Kidney stones are more common in men than women. But the incidence of kidney stones in women has been on the rise. The number of women suffering from this problem has been increasing, largely due to dietary habits. Low intakes of fruits and vegetables and high-protein diets are the most common causes of kidney stones in women. Also, like a man, a woman also has a greater chance of recurrence of this problem.

Many women feel pain in the lower abdomen from time to time before or during menstruation. Sometime the cause of the pain may be kidney stones, but the women may not be able to identify it. They should carefully observe whether any such pain has been followed by a urinary disorder, dullness, fever, and nausea or vomiting. If that is the case, get in touch with your doctor, as he or she will be able to diagnose the problem.

If the pain persists even after menstruation that could be due to kidney stones, though there could be other reasons for it too.

As almost 80 per cent of kidney stones are calcium stones, women taking calcium supplements should be careful about it. Certain medical studies have suggested that if these supplements are taken as a part of a meal rather than a "supplement" to food, the risk of kidney stones reduces drastically.

However, the medical community has yet to reach at a consensus on this sensitive issue. Though men, in general, are more likely to have kidney stones than women, various studies over the last few decades have suggested that women are more likely to have struvite stones than men. The most common cause of struvite stones is chronic urinary tract bacterial infection. These stones can seriously damage a patient's kidneys, due to their size.