Overview
Lower abdominal pain is pain that occurs at or below the belly button. This pain can be:
- cramplike
- achy
- dull
- sharp
Vaginal discharge can be normal. The vagina produces secretions as a way to clean itself and maintain its pH balance. Infections can affect the vagina’s pH level, which may result in changes in vaginal discharge. Abnormal vaginal discharge may have:
- a foul odor
- a cottage cheese-like consistency
- an unusual color, such as yellow or green
Here are 11 possible causes of lower abdominal pain and vaginal discharge.
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an infection in the vagina caused by bacteria. Read more about BV.
Menstruation occurs when the uterus sheds its lining once a month. Some pain, cramping, and discomfort during menstrual periods is normal. Read more about painful menstruation.
Vaginal yeast infections, also known as candidiasis, are common in women. Symptoms include intense itching, swelling, and irritation. Read more about preventing yeast infections.
In the case of an ectopic pregnancy, the fertilized egg doesn’t attach to the uterus. Instead, it may attach to the fallopian tube, abdominal cavity, or cervix. Read more about ectopic pregnancies.
Urethritis is a condition in which the urethra — the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body — becomes inflamed and irritated. Read more about urethritis.
Dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB) is a condition that affects nearly every woman at some point in her life. DUB is a condition that causes vaginal bleeding to occur outside of the regular menstrual cycle. Read more about DUB and treatment options.
Urinary incontinence happens when you lose control of your bladder. Read more on the three types of urinary incontinence.
Seek immediate medical help if your lower abdominal pain is sharp or severe and you’re experiencing a fever, uncontrolled vomiting, or chest pain.
Make an appointment with your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- bloody vaginal discharge unrelated to your menstrual cycle
- burning sensation when urinating
- lower abdominal pain that lasts longer than 24 hours
- pain during sexual intercourse
- unexplained weight loss
This information is a summary. Seek medical attention if you think you need urgent care.
The way your doctor treats these symptoms depends on what’s causing them. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics for infections such as PID or STIs. They may prescribe topical or oral antifungal medications for a yeast infection.
Your doctor will decide how to treat HPV or cervical cancer based on the severity of the condition. In some instances, your doctor may recommend surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy.
You can do the following at home to help manage your symptoms:
- Eat a healthy diet and drink plenty of water to help to reduce adverse effects from vaginal infections.
- Wear clean cotton underwear and keep your vagina clean.
- Avoid douching.
- Avoid using perfumed products around your vagina, such as deodorant body washes.
- You may wish to avoid sexual intercourse until your symptoms are gone.
- Take all medications as prescribed.
- Take an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as ibuprofen, to relieve lower abdominal pain.
Practicing good hygiene and sexual habits can help prevent these symptoms. Examples include:
- always using a condom during sexual intercourse
- keeping stress levels low
- keeping the vagina clean and dry
- refraining from douching, which can irritate the vaginal tissues
- wiping from front to back after going to the bathroom
It’s also important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Eat small meals, drink plenty of water, and exercise regularly.
Every woman’s period is different. Some women bleed for two days, while others may bleed for a full week. Your flow might be light and barely noticeable, or heavy enough to make you uncomfortable. You may or may not get cramps, and if you do, they could be mild or intensely painful.
As long as your periods stay consistent, there’s probably no reason to worry about them. But you should stay alert in case you experience any changes to your monthly menstrual cycle.
Here are seven symptoms that are worth reporting to your doctor.
Some women have more regular periods than others, but most get a period about once every 28 days. If your periods suddenly stop, there could be a few reasons for it. One possibility is pregnancy, and a pregnancy test can quickly and easily determine the answer to that.
If pregnancy isn’t the case, something else may be the cause of your skipped period, such as:
- Intense exercise or significant
weight loss.
Overexercising can affect levels of hormones that control your menstrual cycle.
