How To Get Rid Of Cramps And Other Treatment Options
Donât let this cramp your style though, several home remedies may help alleviate the symptoms of menstrual cramps and get you back to your normal life. So, if you are looking to stop period cramps fast or make the pain of cramps go away, use these tips to put your painful periods at ease:
- Lie down with a heating pad on your stomach, lower back, or lower abdomen to take the edge off the pain
- You can also place a hot water bottle on the lower back or lower abdomen to alleviate your period pain
- Take a warm bath to reduce the pain of menstrual cramps and increase blood flow
- Ask your doctor about which over-the-counter pain reliever or anti-inflammatory drugs are best for you
- Give yourself a little massage where it hurts.
- Exercise. You probably have ZERO interest in moving while in pain, but exercising before and during your period will lower your level of prostaglandins .
- Have sex! Yup, you heard us right. Having sex on your period may help with period cramps. Learn more about period sex.
If you have severe menstrual cramps, hormone treatments and birth control pills are also options that some use to help manage their cycle. Certain types of hormone treatments can stop ovulation, significantly reducing menstrual cramps. Birth control pills are often used to reduce the effect of prostaglandins. Talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of hormonal birth control and hormones treatments to ease the pain of menstrual cramps.
How To Stop Period Cramps At School: 10 Methods That Work Best
A child is very sensitive during early period days and in such conditions do not want to step out of the comfort zone. At school too, sitting and standing several times, physical activities, and improper hygiene services are a concern for most of them.
To top it all, period cramps often cause a lot of distraction and trouble the little girls with nobody to share the feeling with. Since the body undergoes so many changes, it is natural for a girl to be a little under-confident.
As a parent/guardian, it is necessary for us to train our children to deal with such situations boldly and correctly.
Care Advice For Menstrual Cramps
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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 .
You Have High Insulin Levels
Are you noticing the theme with insulin yet? This relates back to point #1. Remember that insulin increases arachidonic acid, the precursor to the inflammatory prostaglandins that cause menstrual pain. Insulin also promotes clotting and can interfere with ovulation.
How do you know if your insulin levels are too high? Ask your doctor to order a fasting insulin test for you, or get one for yourself from True Health Labs. Your fasting insulin level should be no higher than 8, but I really like to see it 6 or less.
If your insulin is too high, you need to start making changes like cutting sugar out of your diet and emphasizing vegetables, protein and healthy fats. Exercise, especially resistance exercise like weightlifting, is crucial for lowering your insulin levels. Also be sure to get 8 hours of sleep each night: Just one night of sleep deprivation can promote insulin resistance!
Signs and symptoms of imbalanced blood sugar and insulin resistance include:
- Sleep trouble
- Energy crashes or sleepiness after meals
- Sugar cravings
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How Common Are Cramps
Unfortunately, menstrual cramps are very common. According to a 2012 study, they affect about 84% of young women. About 43% experience these pains every month.
Mild cramps are manageable and can be treated. However, high levels of prostaglandins can cause severe pain, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and in extreme cases fainting.
Cramps can become so debilitating that a woman may need to miss school or work. According to the same study, about 32% of women reported being absent from study or social activities due to their period pain.
Menstrual cramps are usually treated with over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Many women also use heat as a home remedy for their menstrual cramps, including hot water bottles, heating pads, and warm baths.
If these treatments dont work and cramps are interfering with day-to-day activities, a doctor may prescribe an oral contraceptive . Birth control pills are thought to reduce the amount of prostaglandins, which reduces cramping and suppresses ovulation.
Although studies show that birth control pills can reduce menstrual pain, this isnt the case for all women. Contraception expert Dr. Katharine OConnell White told TIME that if a woman has very severe cramps, birth control pills are unlikely to make the pain go away completely.
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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When To See Your Doctor
Even though you how to make cramps go away by using the remedies listed above, when the pain becomes more intense than normal or it does not go away, do not ignore. Below are signs that could be indications of serious health problems. Call a doctor if you have the following symptoms:
- Cramps lasting longer than usual
- You have a fever
- You feel nauseated and start vomiting
- The bleeding is more than normal
- You suspect you are pregnant
What Causes Menstrual Pain
Pain during menstruation is thought to be caused by prostaglandins and leukotrienes. Together, these compounds are known as eicosanoids.
Prostaglandinsare a group of hormone-like fats that are made by our cells at sites of tissue damage or infection in the body. Their job is to direct the healing process by coordinating blood vessel constriction and blood clotting. In this process, prostaglandins cause the pain, fever, redness and swelling that we experience with illness and injury.
Prostaglandins also play a role in the female reproductive system by controlling ovulation, initiating labor and regulating menstrual flow. In other words, prostaglandins cause the uterus to contract.
