Cramps After Period 6 Reasons & 4 Ways to Ease

Your period has ended, but the pain still persists. For some women, they can have cramping 2 weeks after period blood has stopped.

Menstrual cramps after a period are not fun, but they usually aren’t a reason for concern.

Why Am I Cramping After my Period?

There are several causes for cramps after your period. Many of them are natural, and may be due to increased sensitivity.

Spotting and Cramping After Period

While there are dozens of reasons why cramps are preset, spotting and cramping usually occurs for the following reasons:

1. Uterine Incapacity: A woman’s uterus is meant to expel all of the blood from a period by the time a woman’s period ends. When blood is left in the body, it still needed to be expelled, which can cause spotting and cramping in some cases.
2. Hormonal Imbalance: When a woman’s hormones are out of balance, her body will change at a rapid pace. One of the signs of a hormonal imbalance is cramping or irregular periods.
3. Birth Control: Many women that are taking birth control will notice spotting or bleeding after her period has ended. This is caused, again, by hormonal changes caused by the birth control itself.
4. Uterine Cysts: Cysts can form inside of the uterus and will cause post-menstrual bleeding and cramping.
5. Disease: Major health issues, such as cancer or thyroid issues, can cause the body’s natural cycle to fluctuate dramatically. Ultimately, this can cause abdominal pain after your period or bad cramps after your period.
6. Implantation: Women that are trying to get pregnant may have had implantation occur. When this occurs, the uterine lining may shed and cause some bleeding that is light and lasts 1 – 2 days at most. This may be accompanied by stomach cramps or a sudden sharp pain that goes away quickly.

Pelvic Pain After Period

Pelvic pain is very hard to pinpoint because it can happen for a variety of reasons. When you have pelvic pain, it may be caused by the following:

• Dyspareunia : Occurring in 2 out of 3 women. Pains are felt deep inside of the body and can be mild to severe. Physical and emotional causes are to blame, and pain is often felt most during intercourse.
  • Dysmenorrhea : Pain that is felt when your menstrual cycle begins and lasts longer than cramping. This occurs for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to:
    • Uterine fibroids
    • Pelvic inflammatory disease
    • Endometriosis
  • Adenomyosis : Occurs due to the uterus lining extending into the wall of the uterus itself. Menstrual cramps, bloating and blood, in rare cases, can be caused. Medication and surgery are two treatment options for adenonmyosis.
  • Ovulation Pain : Mild pain to a severe pain, ovulation pain normally occurs every month. The severity of the pain varies from one woman to the next.

Cramping 1 Week (2 Weeks) After Period

Many women are concerned they’re pregnant if they have cramps at the end of a period or cramping a week afterward. This is a very, very rare occurrence.

First and foremost, immediately after a period, a woman will not be ovulating under normal conditions, meaning that her body is not physically able to get pregnant just yet. Even if pregnancy is in the process of occurring, the process of implantation would not have occurred this quickly.

Ultimately, sperm may be in the body and making its way to the female’s egg, but there is no way that pregnancy could have occurred yet. If it has, the fertilized egg would not have made its way to the uterine wall just yet, so it’s not going to be associated with pregnancy.

Stomach cramps after your period could be your body simply readjusting out of your cycle. Following your period, there is a good chance that irregularity is occurring where the body is ovulating too quickly.

This would allow pregnancy to occur immediately after a period. A common misconception is that women cannot become pregnant on their period, but they can – it’s just very rare.

In most cases, it’s recommended that a woman allow a day or two to pass to see if the pain still exists. In the event that the pain persists or worsens, it is recommended that you consult with an OBGYN to have a thorough checkup.

4 Ways to Ease Cramps

1. Many doctors recommend an over-the-counter NSAID or aspirin to help dull a woman’s cramps. This is the first course of action and will work in most post-menstrual cramping situations.
2. Placing a heating pad on the cramping area is another option.
3. Heat will allow the muscles to relax and will speed up the healing process if an injury has occurred. Icing is not recommended in most cases.
4. Stretches of the pelvic region may alleviate pain, or trying to sleep in a different position, such as on your stomach, may provide temporary relief.