You Dont Have To Suffer
Muscle cramps during the menstrual cycle are generally mild with no debilitating effects. That said, there are many women who unfortunately suffer with severe pain and muscle tension.
The range of cramping discomfort often depends on the timing of puberty, genetics, and lifestyle choices. You could stop cramps fast, and possibly even prevent them from developing before your period, with natural home remedies. By changing your diet, routine, and incorporating exercises that target the stomach muscles, you may be able to stop stressing about your next period and enjoy daily activities every day of the month.
Doheny, K., 10 Ways To Relieve Period Cramps, Everyday Health , last accessed June 9, 2017.Ipatenco, S., How To Get Rid Of Menstrual Cramps Fast, Live Strong, August 16, 2013 , last accessed June 9, 2017.13 Ways To Get Rid Of Your Period Cramps, Web MD , last accessed June 9, 2017.Home Remedies to Relieve Menstrual Pain, Healthline, Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, PhD, MSN, RN, IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT on February 3, 2017 , last accessed June 9, 2017.
Get Yourself A Heating Pad
Heat is essential. Studies have established that applying constant heat at areas with cramps, reduces the severity of the pain.
Disposable heating wraps are subtle and easier to maintain, as it is placed under your clothes. The heat also lasts a few hours, which is convenient. MenstruHeat is one such heat patch you can get!
How To Get Rid Of Period Cramps Naturally
A lot of women have their own ways of dealing with tough menstruation cycles and PMS symptoms, from tips handed down by mom to turning to medications. And if those work for you awesome!
But if youre looking for some new, natural ways to combat that painful time of the month, then this is the list for you. From essential oils and Epsom salts to fish oil and your favorite tunes, these methods for how to get rid of period cramps will help ease period pain so you can live your best life all month long.
1. Try acupuncture.
When youre in pain, the idea of getting pricked by needles probably doesnt sound too appealing. But acupuncture, a type of Traditional Chinese Medicine, has been used for more than 2,000 years to treat chronic pain and can be especially effective during a hard-to-handle menstrual cycle. In fact, one small study out of Australia and New Zealand found that acupuncture treatment can ease period pain, including secondary symptoms like headaches and nausea, in women.
The pilot study of women ages 18 to 45 years old had them undergoing one of four types of manual or electro-acupuncture treatments over three menstrual cycles. Half of the women experienced at least a 50 percent reduction in the severity of their symptoms over three months of being treated with acupuncture and reported they were able to use fewer painkillers to treat pain.
2. Take a hot bath with Epsom salts.
3. Get a dose of extra-virgin olive oil.
4. Try fish oil supplements.
5. Get more sleep.
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Possible Complications Of Menstrual Cramps
Menstrual cramps wont cause any other medical complications if you go to see a doctor on time in order to prevent further conditions to occur. It mainly affects your daily activities. Furthermore, if endometriosis is not discovered in time, it may cause fertility problems. The pelvic inflammatory disease can increase the risk of a fertilized egg implanting outside of the uterus,
Period Pain Caused By A Medical Condition
Less commonly, period pain can be caused by an underlying medical condition.
Period pain linked to an underlying medical condition tends to affect older women. Women aged 30 to 45 are most commonly affected.
Medical conditions that can cause period pain include:
- endometriosis where cells that normally line the womb grow in other places, such as in the fallopian tubes and ovaries these cells can cause intense pain when they shed
- fibroids non-cancerous tumours that can grow in or around the womb and can make your periods heavy and painful
- pelvic inflammatory disease where your womb, fallopian tubes and ovaries become infected with bacteria, causing them to become severely inflamed
- adenomyosis where the tissue that normally lines the womb starts to grow within the muscular womb wall, making your periods particularly painful
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Solutions To Decrease Period Pains And Cramps
How Do I Know If My Cramps Are Severe
Menstrual cramps feel like a throbbing or cramping pain in your lower abdomen. You may also feel pressure or a continuous dull ache in the area. The pain may radiate to your lower back and inner thighs.
Cramps usually begin a day or two before your period, peaking around 24 hours after your period starts. They typically last for two to three days.
Menstrual cramps can be accompanied by other symptoms, including:
- spotting between periods
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Carry Personal Heating Pads
There are several heating pads that can be attached to the abdominal region and activated with a slight push.
These are the best heating pads for menstrual cramps you can try.Pick anyone that suits you.
They are so sleek that they are not detectable over the clothes. You can attach it to the abdomen or keep it in under pockets to soothe the cramps.
Heating the region relaxes the muscles and makes menstrual flow a simpler affair.
Ensure that the region does not get over heated as it might burn the skin or cause redness.
Reduce Your Risk Of Muscle Cramps
Nothing can guarantee that youll never get a muscle cramp. However, using the best available scientific evidence, you can reduce your chances significantly.
For prevention: Train smart and stay hydrated.
For treatment: rest, lightly stretch the muscle, and maybe drink something that tastes like salt or vinegar.
Do you have any questions about muscle cramps? Leave them in the comments section below and Ben and I will respond.
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Your Thyroid Is Out Of Whack
Your thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck. It makes thyroid hormone, which provides the spark for bodily functions like digestion, generation of body heat, detoxification and ovulation. Every single cell in your body needs thyroid hormone.
The most common thyroid problem is when the gland is underactive, which is called hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism interferes with ovulation, which means youll be making less progesterone. And remember that low progesterone promotes inflammation.
Heavy menstrual bleeding can be a symptom of an underactive thyroid. Unfortunately many women with hypothyroidism never get diagnosed because the standard screening test doesnt show the whole picture. I always recommend a complete thyroid panel that includes TSH, free T3, free T4, reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies.
