How I Improved My Period Cramps
I just had the least painful period of my entire life, and it actually snuck up on me because I had zero cramps. That has NEVER happened to me. Over the past few months I’ve worked very intentionally to try new things to reduce the pain. SO I want to share with you what worked for me, AND how I manage the pain when I do have cramps.
Quick story time…
I have always had EXTREMELY painful periods, to the point I would throw up, get clammy and cold and shake uncontrollably, and then sometimes pass out. Of course, as a teenager, I was given the pill and sent on my merry way.
I have tried everyyyy type of birth control. Combo pill, progestin only pill (made my hair fall out), Nuvaring, copper IUD (it hurt so bad I tried to take it out myself), etc etc. I hated all of it. But I was afraid to be off of it because my period pain without hormonal birth control (HBC) was unbearable.
This past fall, I felt like my HBC was impacting my mental and emotional health. I was becoming an extremely negative person for no reason, and that is really not who I am. So I swore off HBC for good and stopped taking it, and literally within a day or two I felt like a switch had been flipped. I felt like myself again.
But that first period off HBC was ROUGH man, the worst one I had in many years. I did not want this to continue to be my normal (because severe pain is not normal). I was determined to figure out what was making the pain so bad and how I could improve it.
I got an ultrasound to check for fibroids–nothing found, all clear. I opted not to investigate endometriosis because the procedure is pretty invasive, and my OBGYN did not think I had any of the hallmark signs of endo (and I agreed). It was truly just acute pain with the onset of bleeding. No pain any other time.
So, being the nutrition nerd I am, I dug deeper into the nutrition and supplement side of things…
What actually causes cramps?
Menstrual cramps (called dysmenorrhea) are caused by prostaglandins, which are hormone-like substances that play a key role in the inflammatory response. There are anti-inflammatory prostaglandins and pro-inflammatory prostaglandins, and they’re not necessarily a bad thing, we need some. But if there are too many of the pro-inflammatory prostaglandins, that can become problematic and cause bad cramps. And overproduction of these prostaglandins is a sign of chronic inflammation in the body.
Cramps can also result from having too much estrogen and not enough progesterone–but that is way too complicated to get into in this blog post.
In no particular order, here are things I’ve implemented since December 2022 to help reduce inflammation and decrease pain:
DRASTICALLY reduced alcohol consumption, because alcohol contributes to systemic inflammation. I used to have anywhere from 3 to 10 drinks every weekend. In the past 3 months I’ve had probably less than 3 or 4 drinks total each month. I think this has had the greatest effect on reducing cramps. Sometimes, the morning after drinking, even if I wasn’t anywhere near my period, I would feel cramps. I’ve always noticed a direct correlation in my body between alcohol consumption and subsequent pain.
Magnesium glycinate supplement — 300 mg per day. There is a lot of research that shows magnesium supplementation is effective in preventing cramps, PMS, and menstrual migraines, which makes sense because magnesium has a sort of muscle relaxing effect.
Psyllium husk — Just a simple fiber supplement that I drank in the morning most days. I liked that it made me poop more, this is important for clearing excess estrogen. Adequate dietary fiber is essential for hormone health.
Coffee — I experimented with giving up coffee entirely for 2 months and it didn’t make enough of a difference for it to be worth giving up. However, I do skip coffee when I’m actually on my period because I find it makes my cramps worse.
Increased daily intake of minerals/electrolytes — I’ve been drinking at least half a packet of LMNT electrolytes every day for the past few months, as well as incorporating “adrenal cocktails” (coconut water, citrus juice, salt) most days. Can’t say for sure but I like to think increasing minerals like sodium and potassium has helped.
Stress — This wasn’t necessarily intentional for my cramps experiment, but it’s important to note because stress down-regulates production of progesterone. My stress levels have decreased a lot since January. I no longer have a daily 2 hour commute, or a full-time in-person job that I hate, or dance practice 2-3 nights a week until 10pm or later.
My go-to’s for pain relief while on my period:
I personally do not love taking NSAIDs like ibuprofen, Aleve, or Tylenol because they bother my stomach. I will usually take 1 or 2 right before I get my period, but I don’t like taking them continually throughout my period. So here is how I manage pain without NSAIDs:
Heating pad!!!! I cannot understate the importance of a heating pad. I think I would die without one.
Cramp bark — Called Viburnum Opulus, this has an anti-spasm effect on the uterus and helps to relax muscles and alleviate cramping.
Ginger — There is some research that shows ginger can reduce pain as much as a common NSAID like ibuprofen, and it works by reducing prostaglandins and thus inflammation. You can buy it in tincture form, or make ginger tea.
Proper nutrition is key for managing cramps and PMS
The food we eat has a massive, direct impact on our hormone health in general and our period pain specifically. We want to have a diverse diet with a lot of vegetables, fruit, whole food carbs, legumes, nuts and seeds, protein, and healthy fats. Many hormonal issues are rooted in nutrient deficiencies, so it’s important we get a wide variety of nutrients from food, including omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, and zinc.
At the same time, it is important to reduce foods that increase inflammation, like refined sugar, fried foods, fast food, and alcohol. These foods aren’t inherently bad, but they should not be staples in your diet if you are concerned about hormone health.
It is also extremely important to consume enough fiber, ideally about 30 grams per day. Fiber binds to excess estrogen to be eliminated from the body. Without adequate fiber and daily bowel movements, too much estrogen may be absorbed back into the bloodstream and recirculating throughout the body.
If you struggle with miserable periods and debilitating cramps, and want to leverage food and supplements to improve your pain and have better periods, let’s work together!
If you want to learn more about what causes period pain and how to manage it, I recommend these podcasts:
Period Pain Toolkit, from Hormone Healing RD
Healing Menstrual Pain Naturally, from Dr. Aviva Romm
