Period Pain
Period pain (dysmenorrhoea) can be a significant discomfort and debilitating for many women and especially young women when their menstrual cycle is getting established. However, no matter what you have been told in the past, it is not ‘normal’. Menstrual cramping, period pain and associated symptoms are your body’s indications that something isn’t quite right. It is a warning sign that something is amiss and you need to attend to it. Maybe there is something in your current diet, lifestyle or behaviour that needs to change.
What Causes Period Pain?
There can be many different underlying causes – poor uterine circulation, excessive inflammation in the body, endometriosis, ovarian cysts or fibroids – so it is important to be assessed professionally.
When your period begins, tissue hormones called prostaglandins are released by the cells in the uterus. These help the uterine muscle contract (the same happens in childbirth) to allow the uterus to expel its lining (endometrium) if a pregnancy has not occurred. The strength of the contractions will depend on the amount and balance of prostaglandins present. If there are excessive prostaglandins present, or if they are out of balance with their anti-inflammatory counterparts, the normal contraction response can become a strong and painful spasm. A strong uterine spasm can also reduce the blood flow, temporarily depriving the uterine muscle of oxygen and so causing painful cramps.
This excessive prostaglandin release will also be responsible for contraction of the smooth muscle elsewhere in the body. This is why some women also experience diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting due to the effect on the smooth muscle in the intestinal tract. Headache and dizziness may also occur due to the effect of prostaglandins on the smooth muscle of blood vessels.
Women use a variety of pain relief for period pain, including many forms of anti-inflammatory, and muscle relaxing medications. These of course can be quite effective but ultimately are a “Band-Aid” or quick fix solution but you will have much better results in the long term when you address the underlying causes more naturally.
Make These Changes for More Lasting Results
Take a Critical Look at Your Diet –
Get rid of the processed and junk food
These foods are pro-inflammatory and increase the production and release of those inflammatory prostaglandins. The more inflammatory prostaglandins you produce the more pain and cramping you are likely to experience. Avoiding junk and processed foods with reduce period pain irrespective of its underlying cause. Many of these will also be heavily salted which may contribute to fluid retention and pain. Alcohol also increases inflammation and pain.
Avoid fried foods
The oxidised and trans fats found in fried foods also increase the production of inflammatory prostaglandins. Avoid these completely if possible.
Significantly reduce your caffeine and sugar consumption
Caffeine exacerbates inflammation and pain so avoid coffee, tea, cola drinks, other soft drinks and energy drinks. Decaf tea and coffee isn’t any better as they still contain other chemicals that promote inflammation. Even though this is a time that you are more likely to look for a sugar or caffeine “fix”, resist. Reducing these or eliminating them altogether can result in a significant reduction in period pain. Some women also find a reduction in period pain with the elimination of dairy products.
Eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits
These are incredibly soothing and inflammation reducing so make fresh, unprocessed plant foods the basis of your diet. Along with regular water intake, these plant foods keep you well hydrated, allowing better circulation of nutrients and elimination of wastes. Eating this way will improve your general health while significantly reducing pain. Get yourself organised and have plenty of fresh produce on hand for salads, soups and smoothies.
Exercise daily
Regular physical activity will improve circulation to reproductive organs, and improve pain. Try to do some form of exercise most days between your periods. Aerobic exercise such as walking, dancing, jogging, cycling and swimming have been found to diminish menstrual pain by inhibiting prostaglandin release and increasing the release of endorphins, our natural pain killer. Some women find that some gentle exercise like walking or stretching also helps reduce the pain during the period. Even though it is natural to want to reduce activity, particularly on heavier days, you will mostly likely feel better by increasing your activity at this time as it will increase circulation to the pelvic area.
Stop smoking
The chemicals associated with smoking are all known to be detrimental to general health but also known to increase inflammation. They disrupt hormone balance and the delicate reproductive tissue.
Consult your naturopath or medical herbalist
A holistic professional will have many tools to assess your individual situation and the possible contributing factors to your period pain. A naturopath or herbalist can prescribe nutrients and herbs to nourish and improve hormonal balance and pelvic circulation as well as reduce inflammatory response.
When you make these positive changes for your reproductive health you will be feeling fabulous within a few cycles.