Period Pain Relief Through Movement And Exercise
Get moving! Whether its a walk around the block, an HIIT workout, or pilates, exercise can help. Exercise increases blood circulation, which can reduce cramps. Exercise is also known for lowering stress and wouldnt you have it your stress levels are directly related to the severity of your cramps.
Not feeling up for it? Even a simple stretch can help alleviate your period pain: Here are two simple moves you can try to help tackle period pain:
If you want help feeling more comfortable while exercising during your period, give our moisture-wicking period panties a try!
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Some Herbal Tea Varieties Can Calm Cramping
Certain teas may help relieve menstrual cramps, says Sonya Angelone, a registered dietitian nutritionist in the San Francisco Bay area.
Research on herbal teas for menstrual pain relief is scarce, but teas have been used by menstruating women in numerous cultures for centuries.
Chamomile and peppermint teas are often recommended for menstrual pain because they are calming to the body. Other teas associated with dysmenorrhea are those made from cramp bark, ginger, or fennel.
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What Causes Menstrual Cramps And How To Relieve Them
Menstrual cramps are also called dysmenorrhea. Healthline describes the most common period cramps as primary dysmenorrhea. This type of cramping is a normal side effect when the body discharges the uterine lining each month you don’t become pregnant. Hormone-like fatty chemicals called prostaglandins cause the uterus to contract, which squeezes the old blood and uterine lining out through the vaginal birth canal. The uterine lining contains these prostaglandins, which are released into the body as the lining is shed. Prostaglandins control many processes, including blood flow, inflammation, and labor .
Prostaglandins are flushed out along with menstrual blood, and after a few days, the amount of prostaglandins in the uterus is reduced, and cramping subsides . Abnormal or severe cramping, on the other hand, may be caused by reproductive disorders like endometriosis or uterine fibroids. The Mayo Clinic says these cramps can be treated with birth control or even surgery.
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Maintain A Healthy Weight
Weight fluctuations can affect your periods by making them inconsistent, such as the case with missed periods and low body fat. On the opposite side of the spectrum, its also possible to have heavier flows if you are overweight, or if youre having difficulty maintaining your BMI.
In fact, obese women are at an increased risk of having heavier periods. Some women may even experience heavy, painful symptoms for weeks at a time. This is attributed to increased estrogen production from fat cells, which can make cycles heavier and longer.
If youve experienced heavy periods, you may want to speak with your doctor about possible hormone testing. They can also help give you some tips to lose weight safely and gradually, if you need to.
While this may not offer a short-term solution for ending your period faster now, taking steps to manage your weight will pay off for future menstrual cycles.
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What’s Your Menstrual Story
Many women simply suffer from bad period cramps and severe pain who do not have underlying problems like those I had. Any woman suffering from severe period pains should always explore all the obvious solutions before assuming her problem is as serious as mine was . In most cases, it will most likely be a problem with pain alone. For young girls new to periods, the associated pains can be quite surprising, unfamiliar, and scary. It is worth noting that many women report the most severe period pains in the early years of their periodsthese settled down as their bodies matured.
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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:
How Do You Help Ease Your Period Pains
Period cramps are no fun, and I’ve noticed women desperately looking for help to solve their pains. Many of these women are at their wit’s end and have no idea what they can do to ease the terrible period cramps they are having to endure mostif not allmonths.
Before you assume you have a medical condition that might be the cause of your extreme period pain, how can you try to reduce the pains to bearable levels that don’t leave you doubled up in agony, vomiting, or passing out? Let’s move on to the solutions every woman should explore when suffering from period pains, especially those new to periods and the period cramps they experience.
These methods should be tried before you rush off to a doctor insisting on a deeper investigation. I urge you to give these a try before worrying or panicking about the level of pain you are going through. Use my tips below to help you live in relatively more comfort during Aunt Flo’s visits!
Try lavender essential oil to help with period pains!
