No More Pain: How To Get Rid Of Period Cramps Fast
Period pain is common, but that doesnt mean that you have to suffer for too long. Here are a bunch of remedies for getting rid of period pain, from light cramps at school to more intense ones that might have you staying home. We should point out: severe period pain is not normal and please consult your doctor if the discomfort is interrupting your daily activities. Scroll to the bottom for answers on FAQs about period cramps.
Period Pain And Fertility
Period pain that’s part of your normal menstrual cycle will not affect your fertility. However, if the cause is a medical condition, this may affect your fertility.
For example, endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease can cause scarring and a build-up of tissue in your fallopian tubes, making it harder for sperm to reach and fertilise an egg.
What I Can Do To Relieve Pms
Many of the things that help ease cramps can also help with PMS. Here are some different ways to relieve PMS symptoms:
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Take over-the-counter pain medicine like ibuprofen , naproxen , or acetaminophen . Always follow the instructions on the bottle. Talk with your doctor before taking pain medication if you have an allergy to aspirin or severe asthma.
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Do aerobic exercise, like walking, running, riding a bike, swimming, or any activity that gets your heart rate up. Regular exercise is ideal.
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Do breathing exercises, meditation, or yoga.
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Get plenty of rest. Sleeping regularly every night can help with stress, mood changes, and feeling tired or fatigued.
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Eat healthy foods like fruits, veggies , whole grains, and yogurt.
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Limit fat, salt, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol.
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Make sure you get enough vitamins in your diet, or take vitamin supplements. If you dont get enough calcium, take a supplement of 1200 mg of calcium daily. Magnesium and Vitamin E might also help.
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Use hormonal birth control . Your doctor can help you find a birth control method that can help with PMS.
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Why Do You Have Cramps During Your Periods
The pain you are suffering from every period is called primary dysmenorrhea.
Mostly, menstrual pain happens because of the overproduction of inflammatory chemicals . As a result, inflammation causes spasms, cramping, and pain in your uterus. When this happens, you likely will want to pop ibuprofen, lay on the sofa with a heating pad, and just watch TV until the pain is gone. The problem is that while ibuprofen may relieve period pain, the pills can lead to heavy menstrual bleeding, which is dangerous and potentially harmful.
Unfortunately, doctors arent sure why some women have painful menstruation while others dont. There are some possible factors:
- experiencing a heavy blood flow
- having your first child while under the age of 20
- getting your first period at a younger than average age
- overproduction of or sensitivity to prostaglandins
How to best deal with period cramps? Lets learn more.
Yoga Exercises And Menstrual Cramps
Many girls and young women have cramps when they have their periods. Cramps usually feel like pain in the abdomen , pelvis , lower back, and upper legs. The pain usually hurts worst on the day before the period begins and on the first day of the period.
If cramps are heavy , it you might not feel like you can go to school. Instead of missing school, you can try stretching and moderate-intensity exercise to help relieve the pain caused by cramps.
You may feel like you have less energy than normal during the first couple of menstrual days, when bleeding and cramping are usually heavier. High-intensity exercises like running may not be appropriate. Instead, yoga and breathing exercises can be a good way to help reduce the pain caused by cramping. Yoga also reduces stress, improves flexibility, and strengthens muscles.
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How To Get Rid Of Cramps From Your Period
Stocksy
No matter whether theyre debilitating or just annoying, cramps can wreak havoc on your lifestyle and sense of wellbeing. Technically speaking, period cramps are mechanical spasms of the uterine muscle triggered by the release of prostaglandins to help facilitate menstrual flow. In addition to period cramps, female bodies can experience mid-cycle discomfort and cramping during ovulation called mittelschmerz. This occurs in the middle of a menstrual cycle when an ovary releases an egg, and this type of pain usually only lasts for a few minutes to a few hours, explains Laurence Orbuch, MD, FACOG. He adds, Menstrual cramps can persist for hours or days during a period.
Every female who gets their period experiences cramps differently, based on individual anatomy. Depending on the position of the uterusanterior, posterior, or mid-positionin your pelvis, can determine where you may experience the most painful menstrual cramping, says Sherry A. Ross MD, FACOG. Lower back and abdominal pain are the most common places women experience the discomfort. The severity of cramping can vary not only from person-to-person but also from month-to-month. Thankfully, there are many remediesfrom herbs to yoga poses and the tried-and-true hot water bottle methodthat can help you feel better when cramps strike.
Ahead, three OBGYNs and a naturopath offer viable solutions on how to get rid of cramps caused by your period.
