For women: Why you are having post-period cramping and what to do

You can have some kind of menstruation cramps after a period, but it’s not common.

Cramps caused by anything other than menstruation are called secondary dysmenorrhea. It can be either primary, which means it happens consistently each month during your cycle, or secondary, which means it’s caused by a reproductive disorder and lasts longer than usual.

There are lots of different reasons someone might have period-type pains or lower abdominal cramps after menstruation. This is not usually a cause for concern, but it can indicate an underlying condition.

Here are some situations which may cause post-period cramping to occur:

Some women experience a bit of pain and cramping with ovulation. When ovaries release an egg and that egg begins to travel down into the uterus, you are ovulating. This type of cramping occurs between 7 to 10 days after the end of menstruation.

Experts explain that the pain with ovulation tends to occur in women who have shorter cycles or women who experience their period every three weeks or less.

While infections, such as pelvic inflammatory disease or sexually transmitted infection, typically cause a different [more constant] type of pain, cramping is also considered. Oftentimes, infections “are going to come along with cramping, but they may also come along with some abnormal vaginal discharge,” and pain with sexual intercourse

If you experience irregular periods, meaning you don’t get your period at the same time every month or the length of your cycle is not consistent, take a pregnancy test. This is because the bleeding or cramping can represent implantation and not necessarily a period.

A urinary tract infection can also cause cramping.

With bladder infection, you also will typically experience pain with urination, as well as blood or slight discolouration of your urine.