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Foods To Introduce In Your Diet
Apart from exercise, spices, herbs, heating the area, and other localized remedies, you can also eat specific things during those days in which severe menstrual cramps are bothering you immensly. They have calming properties which will help with the pain.
- Milk you can include a glass of cold or lukewarm milk into your breakfast as it has calcium. Its a good way to deal with the painful cramps. If you dont like to drink milk or are lactose intolerant, you can also take a few calcium tablets every day as long as your period lasts.
- Papaya this delicious and fragrant fruit is rich in an enzyme named after it papain. It both regulates the blood flow and eases the pain during menstruation.
- Carrots they will help you as well during those difficult days, as long as you drink a tall glass of fresh juice every day
- Aloe Vera it reduces the pain and soothes the aching. If you dont like the way it naturally tastes, you can mix it with a little bit of lemon.
- Lavender is an ages old remedy for pain and calming the nerves. It will help all your muscles, your brain, and your heart beat relax and induce a peaceful state.
- Green tea another great soothing agent for pain and discomfort, green tea mixed with some raspberry or jasmine will work wonders on your body.
How Are Severe Menstrual Cramps Diagnosed
If you have severe menstrual cramps, a visit to your doctor is the only way to determine the exact cause of your pain. During your visit, your doctor will talk to you about your symptoms. If we need additional information to confirm a diagnosis, a pelvic exam or ultrasound might be needed. These tests will help pinpoint the exact cause of your pain so your doctor can recommend the best treatment options for you.
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Theyre Paired With Heavy Abnormal Bleeding
If your cramping is associated with heavy, abnormal bleeding, that can also be a sign that something more serious is going on. If youre soaking through more than a pad an hour over a two-hour time period, thats abnormal bleeding, warns Dr. Levine. Thats worrisome. Thats not regular period cramps or regular period bleeding.
Solutions To Decrease Period Pains And Cramps
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My Story With Period Pain
My own doctors failed to even suggest further investigations when I was going through menstrual pain. My years of pain could have largely been avoided if they had not made the mistake of simply taking my condition at “face value”not to mention the results of the later investigations largely explained my infertility and how surgery could have allowed me to have a baby if I had known what was happening inside my body earlier.
When Do People Usually Get Cramps
It is no secret that pain symptoms can appear at specific times in a womans cycle.
- Perimenstrual cramps. Pain starts before your period and lasts during menstruation. It can be felt in the lower back and thighs.
- Mid-cycle/ovulation pain. This pain can also occur in the middle of your cycle. Ovulation pain is usually felt in the lower abdomen. It may last from a few hours to even a couple of days.
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How To Relieve Menstrual Cramps While You Are At Home
Recent scientific research has backed the fact that pain of period cramps can be as severe as the pain felt during a mild stroke. This enormous and nerve wrecking pain of menstrual cramps is unimaginable.
The onset of the pain and cramps starts even before the actual bleeding. Cramps are one of the most common symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome .
What Should You Drink To Help Period Cramps
Your diet plays an important role in reducing period cramps not only what you eat, but what you drink too. As a nutritionist, as well as A.Vogels Womens Health advisor, there are 6 drinks I always recommend which can help to ease period cramps:
- Peppermint tea.
There are also a few drinks which can make period cramps worse and which I recommend steering clear of, including sugary drinks, coffee, milk and alcohol.
Now, let’s go into a little more detail about how the 6 great drinks above can help your period cramps.
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How To Relieve Period Cramps: 17 Ways
The discomfort is merely annoying for some women. For others, cramps can be severe enough to interfere with daily activities for a few days each month. If you belong to the first group, you need to know how to reduce period cramps. Maybe you will be surprised, but home remedies are the best in these cases. You can relieve cramps naturally, without pills. Does a heating pad help with cramps? How can your diet help? Can vitamins help? Lets discuss the details.
What Is A Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle is cyclic changes that occur in a womans body every month. During the menstrual cycle, the levels of reproductive hormones change, the egg is released from the ovary, and the uterus is prepared for pregnancy.
