Are you also worried about the intolerable, excruciating pain that you can experience near or during your periods? Why is it that every time your periods pop up you experience this torturing pain and what can you do to ease it? If you seek answers to these questions then you have come to the right place.
In this article, we will be focusing on the natural ways to relieve period cramps that will help you make your periods less painful and thus ease the severe menstrual pain you go through every month. We will also be looking at what these cramps are and what are the possible reasons they occur. So, let’s dive into it.
The Concept Of Menstrual Cramps
Menstrual cramps refer to the pain near the lower abdomen, lower back, legs, stomach, and surrounding areas. The intensity of menstrual pain varies from individual to individual. Some may not experience it at all while some may have slight pain whereas there can be females who have to go through excessive pain. Following the natural ways to relieve period cramps can help you.
It is essential to care for yourself, especially during these days and stay away from the myths about girls periods. It only leads to misconceptions. The period pain can be accompanied by nausea, bloating, vomiting and other issues making the pain worse and may indicate other issues. It is essential therefore to understand what causes period cramps so that you can get them treated.
Causes Of Menstrual Cramps
Are you curious about what causes period cramps? Then here you have the reasons why you experience menstrual pain.
1. Higher Level Of Prostaglandins During Menstruation
One of the most common causes of menstrual cramps is the high level of prostaglandins in the uterus during periods. What is the kind of hormone that increases during the periods and causes your uterus to contract which leads to excessive pain during periods? In some females, the levels are very high which causes a lot of pain.
2. Due To The Condition Called Endometriosis Or Adenomyosis
When it comes to what causes period cramps, one of the reasons could be endometriosis and adenomyosis. It is the growth of the tissues lining the uterus outside the uterus and within the muscular wall of the uterus respectively causing excessive pain and bleeding. It is essential to get them treated to avoid complications.
Read More: facts about ovaries to know
3. Certain Diseases Like Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Among other different causes of menstrual cramps, one of the causes is pelvic inflammatory disease. It is an infection caused by sexually transmitted diseases which spread from the vagina to the uterus, fallopian tube and even ovaries which increases pain during periods. It is essential to have protected sex and maintain hygiene.
Read More: how to clean your vagina
4. Due To Other Condition Called Cervical Stenosis
There are several qualities what causes period cramps, one of them is cervical stenosis. Cervical stenosis usually hits women who are near their menopause, however, it may happen to anyone, where your cervix narrows down becoming a barrier between the vagina and uterus causing pain and irregular periods.
5. The Presence Of Fibroids In Uterus
Common causes of menstrual cramps, one of the causes of menstrual pain is the presence of Fibroids in the uterus. This usually occurs in women who are in the reproductive phase which is characterized by the non-cancerous growth of cells in the uterus due to either early puberty, obesity or family history.
Natural Ways To Relieve Period Cramps
Looking for natural remedies to ease period pain? Here we have some natural ways to reduce menstrual pain:
1. Going For Hot Water Bags
One of the tried and tested natural ways to relieve period cramps is to provide heat to the area. Giving heat to your lower areas and the areas that hurt helps you relieve the pain. You can use the hot water bags, and take a hot shower to ease the menstrual pain. Hot water bags work towards relaxing the muscles of the body.
It is one of the periods pain relief home remedies which you can easily do. You can get yourself an electric hot water bag or you can also go for a normal hot water bag where you pour the hot water into the bag. The muscle tension is reduced by this and also the blood flow increases which helps in reducing the pain during your periods.
2. Avoiding Few Food Categories
What we eat has a great impact on our body especially when our body is going through hormonal changes or is in a different phase like periods. So this means that the food you eat during your periods also impacts your menstruation, and thus can be the reason for the pain. Avoiding certain foods is one of the ways to reduce menstrual pain.
Avoid eating heavily greased foods, spicy foods, and excess sugar or salt or spices in your food can trigger menstrual cramps and cause bloating which can increase your pain. Instead, try going for healthy food which is one of the healthier and natural period cramp remedies. There can be cravings but try to resist yourself from eating these.
3. Practicing Certain Yoga Postures
When it comes to how to reduce period pain, one of the remedies is practicing different yoga postures. Many females would think that in a lot of pain, it is difficult to go for yoga but doing certain poses helps you relieve that pain and get some ease. Thus try incorporating yoga in your daily schedule and make sure that you do it.
There are many yoga and sexuality exercise that help you make your sexual life easy as it brings flexibility. Further doing the child pose, happy baby pose, butterfly pose, camel pose, cat and cow pose, head to knee, cobbler’s pose, and others help you get relief from excessive pain during periods and also freshen your mood.
4. Adding Different Herbs To Your Diet
There are many different ways to relieve period cramps, among them one of the ways is to add ayurvedic herbs in your diet which are known for helping you get ease during your menstrual cramps. There are many herbs that you can add to your food or prepare tea which can get you some relief from the pain.
Using these periods pain relief home remedies also gets you immunity and strength. Going for herbal tea like fennel tea, chamomile tea, red raspberry, dandelion, ginger tea, peppermint tea, cinnamon tea, etc helps ease pain and provides you with a warm and soothing feeling. Thus, try using this for some relief.
5. Having Dark Chocolates
Another method to use when you don’t know how to reduce period pain is to go for dark chocolate. Dark chocolates are known to help you with your menstrual cramps and also lighten your mood and balance your mood swings. You should avoid excessive sugar and chocolates however you can go for dark chocolates as they are low in sugar.