Getting the right thyroid tests can be tricky. Ive had many patients tell me that their conventional doctors straight-up refuse to order a full thyroid panel for them. Its really frustrating, but thankfully you can get a thyroid panel for yourself online.
Insertion Of A Copper Iud Can Cause Cramps
An IUD is a T-shaped device that is inserted into the uterus by your doctor. This device is used to prevent pregnancy.
One of the types of these devices is the cooper IUD device that is plastic wrapped in coiled copper. Once inserted, this type of device needs to be replaced every 10 years. The cooper IUD is releasing copper into the uterus, creating an inflammatory response and less friendly environment for the sperms. Cooper IUDs are characterized by heavy bleeding that causes intense cramps in the first six months after insertion.
If you are experiencing symptoms like fever, vomiting, abdominal or pelvic pain, bloody stools – you should seek medical help.
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Get A Relaxing Massage
You can massage the lower abdomen at least two times a day. Use essential oils like those of lavender for this task.
When you massage the area, any potential inflammation diminishes. Moreover, the fragrance of these oils instills the sensation of feeling good and fresh in your mind.
The muscles that become sore and stressed due to repeated spasmodic contractions get relieved when massaged.
When you are at home and have plenty of time at hand, then you can reach out for this technique.
Pain Medications Don’t Work
For those 20% who experience monthly discomfort, most can get relief with over-the-counter pain medications, like Advil or Tylenol . If over-the-counter medication is not enough to help you get on with your day, however, then your period cramps arent normal.
Very important side note: Some people will take more than the recommended dosage of over-the-counter pain relievers thinking that since they are over-the-counter, they are therefore harmless. Over-the-counter is not a code word for dosage-doesnt-really-matter. Dont do this. It can be extremely dangerous and even deadly.
Never take more pain medication than is indicated on the label or prescribed to you by your doctor. If recommended dosages aren’t enough, speak to your healthcare provider.
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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.
Helpful Ways To Treat Nausea During Your Period
I think we can all agree that when Mother Nature decides to come and visit, it’s uncomfortable and inconvenient. Yes, it’s a totally natural thing that happens to every woman, but the few days where we experience cramping and shed uterine tissue from our bodies always have us always readjusting everything in our lives to make us feel more comfortable.
And then there are some of us who get really bad side effects during our periodsâlike nausea. I used to get cramps so bad that I had to be picked up from school and lie in bed all day. Lucky for me, the pain that comes with the cramps never led to nausea during my period, but according to Gunvor Ekman-Ordeberg, MD, Ph.D., a DeoDoc Intimate Skincare expert and ob-gyn, pain from cramps can lead to that sick feeling.
Jeremy Pawlowski/Stocksy
“There are several reasons to explain why a woman may experience nausea during their period. One of the most common reasons is pain caused by menstrual cramps,” says Eckman-Ordeberg. “Nausea can also occur from the hormonal changes in the body during the menstrual cycle.”
Getty Images
Stocksy
There is bad news and good news when it comes to fighting off the urge to throw up, Ekman-Ordeberg told us. The bad news: There’s no way to really prevent it.
Cavan Images/Getty Images
The good news, though, is there are options to help ease nausea during our periods. The first thing she recommends is anti-inflammatory medication.
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What Is Menstrual Cramping
The painful cramping women experience during the menstrual period is caused by a release of the hormone prostaglandin. This stimulates the muscles in the uterus to contract. The pain can radiate to the lower back and usually diminishes within the first few days. Other causes of the cramps experienced during this time may be linked to poor diet, emotional stress, thyroid irregularities, or environmental toxins.
The severity of the cramping can depend on genetics, quantity of blood flow, and whether symptoms began at an early age. A persons lifestyle habits may also affect menstruation such as smoking, physical activity, and the use of alcohol and any illegal drugs.
Menstrual cramps may become less prevalent after childbirth, but luckily, we have some less drastic methods and tips for how to stop period cramps below.
You Have Random Pelvic Pain
Pelvic discomfort just before your period and during the first few days of your period can be normal. You may also experience some sensitivity around ovulation. But if you have pelvic pain at other times during your cycle, that may signal a problem.
Another possible sign your cramps arent normal is if you experience pain during sex. Some causes of painful sex are also responsible for abnormally bad period cramps.
If severe cramping is accompanied by fever, vomiting, dizziness, unusual vaginal bleeding, vaginal discharge, or if the pain is especially severe, call your healthcare provider immediately.
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The 7 Best Ways To Deal With Cramps
Here are pro tips from doctors on how to deal with the monthly menace.
Period symptoms vary from woman to woman, but cramps is a classic harbinger of that special monthly time. While some luckier ladies might just feel an achiness or slight tension in their backs or abdomen at the onset of their periods, other women can get menstrual cramps so bad their lives are disrupted by the pain.
Menstrual cramps closer to the time of your bleeding, and during, is because of a rise in a hormone-like chemical called prostaglandins, says Ja Hyun Shin, MD, an assistant professor at the Department of Womens Health and Obstetrics & Gynecology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the director of the Pelvic Pain Clinic at Montefiore Health System in Bronx, New York. This substance causes a contraction type of pain because it is doing exactly that helping to contract and squeeze out your uterine lining which is your menstrual bleeding.
Since your uterus is essentially one large, pear-shaped muscle, those pangs can radiate through the entire lower back and belly area, explains Sherry A. Ross, MD, a womens health expert in Santa Monica, California and the author of She-ology: The Definitive Guide to Womens Intimate Health. Period.
NSAIDs , which you can find by the names Aleve, Motrin, Advil, Tylenol, or Ibuprofen, should help with the discomfort.
Drink plenty of H2O and cut back on alcohol and caffeine, Shin adds, which can dehydrate your cells.