The typical female menstrual cycle is 28-30 days. Some women may have a shorter cycle of around 20 days or a longer cycle of around 35 days. The first day of the menstrual cycle is when a woman starts bleeding. Periods usually last for three to seven days in most women. Ovulation occurs between 11-15 days of the menstrual cycle but most commonly on the 14th day. During ovulation, usually, only a single egg is released from the ovary.
When the sperm meets the egg , pregnancy occurs. If fertilization does not occur, the uterine lining sheds and presents with bleeding, marking the onset of periods.
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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.
It Is Common For Women To Experience
some discomfort during their first menstrual cycle. However, the pain is severe enough to disrupt the lives of a small percentage of women. You can learn how to get rid of period cramps and have a more manageable menstrual cycle.
- More than 60% of women experience cramps.
- You can manage cramps with pain medicine.
- It is common for cramps to last two or three days.
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When To Seek Medical Care For Menstrual Cramps
Most women have significant improvement with natural and home remedies . However, a woman should call her health-care professional if she experiences any of the following:
- Menstrual cramps that continue to be painful for longer than usual
- The pain is suddenly worse or different from what you may have previously experienced
- Bleeding is excessive, and requires using more than one pad or tampon per hour
- Signs of infection, such as fever, chills, and body aches, occur during your period
- Menstrual cramps began for the first time in a woman older than 25 years of age.
- You suspects you may be pregnant.
A healthcare professional can help manage most symptoms. However, a woman should go to a hospitals emergency department if any of the following problems occur:
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Yoga Position # : Reclining Twist
Your lower back and lower belly will both benefit from the reclining twist position.
First, lie flat on your back. Bend your left knee, and then lower it to the right side. Look to your left, and reach your arms out wide, your palms flat against the ground. You will want to stay here for five or more breaths.
Extend your left leg back to the ground, and repeat the pose with your right leg bending to the right. This pose should relax your back, hips, and shoulders. Repeat 5 to 10 times on each side.
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What Causes Dysmenorrhea
Women with primary dysmenorrhea have abnormal contractions of the uterus due to a chemical imbalance in the body. For example, the chemical prostaglandin control the contractions of the uterus.
Secondary dysmenorrhea is caused by other medical conditions, most often endometriosis. This is a condition in which endometrial tissue implants outside the uterus. Endometriosis often causes internal bleeding, infection, and pelvic pain.
Other causes of secondary dysmenorrhea include the following:
-
Pelvic inflammatory disease
-
Women who started their periods before the age of 11
-
Women who have never been pregnant
Consult your health care provider for more information.
Yoga Position # : Cat
Cat-cow is a two-part pose that will target not just the back but also your abdominal muscles.
Start with the cow pose. On your hands and knees, check to make sure your hands are aligned under your shoulders. Your knees should be aligned under your hips. Gently stretch your head upwards, gazing towards the sky as you breathe in. At the same time, raise your tailbone towards the sky and drop your belly towards the ground.
Now it is time to move to the cat pose. Breathe normally for a few breaths. Then, after a deep inhalation, breathe out slowly and curl your back. Your head and your tailbone will stretch towards the ground. The gentle arch of your spine will warm your back muscles as well as stretch and tone your abdominals.
Exhale on the cat pose and inhale on the cow. Repeat 5 to 20 times to help relieve your pain.
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Keep Track Of Your Period Symptoms To Prevent Cramps
Keeping track of your period symptoms can really help you and your healthcare provider a lot. Having a full idea about what might happen within the specified time can help you get prepared beforehand. So, always keep track of your period at all times.
Full knowledge of your menstrual cycle can help to determine a lot about your health. Long period of waiting for your menstruation could be a sign of pregnancy so you should take note of this. Irregular menstrual cycle can be an indication of hormonal change or thyroid issues and lots more. Always keep track of your menstrual cycle to know the state of your health.