{"id":20256,"date":"2021-10-26T11:26:03","date_gmt":"2021-10-26T09:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/?p=20256"},"modified":"2021-10-26T11:26:05","modified_gmt":"2021-10-26T09:26:05","slug":"i-thought-i-was-done-cramps-after-menopause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/i-thought-i-was-done-cramps-after-menopause\/","title":{"rendered":"I Thought I Was Done! Cramps After Menopause"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You made it through the woods. The years of bleeding through pants, hormonal weeks, hot flashes, and the dreaded…cramps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or so you thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your days of periods are over, you\u2019ve traversed your way through menopause. You\u2019re pretty positive that *that period* of your life is over, and then BAM! Cramps. In your uterus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this is you, let\u2019s take a look at what could be causing cramps after menopause, and what you can do about them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Causes Cramps After Menopause?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You probably don\u2019t need a reminder, but you\u2019re officially post-menopausal after you haven\u2019t had a period for a full year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve fully exited menopause, or are at the tail end of it, sudden uterine cramps may take you by surprise and leave you a little worried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is unless they are severe or ongoing it\u2019s probably nothing to worry about. That being said, any sort of pain is a warning signal or type of communication from your body and is something to pay attention to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what those cramps could mean:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re Still Menopausal<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Maybe it\u2019s been nearly a year since your last period, but you\u2019re not quite there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then all of a sudden – cramps! You might have guessed this one, but one possibility is that you\u2019re having another period. This one will be easy to figure out and resolve after the end of this cycle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gastrointestinal Issues<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll most likely be able to tell the difference between uterine and abdominal cramps, but sometimes things get mixed up in there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That being said, if you have ongoing stomach issues, that\u2019s something to get checked out. Although you\u2019ll most likely want to go to your primary care provider or a gastroenterologist instead of an OB-GYN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vaginal Atrophy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During menopause, estrogen levels drop. This can cause vaginal changes like dryness, as well as a loss in strength and elasticity – otherwise known as vaginal atrophy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can cause pain with intercourse, cramping, and can increase your chance of developing yeast infections<\/a> and bacterial vaginosis<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pelvic Organ Prolapse<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A decrease in estrogen can also cause the pelvic floor<\/a> to weaken, sometimes leading to pelvic organ prolapse<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is when the ligaments and muscles that make up the pelvic floor weaken enough so that the bladder, uterus, and rectum bulge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few pelvic organ prolapse symptoms to watch out for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n