The psychosomatic aspect of dysmenorrhea: A sensory conditioning process

Abstract

D YSMENORRHEA, in 1946, ranks as a major dysfunction among women of the Occident, and also among the educated classes of Oriental women. It is still spoken of as the “riddle of the ages. ” In the Ayur Veda, written 1,000 years B.C., there is ‘mention of the pain of menstruation. It was Hippocrates who recommended cervical dilation as treatment for menstrual pain. Today’s increasing prevalence of dysmenorrhea may stem from the fact that modern mechanical inventions have relieved women of much drudgery, thereby giving them more time for introspection. The dissemination of modern medical knowledge has made the public conscious that minor disorders may lead to major catastrophes. The unfortunate angle of such propaganda is that minor disorders, when analyzed by the sufferer, and if dwelt upon, can easily lead to discomforts of major proportion. The physiologist, the neurologist, and the psychiatrist tell us that the synthesis and analysis of stimuli that come from within and from without are functions of the cerebral cortex. From this hypothesis we hope to show that :