Dark chocolate is also one of the natural period cramp remedies. Dark chocolate is known to contain flavonoid, which has the property to reduce or inhibit the production of the hormone prostaglandins which causes pain during menstruation by increasing the contraction of the muscles of the uterus leading to pain.
6. Keeping Yourself Hydrated Always
Often one of the reasons why females have to go through menstrual cramps is that they do not take care of hydration and often avoid drinking water the entire day. Staying hydrated is not only beneficial during periods but also it is essential for your body on normal days. During periods it is one of the natural ways to reduce menstrual pain.
Staying hydrated helps you prevent bloating, prevent fatigue and weakness, increase blood circulation and also ease menstrual pain. You can also go for jeera water as it is known to relax the muscles of the uterus and thus reduce the pain during periods. It is among the natural period cramp remedies that can be easily done.
7. Massage With Essential Oils
The lower abdomen area, the lower back and legs are extremely painful during your period. Many females may experience excessive pain and therefore it is essential to massage those areas to help yourself get relief from the pain. Massaging with essential oil is one of the ways to relieve period cramps and it will give you a soothing feeling.
Going for different periods pain relief home remedies can help you find your best suitable option. You can use essential oils like Peppermint oil, Eucalyptus oil, Roman Chamomile, lavender oil, cinnamon clove oil and many others. These essential oils will not only help you relieve the pain but will also soothe your mind and freshen your mood.
8. Take Some Pain Relief Medicines
Though, it may not sound like a home remedy using certain pain-relieving menstrual medicines helps in reducing the pain significantly and thus provides you ease to continue your daily tasks. So, if you don’t know how to reduce period pain, you can go for OTC (Over-the-counter) medicine like ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.
This is one of the periods pain relief home remedies, however, you should not get habituated with the medicines and only use them if you are in extreme pain and other methods are not working. Using these medicines provides you instant relief of the pain and is therefore very beneficial when it comes to period cramps.
9. Having An Orgasm Can Help You Ease Pain
It may sound weird, but what if I tell you that having an orgasm can help you reduce your menstrual cramps? Many female men find this idea weird and eww but it is really good. It is one of the ways to reduce menstrual pain. Having an orgasm can essentially reduce the pain as the release of hormones eases the pain.
The release of hormones like serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins, not only acts as natural painkillers but also reduces mood swings and helps in headaches. So, if you are considering whether or not should you have sex during periods then you look over and also once communicate with your partner to be sure what to do.
10. Taking Enough Rest And Engaging In Self Care
Apart from all other remedies, one of the most important natural ways to relieve period cramps is taking enough rest and engaging in self-care. It is essential that you don’t engage yourself in strenuous and heavy tasks, rather you should allow your body to take some rest during the period to help it heal itself from the pain.
During this time you should not take stress or anxiety as it can only lead to more pain. It is essential that you make sure that you don’t over-stress or overwork yourself. You can go for anxiety counseling, if you are suffering from excessive stress but make sure that you take proper rest and pamper yourself during this period.
Conclusion
Wrapping up, menstrual cramps can be unbearable, intolerable, and excessively painful. It is essential to make sure that you take proper care of yourself during this period and avoid any myths. There can be many different causes for menstrual cramps however, going for different natural ways to relieve period cramps can be helpful to get some relief.
If you face some difficulty with your sexual life, you can go for sex counseling to get professional advice and help to have healthy periods. Make sure that you regularly practice the ways to relieve period cramps like practicing yoga regularly, staying hydrated, using heat, massaging, and managing your lifestyle and diet are some of the ways.
FAQS
1. When To Show A Doctor In Case Of Menstrual Cramps?
Knowing when you should consult a doctor is important, in case severe menstrual pain that is unbearable, continuous for 2-3 days, inability to do the regular tasks, bloating, vomiting, nausea, heavy bleeding, change in menstrual blood, etc hints that you must visit a doctor and get yourself checked to avoid any complications.
2. What Are The Symptoms Of Menstrual Cramps?
Some of the symptoms of menstrual cramps include severe menstrual pain in your lower abdomen and lower back along with legs, especially thighs, and pain along your waist. Apart from this, you may also experience nausea, vomiting, bloating, and mood swings which makes the menstrual cramps more worse and difficult to manage or reduce.
3. What Are The Food Items To Eat During Menstruation?
If you want to know how to reduce period pain, then one of the methods is changing your eating habits. The food items that you can eat to reduce menstrual cramps are dark chocolate, ginger, cinnamon, fruits, green leafy vegetables, nuts, yogurt, chamomile, fennel, peppermint, water, pineapple, beans etc.
4. How Does PCOS Or PCOD Affect Period Pain?
PCOD and PCOS have a great impact on your periods. It not only causes severe menstrual pain but also leads to irregular periods, and even causes infertility. Knowing about what is PCOD is essential and if you have any difficulty during the menstruation period you should consult a doctor and get a proper checkup.
5. Is Having Period Pain Good Or Bad?
Many females experience menstrual pain, however, it is not necessary that you will necessarily have the pain. If you don’t suffer from any pain it is good as you have healthy periods. However, slight pain or issues are not something to greatly worry about. Make sure you follow the ways to relieve period cramps but if it is intense then show a doctor.
