“A disappointed uterus sheds the tears of blood”, this was how I got introduced to periods during science class, and then it HAPPENED!
The beginning was scary. Painful periods were beyond just BLEEDING. A constant stabbing in your abdomen. An ache, sometimes sharp or sometimes dull, travels down from your back to your legs. A bloated abdomen and an emotional roller coaster ride were just another plus.
Definitely, I wasn’t alone in this! Millions of women around the world go through this on a monthly basis. Many among us began our periods with strict guidelines on eating, sleeping, and even bathing… URGH!
Religious perspectives, societal stand, and unstoppable period shaming, it was difficult to talk about it. Until I decided to confront his PERIOD TABOO and talk about some real challenges such as painful periods.
Before we dive deeper into this pain, let’s have a look at the basics!
Table of Contents
Why Uterus Sheds Blood?
Periods or menstruation refers to the process of bleeding (vaginal bleeding) that every woman has to go through each month. Every month, the female body prepares itself for pregnancy. A part of this preparation occurs when the womb (uterus) lining starts to thicken. This womb preparation is done to bring a new life into existence.
When your body doesn’t find a tiny human to nourish, it starts shedding the uterine lining. This shedding of the uterine lining and dead egg cells from a woman’s body is known as menstruation. This shedding occurs every month on the 28th day of this cycle. Menstruation can last for 3-7 days.
Painful Periods – A Harder Hit
Being equated to womanhood, periods are there and every woman has a different story to tell. From a pain-free experience to severe period cramps accompanied by nausea, periods can be challenging.
Periodic cramps arise from the contraction of the womb due to the release of prostaglandins. Though the intensity and severity vary, the experience is quite uncomfortable to deal with. The pain is a natural part of the process but can sometimes be an indicator of underlying reproductive health such as endometriosis, ovarian cysts, fibroids, etc.
Home Remedies to Get Over Periods Pain
How to reduce period pain at home? If you also find yourself eating junk, crying in bed when it works O’clock, or turning insomniac, here are a few tips that can help you.
1- Yoga Poses
Want to get over painful menses? Find your yoga mat and start sporting your yoga pants now. This is because doing yoga can soothe your abdominal aches. This natural healing aka yoga is being practiced for a long time and is known to work on your hormones and muscle contractions. Here are some yoga savasana that can be a great help to you:
- Baddha Konasana (Bound angle pose)
- Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined bound angle)
- Balasana (Child’s pose)
- Bitilasana (Cat cow pose)
- Bharadvaja (Reclining twist)
- Kapotasana (Pigeon pose)
- Vaprita Karani (Inverted leg pose)
Yoga, though, is a mild type of physical activity but can let you have pain-free periods. You can try these yoga poses on your own and see how this mild physical activity can bring immediate relief to your menstrual cramps.
2- Water, Water, and Some More Water
Hydration is important, no matter if you talk about getting clear skin or having a functional digestive system, water plays a crucial role. Painful periods are no exception to this.
One of the widely-accepted facts about period pain says that menstrual cramps aren’t painful alone but bloating adds to your trouble. Fortunately, you can fight with this as well. For this, you need to drink more and more water.
Staying hydrated will keep bloating away and your period cramp will feel a little less painful. To retain your hydration level, you don’t only need to drink more water but avoid foods that drain water from your body.
3- Food to Fight Inflammation
Periods can hurt you! Sometimes, it can hurt too much.
One of the reasons that make your menstrual cramps even more unbearable is inflammation. Inflammation is bad for your period cramps. Acute inflammation is one potential cause behind the worse periods of cramps you get.
Fighting this inflammation can bring down the intensity of your cramp. Fighting inflammation during your periods is possible in many ways but food comes as a favorable option here. Here, foods can be your go-to option to fight the period’s pain which reduces inflammation.
Some of the anti-inflammatory foods include green leafy vegetables, fatty fish, fruits (berries mainly), nuts, etc. Studies show that certain spices such as garlic, ginger, and turmeric are also anti-inflammatory. Make sure you add these anti-inflammatory foods to your diet but never forget that moderation is the key.
4- Beat the Menstrual Pain with Heat or Cold
Heat and pain relief, this association is undying.
You can hit the pain with heat and get immediate relief from it. Fortunately, you don’t need to put much effort into this. You have a variety of options to consider. Be it chargeable heat wraps or microwavable heating pads, all these options are quite helpful for menstrual pain relief. Heat can provide relief to your painful periods by relaxing your muscles and improving blood circulation.
Just like heat, cold therapy is also there. An ice pack will relieve your menstrual cramps by narrowing down your blood vessels. 3
5-Oil Massages to Relieve Cramps
Natural oils have been there from the earliest times. Be it almond oil for better hair growth or coconut oil as the healthiest oil, oils are there as natural remedies. A part of these oil benefits includes its role in menstrual pain relief.
Essential oils are fairly helpful in this regard alongside many other essential oil benefits. You can massage these oils on your abdominal area and see the magic happening. Some of the beneficial essential oils include lavender, rose, marjoram, cinnamon, and clove essential oils.
Wait, essential oils are not as harmless as you think. When you are using essential oils, make sure that you take care with the proper application of essential oil. In the case of essential oils, it is always recommended to use these essential oils in diluted form with a carrier oil to prevent any side effects.
An average woman spends 10 years of her life menstruating!
6- Pop a Pill
Despite many available home remedies options for menstrual pain relief, pills remain there. Every time I used to get period pain, taking medicine was one of the earliest things I used to do. No matter if it was helpful or not, I did this every single time.
Dr. Rabbia Ashraf, a top Gynecologist in Lahore with 10 years of experience, assures you that these pills are effective and can bring immediate relief when you don’t feel like spending time on home remedies. Among pills, NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) can help you.
NSAIDs are potential anti-inflammatory drugs that are readily available. However, too much use of NSAIDs can be dangerous so you better not make it a habit. Further, if you have to take pills every single time to deal with these episodes of pain, always consult your physician.
7- De-Caffeinate Even If You Survive on It
Are you drinking coffee again and again to soothe your pain?
You might have taken the phrase hotter it is, better it is too serious. If you are consuming too much coffee during your periods then this could be one reason you are experiencing serious menstrual cramps. This is because coffee can affect the blood flow causing cramps to become severe. So, it’s high time to decaffeinate yourself.
Don’t worry we have got alternatives to this. I am talking about herbal teas or qehwas. Made from natural ingredients, these herbal teas can help you to deal with painful periods. Chamomile tea, cinnamon tea, and green tea are particularly important in this regard. So, next time you feel like sipping something hot to soothe the aches, get yourself a cup of herbal tea or qehwa.
Are you Ready for Pain-Free Periods? – Let’s Make It Possible Now
Menstruation is nature’s way to bring life into existence. Being responsible for a woman’s fertility and her health, the menstrual cycle is there with all the blessings and challenges. However, periods can be more painful for some women than others. Not always but menstrual cramps can be an indicator of any hidden reproductive health problem. So, menstrual health is important.
In a nutshell, having healthy periods is what every woman deserves. From the choice of sanitary napkins to being able to perform her routine tasks normally, all of it matters. You can use all these tips if you suffer from painful periods. However, to rule out the possibility of any reproductive health problems, you can consult a gynecologist.
If you have any reproductive health concerns, reach out to our best gynecologists anywhere near you in Pakistan via Healthwire.pk or call (042) 32500989.
