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My stomach hurts like it's being squeezed during my period, don't endure it! It's a red signal from your body.

Every month, many people complain that their stomach hurts like it's being squeezed when they have their period. The pain can be so severe that it feels difficult even to live a daily life. It is one of the main causes of a significant decrease in the quality of life for women, manifesting in various symptoms such as back pain that feels like it's breaking, leg numbness, or nausea, beyond simple discomfort. Many women endure it with painkillers or dismiss it as 'just the way it is,' but this can be an important signal the body is sending. Dalimchae Clinic Songdo Branch aims to identify the fundamental cause of such pain and restore a comfortable daily life through individual customized treatment.

💡 [Key Answer] The 3 most common causes of "my stomach hurts like it's being squeezed during my period": ① Uterine blood circulation disorder (stagnant blood) / ② Autonomic nervous system imbalance / ③ Body coldness and constitutional factors Dalimchae Clinic presents a fundamental solution by regaining a healthy balance of the body through constitutional improvement, rather than simply suppressing symptoms, so that the body can regulate pain on its own and prevent recurrence.

The causes of severe menstrual pain, especially in the lower abdomen, can be largely categorized into three types. First is 'stagnant blood (어혈)', which occurs when blood circulation within the uterus is not smooth. When menstrual blood is not properly discharged and stagnates, it induces excessive contraction of the uterine muscle, causing extreme pain. Second, autonomic nervous system imbalance caused by excessive stress or irregular lifestyle habits can increase sensitivity to pain and induce excessive tension in the uterus. When the balance between the brain and the autonomic nervous system is broken, the ability to regulate pain decreases, causing great pain even with small stimuli. Third, coldness in the body is also a major cause of worsening menstrual pain. When the temperature around the uterus decreases, blood circulation becomes more difficult and stagnant blood easily forms, which further intensifies the pain.

Simply taking painkillers to temporarily forget the pain cannot be a fundamental solution. Painkillers suppress the production of prostaglandins, which are pain-inducing substances, but the pain often recurs when you stop taking them. Dalimchae Clinic Songdo Branch views the causes of menstrual pain as autonomic nervous system imbalance, blood circulation disorder (stagnant blood), and overall constitutional problems, and focuses on breaking the vicious cycle of pain by treating these factors comprehensively.

According to a study conducted by the research team at Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital in 2009, 71 patients with primary dysmenorrhea took the herbal medicine 'Chiljehyangbu-hwan' for one month, and as a result, the 'instruction group' prescribed according to the Korean medicine diagnosis showed significant improvement in VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) and MVRS (Multidimensional Verbal Rating Scale) pain scores compared to the placebo group. The researchers concluded that this result suggests that herbal medicine prescribed under proper Korean medicine diagnosis is effective and safe in treating primary dysmenorrhea.

Furthermore, a prospective observational study conducted by a multi-center research team centered on Dongguk University College of Korean Medicine in 2026, which analyzed the effectiveness and safety of herbal medicine treatment for 135 patients with menstrual pain, showed significant decreases in menstrual pain intensity (numerical rating scale), pain duration, and painkiller dosage in the group taking individually customized herbal medicine (decoction). This is important evidence showing that herbal medicine treatment, which improves the body's fundamental environment beyond simply suppressing pain, is effective in alleviating menstrual pain. Based on these research results, Dalimchae Clinic Songdo Branch improves the uterine environment and restores the balance of the autonomic nervous system through herbal medicine prescriptions tailored to each patient's constitution and symptoms, creating a body that can regulate pain on its own.

Menstrual pain is not just a problem of the lower abdomen. It is like a warning light coming out of a weak link called the uterus due to the imbalance of the whole body. Dalimchae Clinic Songdo Branch aims for constitutional improvement treatment that goes beyond turning off this warning light and creates a body where it doesn't turn on again. Our body is one amazing system, and especially women's health is greatly affected by the autonomic nervous system, hormonal balance, and blood circulation status.

