dysmenorrhea

n. difficult or painful menstruation. The cause may be an obstruction in the cervix or vagina that traps menstrual blood, or the condition may be secondary to an infection or tumor. More than three fourths of cases are a primary, or functional, form of the disorder for which no physiological cause can be found. Dysmenorrhea may be characterized by cramplike pains in the lower abdomen, headache, irritability, depression, and fatigue. —dysmenorrheic adj.

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Psychology term of the day

January 5th 2025

common region

a recently introduced gestalt principle of organization, stating that objects sharing a common bounded region of space appear to belong together and tend to be perceived as a distinct group. For example, animals in a fenced-in enclosure are more likely to be seen as a group than are the same distribution of animals arrayed in open space. Also called law of common region; principle of common region. [proposed in 1992 by U.S. psychologist Stephen E. Palmer (1948– )]