Meet the Expert
Why Are Period Cramps Painful
Dysmenorrhea is thought to be caused by compounds in the body known as prostaglandins. Before menstruation starts each month, the level of prostaglandins in the lining of the uterus increases.
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Your prostaglandin level is its highest on the first day of your menstrual period, which is why menstrual pain is usually worse then. As your period progresses and the lining of the uterus is shed, your prostaglandin level decreases and pain gets better, ACOG states.
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What Causes Period Pain
There can be many reasons for period pain, and if you experience chronic painful periods, its only natural to wonder why. Maybe youre the only woman in your family who gets severe cramps. Maybe your painful periods didnt start until your 20s. Whatever your situation, a doctor can help you understand why you get painful cramps every month. Some of the most common causes of painful periods are:
Can You Get Period Cramps A Week Before Period
Although it would make sense for period cramps to only start as soon as you get your period, this is not often the case for many women around the world.
Many women suffer from cramps 5 days before period, quite a few suffer from cramps a week before period, and some even suffer from them 2 to 3 weeks before!
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What Are Period Cramps
During our periods, our body sheds the thick uterine lining formed during other stages of the menstrual cycle. Without a fertilized egg, hormonal shifts occur to promote muscle contractions in the uterus to help shed that lining.
Period cramps occur when those muscles in the uterus contract, leading to the discomfort that has so many of us down for the count each month. A hormone-like chemical called prostaglandins is a particularly pesky culprit.
During our period, prostaglandins are produced to encourage even stronger contractions and swelling. While this process is useful for shedding the unneeded uterine endometrial lining, it often feels anything but useful when it comes to the discomfort these contractions can cause around the abdomen, lower back, and thighs.
Massaging With Essential Oils
Massage therapy for about 20 minutes can help.
Massage therapy for menstruation involves pressing specific points while the therapists hands move around your abdomen, side, and back.
Adding essential oils for an aromatherapy style of massage may have additional benefits.
You can buy a scented massage oil with similar ingredients or make your own.
You should always dilute your essential oil with a carrier oil. Examples include vegetable or nut oils, such as grapeseed or sweet almond oil. A safe concentration is one drop of essential oil per teaspoon of carrier oil.
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Pop A Safe Painkiller To Cut The Inflammation
Not everyone wants to turn to medicine to soothe period cramps, but moderate use of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication , such as Advil or Aleve , can help, Palmieri says. Menstrual cramps occur because of local release of substances called prostaglandins, he explains, and NSAIDs lower prostaglandin production and decrease overall inflammation and pain.
Check first with your doctor to be sure NSAIDs are a good choice for you, especially if you have a history of bleeding or kidney issues. And read the label for dosing instructions to be sure you dont accidentally take too many.
If You Have A Dull Constant Pain
It might be: pelvic inflammatory disorder . PID is characterized by constant pain outside of your menstrual cycle that comes with vaginal discharge, says Masterson. The condition is a serious infection of the uterus, ovaries, and/or fallopian tubes often caused by untreated STDs like chlamydia or gonorrhea.
What to do: Get to your doctor, because you need a swab culture to check for bacteria or an infection, says Masterson. PID is totally curable with antibiotics, but if left untreated for too long, scar tissue could form in your reproductive tract and mess with your fertility.
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What Do Cramps A Week Before Period Mean
We often get asked, why do I have cramps a week before my period? And what do cramps a week before period mean?
Two main reasons answer the queries of uncomfortable cramping prior to feeling cramps 5 days before period or more. However, please note that you should book an appointment with us to make sure you do not have any underlying conditions. One of our medical professionals can help you decide the best course of treatment.
Here are some of the reasons you could have cramping before your period begins:
Due to changing hormone levels, sometimes your body misjudges the quantity of hormones to produce and overproduces certain ones. The two main hormones your body produces during menstruation are estrogen and progesterone.
If your body overproduces estrogen or progesterone, your uterus will contract, causing the cramps we all despise. If you have premenstrual syndrome , the body prepares for your period by releasing hormones early and causing cramps a week before.
How Period Pain Affects Education
Many young women experience menstrual symptoms. Almost three quarters report regular period pain, around half report fatigue, and more than one third report emotional changes such as mood swings. Studies show these menstrual symptoms can cause women to miss work or school and some previous studies in teenagers show it may potentially impact academic performance.
We wanted to understand how menstrual symptoms might be affecting young women in Australia with regard to their education, and how they manage these.
