reason for the pain. While waiting for her appointment, here are some general suggestions she could consider:

* A warm (not hot) bath or shower may help.

* Some women find that placing a hot water bottle against the lower abdomen eases the pain, take care that it is not too hot.

* Take a painkiller such as paracetamol or an anti-inflammatory.

* Take some gentle exercise.

I am sure that her GP will be able to reassure your daughter and advise on the best treatment plan.

I’m a woman in my 50s and have a soft lump between the fourth and fifth toes on both feet — at the end of the day they are painful. Could these be corns?

Corns can be either hard or soft. Hard corns develop on the skin on the tops or outer side of the small toes on the bony prominences, often due to external pressure from ill-fitting shoes.

Due to the pressure on the skin an area of skin becomes thickened and painful. Soft corns form in between the toes, commonly between the fourth and fifth toes, they are soft because sweat in between the toes, keeps them moist.

As they are soft, they can sometimes become infected. It is possible that the painful lumps you have could be soft corns.

Corns need to be treated and I would advise you to make an appointment with a chiropodist / podiatrist as soon as possible.

While you are waiting for your appointment, here are some general suggestions to consider:

* Wear comfortable properly fitting shoes that are not tight around the toes. When you are next buying shoes, you should ask to have your feet measured so that shoes are the correct size and width fitting.

* Avoid wearing high heels for long periods.

* If you wear opaque tights during the winter, make sure that the toe seam is not pressing into your toes.

* After bathing or showering, dry your feet thoroughly, particularly between the toes.

The chiropodist / podiatrist can examine your feet, make a diagnosis and advise on the most appropriate treatment.

Regular check-ups with can identify any problems with your feet at an early stage and you might consider doing this once the current problem has been resolved.