When you lose too much body fat through diet or exercise, your periods can stop
altogether. You need some body fat to manufacture hormones. - Weight gain. Gaining a lot of weight also
can throw off your hormone balance and disrupt your menstrual cycle. - Continuous birth control pills. Certain
birth control pills that provide a continuous dose of hormones means you’ll get
fewer periods, and in some cases, they can stop your periods altogether. - Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). With
this condition, a hormone imbalance leads to irregular periods and the growth
of cysts in the ovaries. - Extreme stress. Being under stress can
throw off even the most regular menstrual cycle. - Perimenopause. If you’re in your late 40s
or early 50s, you might be in perimenopause. This is the period of time leading
up to menopause when estrogen levels decline. You’re officially in menopause
once your periods have stopped for 12
consecutive months, but your periods can fluctuate a lot in the years
leading up to menopause.
Period blood volume varies from woman to woman. Generally, if you soak through one or more pads or tampons an hour, you have menorrhagia — an abnormally heavy menstrual flow. Along with the heavy bleeding, you might have signs of anemia, such as fatigue or shortness of breath.
A heavy menstrual flow is common. About one-third of women will eventually see their doctor about it.
Causes of heavy menstrual bleeding include:
- A hormone imbalance. Conditions like PCOS
and an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) can affect your hormone production.
Hormonal changes can make your uterine lining thicken more than usual, leading
to heavier periods. - Fibroids or polyps. These noncancerous
growths in the uterus can cause bleeding that’s heavier than normal. - Endometriosis.
This condition is caused by tissue that normally lines your uterus growing in
other parts of your pelvis. In your uterus, that tissue swells up each month
and then is shed during your period. When it’s in other organs — like your
ovaries or fallopian tubes — the tissue has nowhere to go. - Adenomyosis. Similar to endometriosis, adenomyosis
is a condition that happens when tissue that normally lines the uterus grows
into the uterine wall. Here, it has nowhere to go, so it builds up and causes
pain. - Intrauterine device (IUD). This birth
control method can cause heavy bleeding as a side effect, especially during the
first year after you start using it. - Bleeding disorders. Inherited conditions
like Von Willebrand disease affect blood clotting. These disorders can also
cause abnormally heavy menstrual bleeding. - Pregnancy complications. An unusually
heavy flow could be a sign of a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. It can happen
so early that you may not realize you were pregnant. - Cancer. Uterine or cervical cancer can
cause heavy bleeding — but these cancers are often diagnosed after menopause.
Normal periods can last anywhere from two to seven days. Short periods may be nothing to worry about, especially if they’re typical for you. Using hormonal birth control can also shorten your cycle. Going into menopause can disrupt your normal cycles as well. But if your periods suddenly get much shorter, check in with your doctor.
Some of the same factors that cause heavy bleeding can make your periods longer than usual. These include a hormone imbalance, fibroids, or polyps.
Cramps are a normal part of periods. They’re caused by uterine contractions that push out your uterine lining. Cramps typically start a day or two before your flow begins, and last for two to four days.
For some women, cramps are mild and not bothersome. Others have more severe cramps, called dysmenorrhea.
Other possible causes of painful cramps include:
- fibroids
- an IUD
- endometriosis
- adenomyosis
- pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
- sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
- stress
There are a few reasons why you might notice spotting or bleeding in between periods. Some causes — like a change in birth control — aren’t serious. Others require a trip to your doctor.
Causes of bleeding between periods include:
- skipping or changing birth control pills
- STDs like chlamydia or gonorrhea
- PCOS
- an injury to the vagina (such as during sex)
- uterine polyps or fibroids
- pregnancy
- ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage
- perimenopause
- cervical, ovarian, or uterine cancer
Your breasts might feel a little tender during your periods. The cause of the discomfort is likely fluctuating hormone levels. Sometimes there is pain right up into your armpit where there is some breast tissue called the Tail of Spence.
But if your breasts hurt or the pain doesn’t coincide with your monthly cycle, get checked out. Although breast pain isn’t usually due to cancer, it can be a symptom of it in rare cares.
Some women normally get an upset stomach during menstruation. In one study, 73 percent of women reported having abdominal pain, diarrhea, or both around the time of their period.
If these symptoms aren’t normal for you, they could indicate PID or another medical condition. Because excessive diarrhea or vomiting can cause dehydration, report this symptom to your doctor.