Prostaglandins are substances produced by the body that have many effects. For example, they cause uterine muscle contractions and induce labor. 🤰🏻
This is a group of lipids that are produced in the body at sites of tissue damage or infection. Physiologically, they are involved in the healing of injuries and diseases. They control processes such as inflammation, blood flow, blood clot formation, and the induction of labor.
Prostaglandins regulate the female reproductive system and are involved in controlling ovulation, the menstrual cycle 🩸 and inducing labor. Various prostaglandins – most commonly prostaglandin E2 – can be used to induce labor.
Prostaglandins also play a role in primary dysmenorrhea. This is cramping pain that occurs before or during menstruation. This pain is caused by prostaglandins, which are produced in the lining of the uterus. Prostaglandins cause the muscles and blood vessels of the uterus to contract. On the first day of menstruation, prostaglandin levels are high, but they decrease as the days go by. This is why the pain usually subsides after the first few days of menstruation.
The first-choice medications for treating painful menstruation target prostaglandins. They are called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, ibuprofen, paracetamol). They reduce the prostaglandins produced by the body, thereby reducing their effects.
Vera team 💕
List of used literature:
Dysmenorrhea: Painful Periods . Online. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Available from: https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/dysmenorrhea-painful-periods . Everything You Want to Know About Prostaglandins . Online. Healthline. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/prostaglandins . Prostaglandins . Online. You and Your Hormones by the Society for Endocrinology. Available from: https://www.yourhormones.info/hormones/prostaglandins/ .