Two specific prostaglandins have been linked to menstrual pain: PGE2 and PGF2-alpha.
Now, normally, prostaglandins are very short-lived. Once their job is done, the body breaks them down quickly.
But problems arise when inflammatory prostaglandins are produced in excess. Certain dietary andlifestyle factors will cause persistent tissue damage and load us with omega-6 fats, resulting in round the clock production of inflammatory prostaglandins.
Below is an illustration of the process. As you can see, anything that promotes high levels of arachidonic acid, the precursor to prostaglandins, can lead to pain and inflammation.
Similar to prostaglandins,leukotrienes are inflammatory molecules that are released by our white blood cells.
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What Causes Painful Menstrual Cramps
Menstrual cramps happen when a chemical called prostaglandin makes the uterus contract . The uterus, the muscular organ where a baby grows, contracts throughout your menstrual cycle. During menstruation, the uterus contracts more strongly. If the uterus contracts too strongly, it can press against nearby blood vessels, cutting off the supply of oxygen to muscle tissue. You feel pain when part of the muscle briefly loses its supply of oxygen.
Birth Control For Period Cramps
When you have period cramps you just can’t seem to relieve with the methods mentioned above, your doctor may prescribe birth control, which provides your body with hormones that may reduce your menstrual cramping. Talk to your doctor about your birth control options. They include birth control pills, injections, a patch, or an intrauterine device. Such a wide array of birth control options are available that there should be something that will work for your lifestyle and individual needs. Just make sure to let your doctor know youre hoping to find a birth control option that will provide relief from your menstrual cramping.
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Relief From Menstrual Cramps
What helps cramps naturally is exercise. Exercise provides a double dose of benefits to relieve cramps. First, when you exercise, your brain releases hormones called endorphins. Endorphins block pain receptors in your brain, helping to stop pain signals from your cramping, contracting uterus. Aerobic exercise, even a brisk walk, can release endorphins and provide some pain relief.
Exercise also improves circulation throughout your entire body, including your uterus. When you have cramps, your uterus is contracting so hard that it is cutting off some blood flow, which sends pain signals to the brain. By opening up these blood vessels with increased circulation, you may be able to relieve menstrual cramp pain.
When All Else Fails Call The Doc
If nothing seems to be helping, talk to your gyno. They can check for any underlying causes, like endometriosis, that might be making your cramps extra-painful. She may also recommend birth control pills, which can thin the uterine lining and make cramps less intense. Cramps may be common, but they shouldn’t interfere with your life, so if you’ve tried everything and you’re still in pain every month, definitely let your doc know.
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Use Birth Control To Get Rid Of Cramps
In regard to ways on how to get rid of period cramps, birth control is an artificial method that brings fast results.
This is because it decreases the chemicals the body produces to make the muscles of the uterus contract.
Thus, fewer contractions lead to less pain and also a reduction in the amount of blood flow with a girls period.
Remember this:
However, before using birth control methods, you should consult your doctor beforehand.
This way, you can find out what is going on and the best way to handle it.
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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Massage Your Tummy With Essential Oils
Research suggests that some essential oils can help ease period cramps when massaged onto the abdomen, especially when used in a blend of oils.
Oils that seem to be most effective at reducing period cramps, due to their ability to boost circulation, include:
- cinnamon
- clove
You can find essential oils online, or at your local health food store. Some drugstores may sell them, too.
Before using essential oils, youll want to mix them with a carrier oil, like coconut oil or jojoba oil. Carrier oils work by safely carrying the essential oil into your skin, and helping to spread the oil over a large area.
Once your oil mixture is ready to use, rub a few drops between your hands and then give your tummy a gentle massage.
Experts say massaging in a circular motion for just five minutes a day before and during your period may help lessen cramps and boost circulation in your abdomen.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, OTC pain relievers like ibuprofen , naproxen , and aspirin are effective treatments for period cramps.
These medications work best if theyre taken at the first sign of cramps or pain.
You can find ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin, at any drugstore. Be sure to take only as directed, and talk to your doctor first if you have a history of heart, liver, or kidney problems, or if you have asthma, ulcers, or bleeding disorders.
recent study , low-to-medium intensity aerobic exercise can help reduce pain caused by period cramps.
Drink Water To Calm Down The Body
While in class and the cramps are distracting you, drink a sip or two of water to calm down the body.
Drinking water immediately helps relax the muscles and decrease the severity of cramps. In general also, during periods, drink plenty of water so that the toxins are flushed out of the system early and you have a happy time in coming days.
Thus, you suffer cramps but for a smaller duration. Drinking water also helps keep vaginal infections caused during periods at bay.
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