Period Pain Natural Relief

Can You Heal Period Pain At Home With Natural Remedies?

Most of the time, menstrual cramps caused by period pain can be treated at home.

But if pain is severe and impacts your lifestyle, talk to your GP. You might need medicine that is only available by prescription or some other treatment to help.

Live Well Health Essentials are dedicated to helping you find ways to support healthier lifestyles.

Menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea) are throbbing or cramping pains in the lower abdomen that can also be felt in the lower back. Many women have menstrual cramps just before and during their menstrual periods. For some women, the discomfort is merely annoying.

More than half of women who menstruate report some pain from period cramps each month. While cramps are not usually a sign of a serious health condition, they could be. We recommend if you do experience period pain to check in with your GP to ensure there are no other more serious medical issues.

Live Well Health Essentials hot and cold therapy products are here to help ease discomfort from period pain. Heat therapy is one of the natural ways to ease pain without the need for medication. While we know that pain relief naturally is not always possible, we love that we can assist where possible to reduce the pain.

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.

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.  

How to Tell if Your Period Cramping Is Normal

Each girl or woman typically experiences a similar level of cramps from one month to the next. For some women, monthly pain is minor. For others, it can be quite debilitating.

The main question doctors ask when determining whether your cramps are normal is “Are they normal for you?”.

Can Bad Period Cramps Be a Sign of Something Else?

Period cramps usually don’t signify that something is wrong with your health. But in some cases they can be a symptom of a medical condition:

• Endometriosis This occurs when tissue similar to the tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus grows outside your uterus, often adhering to your bladder, ovaries, or even your bowels.
• Uterine Fibroids These are noncancerous growths that emerge inside the uterine walls. They can range in size from one tiny speck to several large masses.
• Adenomyosis Tissue that normally lines the uterus begins to grow inside the organ’s muscle wall.

Pain from these conditions may seem like period pain, but it typically lasts longer and can be more severe than your usual menstrual cramps.

If you experience this type of pain, it’s important to see your GP or allied health professional.

Here are 7 key ways to enable natural relief from period pain.

1. Try Yoga To Ease Menstrual Pain

Whether it's the stretching of your muscles or the relaxing effect of the poses, a regular yoga practice can indeed help your cramps.

The Journal of Physiotherapy review that sanctioned heat bags also found benefits for yoga.

You can practice during your period or between them, but some instructors advise women against doing inverted poses (like a shoulder stand) in the midst of menstruation, so as not interfere with your natural flow.

2. Curl Up With a Heat Bag to Ease Period Cramps

Research published in Evidence-Based Nursing found that topically applied heat was just as effective as ibuprofen for period cramps. Over the two study days, the women used heat alone, heat plus ibuprofen, ibuprofen alone, or a placebo. The best results were in the heat plus ibuprofen group; adding heat led to faster improvements.

3. Acupuncture May Help by Relaxing the Nervous System

Acupuncture can help relieve cramps. It is thought to relax the nervous system, allow more blood to flow to internal organs, and reduce inflammation.

Medical researchers in Australia and New Zealand have shown that acupuncture treatment significantly reduces period pain intensity, duration and symptoms over time, with improvements being sustained up to a year after treatment.

4. Some Herbal Tea Varieties Can Calm Cramping

Certain teas may help relieve menstrual cramps, Chamomile and peppermint teas are often recommended for menstrual pain because they are calming to the body.

5. Increase Magnesium in Your Diet

Magnesium is found in many foods, including almonds, black beans, spinach, yogurt, and peanut butter.

If you want to take a magnesium supplement, we recommend you speak with your doctor, since the dose you need depends on the severity of your cramps along with other factors.

6. Boost Those Feel-Good Endorphins With Exercise

The body's natural endorphins are known to boost your mood. But they also have a pain-relieving effect. A well-known way to boost endorphins is exercise. 

Having a regular exercise routine can be a natural way to increase your endorphins and gain natural pain relief. Be mindful of not over doing it and if in doubt regarding appropriate exercise get advice from your GP or allied health professional.

7. Improving Your Diet May Alleviate Period Cramps 

A growing body of evidence suggests diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as fish, calcium and vitamin D, and low in animal fats, salt and caffeine may reduce the risk of troublesome PMS symptoms. Avoiding salt can help reduce fluid retention, abdominal bloating, breast swelling and pain. High caffeine intake can cause irritability, poor sleep and menstrual cramps.

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