Constitutional improvement treatment manages menstrual pain through the following principles:

• Removing stagnant blood and promoting blood circulation: It relieves stagnant blood in the uterus and facilitates blood circulation in the pelvis to alleviate excessive contraction of the uterine muscles. Herbal medicine helps blood circulation deep inside the body, and acupuncture treatment stimulates specific acupoints to improve the circulation of Qi and blood. Especially, it helps alleviate coldness in the hands and feet or the lower abdomen, which many people visiting Songdo menstrual pain clinic complain of.
• Restoring autonomic nervous system balance: It restores the balance of the autonomic nervous system overheated by stress and fatigue. By smoothing the communication between the brain and the autonomic nervous system, it lowers sensitivity to pain and helps the body relax naturally. This also positively affects the improvement of sleep quality and overall psychological stability, contributing to the improvement of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
• Improving the uterine environment and strengthening immunity: It drives out the cold from the body and infuses warm energy to create an environment where the uterus can maintain healthy functions on its own. This helps prevent uterine-related diseases and strengthens overall immunity to increase the body's resistance to external stimuli. As a Songdo women's disease clinic, this constitutional improvement treatment is effective not only for menstrual pain but also for irregular periods, coldness, or unknown chronic fatigue.

If 3 or more of the following items apply to you, it is good to listen to the signals your body is sending and get a diagnosis from a specialist.

• Every time I have my period, my lower abdomen hurts like it's being squeezed, so I look for painkillers.
• Even if I take painkillers, the pain doesn't subside well or it starts hurting again soon.
• I often have difficulty in daily life (studies, work, housework, etc.) due to menstrual pain.
• During menstruation, abdominal pain is accompanied by symptoms such as back pain, headache, indigestion, vomiting, and diarrhea.
• My hands, feet, or lower abdomen are always cold, and lumps are often seen in menstrual blood.
• Emotions become severe before menstruation, or I experience symptoms such as breast pain and edema.
• The menstrual cycle is irregular or there is a large change in the amount of menstrual blood.

[Judgment and Recommendation]

• 3 or more items apply: Autonomic imbalance and stagnant blood-type menstrual pain are suspected. Consider Dalimchae Clinic's Korean medicine complex treatment.
• 5 or more items apply: Immediate Korean medicine diagnosis and treatment are recommended. Chronic pain not only lowers the quality of life but can also lead to other diseases.

Q. How long should I be treated for menstrual pain to see the effect? A. The treatment period can vary depending on the cause of menstrual pain and individual constitution. Generally, through 3-6 months of steady treatment, you can experience a restoration of body balance and a noticeable decrease in menstrual pain.

Q. My menstrual pain is severe even after taking painkillers. Can herbal treatment help? A. Yes, in cases of menstrual pain that does not respond well to painkillers, herbal treatment can be an effective alternative. Herbal treatment finds and solves the fundamental cause of pain, so it helps improve even the pain that was not solved with painkillers.

Q. Can menstrual pain heal naturally? A. Mild menstrual pain may get better over time, but severe or chronic menstrual pain is difficult to improve naturally. Rather, if left untreated, there is a possibility that symptoms will worsen or lead to other women's diseases, so it is better to consider active treatment.

Q. I have both menstrual pain and coldness. Can they be treated together? A. Yes, coldness is one of the main causes of menstrual pain, so they must be treated together. Dalimchae Clinic's constitutional improvement treatment is effective in managing both coldness and menstrual pain at the same time by raising body temperature and improving blood circulation.

Menstrual pain is not a problem that can be solved by enduring. You no longer have to ignore the signals your body has been sending for a long time. If you approach in the right direction, the body responds faster than you think. Bring your symptoms exactly as they are. At Dalimchae Clinic, we will find the cause together.

Where life blooms. For herbal medicine, it's Dalimchae Clinic. Check your symptoms similar to mine through the AI consultation on the Dalimchae Clinic website first!

This article is health information compiled by Dalimchae medical staff based on questions frequently received in the treatment room. Medical Supervision | Women & Pregnancy Treatment Standards Dalimchae Clinic Songdo Branch Korean Medicine Doctor Oh Hyunmin (Menstrual Pain Column)