Dysmenorrhea is a medical term for painful menstrual cramps and it can be broken into two groups:
Primary Dysmenorrhea
Primary dysmenorrhea is the more common form of menstrual cramps that recurs and not due to any health conditions. Primary dysmenorrhea is usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and sometimes diarrhea. This type of dysmenorrhea becomes less severe as a woman gets older and may stop completely when one has a baby.
Secondary Dysmenorrhea
Secondary dysmenorrhea is menstrual pain caused by a medical disorder in the woman’s reproductive organs like endometriosis (most common cause), adenomyosis, uterine fibroids, or some infection. This type of dysmenorrhea usually is not accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fatigue, or diarrhea. In most cases, if you feel more painful period cramps later in life, it might be due to secondary dysmenorrhea.