We asked young women about how often they got period pain and other menstrual symptoms, how it impacted their attendance or classroom performance, and explored how useful they found the sexual and reproductive education they had previously received.
In our survey, nine out of ten young women reported having had period pain in the past three months, and half reported pain every month. This is similar to previous findings in teenagers in Australia.
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Their pain scores, which tended to be moderate to severe for most, didnt change as they got older.
More than one-third of young women said they missed at least one class in the past three months due to their menstrual symptoms. This was almost identical no matter if they were at school or at university.
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Switch Up Your Sleeping Position
Anecdotal reports say that the fetal position is the best sleeping position for menstrual cramps. This could be because the position doesnt place weight on your abdomen or lower back which is where period pain is typically felt.
There isnt any research into how your sleeping position can affect period pain, but that doesnt mean it isnt worth giving a try.
Although period cramps are very common, severe pain isnt normal. Youll want to make an appointment to see a doctor if you:
- have period cramps so painful that you cant go about your daily activities
- started having severe menstrual cramps at or after age 25
Extreme pain before or during your period can be a sign of a more serious health condition that needs treatment, such as:
Things That May Help With Period Cramps
Dealing with menstrual cramps every month can be as frustrating as it is painful. The good news is there are many remedies that might help you relieve period cramps. Its important to remember that these techniques wont always work, especially for chronic conditions, but they can offer relief for mild to moderate period pain.
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Enjoy Herbal Teas To Relieve Inflammation And Muscle Spasms
Certain types of herbal tea have anti-inflammatory properties and antispasmodic compounds that can reduce the muscle spasms in the uterus that cause cramping. Drinking chamomile, fennel or ginger tea is an easy, natural way to relieve menstrual cramps. Plus, these herbal teas can have other benefits, like stress relief and helping with insomnia.
Other Things You Can Do To Relieve Cramps
Doctors say there are certain medications and lifestyle remedies that can help ease the pain of period cramps. Those include:
- NSAIDs. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs1 can help relieve period cramps. Specifically, taking them 48 hours before you start cramping can be the most effective, explains functional OB/GYN Wendie Trubow, M.D. “That’s when the prostaglandins start being secreted, so if you block them then, the cramping is less.”
- Hormonal contraceptives. Combined hormonal contraceptives block your body’s production of prostaglandins by stopping ovulation, gynecologist , explains. “Prostaglandins are most heavily made in cycles where you ovulate,” she says. “No ovulation, less prostaglandins. So taking the pillor using a contraceptive ringcan be very helpful.” Trubow also mentions that hormone-releasing IUDs could help, too.
- Heating pad. “Heat is an option used by many to help with menstrual cramps,” Lew says. “This would be a heating pad or hot water bottle. It is a low-cost option with low risk and potential gain in improvement in symptoms.”
- Bodywork. “Acupuncture and bodywork also may be helpful for women to try,” says Trubow.
- Magnesium. Trubow also recommends magnesium, which can also be beneficial for muscle health. “Adding in either Epsom salt soaks/foot baths or oral magnesium can help alleviate cramps.”
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Consider Hormonal Birth Control
Cramps may be common, but being sidelined by them is not.
“To be honest, a period cramp should never impact your lifestyle to the point where you can’t do the activity that you want to do,” Dr. Schellhammer says. If that happens, talk to your doctor.
If you are not looking to get pregnant, your doc might recommend low-dose hormonal birth control. “These options regulate hormones to prevent fluctuations that can contribute to pain. They also can lessen bleeding, decreasing irritation and, therefore, cramps,” Dr. Schellhammer says.
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4 Yoga Poses to Relieve Cramps
Yoga is a gentle exercise that releases endorphins and can help prevent or reduce menstrual symptoms.
One study compared the effects of aerobic exercise and yoga on PMS symptoms. The researchers found that both yoga and aerobic exercise significantly reduced PMS symptoms and pain intensity. However, yoga was more effective than aerobic exercise at reducing symptoms. Helpful yoga poses for PMS may include:
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Exercise To Get Rid Of Menstrual Pain
Exercising can help to relieve pain. When you exercise, your body releases endorphin which are known to play a great role in pain management possessing morphine-like effects.
Also, exercising keeps your body active and allows for the proper flow of blood in the body. Getting involved in various exercises such as walking, swimming, running and others can help to keep your body active at all time.
Medical research has found sport women to have less pain or menstrual cramps in relation to other women. Therefore, exercising is a great way to relieve yourself of that pain.
Im Sorry Youre Having To Deal With This Right Now
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