Current:Home > reviewsPeriods don’t have to be painful. Here’s how to find relief from menstrual cramps. -Aspire Money Growth
Periods don’t have to be painful. Here’s how to find relief from menstrual cramps.
View
Date:2025-04-19 04:13:34
Period cramps can be debilitating, but you don’t have to suffer in the discomfort of recurrent painful periods.
When it comes to period cramps, “there's a range of people's sensitivities,” says Dr. Jessica Kingston, MD, a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at UC San Diego Health. Painful menstrual periods (dysmenorrhea) can cause pain and throbbing in the lower abdomen, and pain in the lower back, hips and inner thighs, per Cleveland Clinic.
No matter the severity of your cramps, there’s a range of over the counter and prescription treatments that can help you fight period pain. We asked the experts to weigh in on what you need to know about finding relief.
What causes menstrual cramps?
Primary dysmenorrhea refers to the cramping pain experienced just before or during your period. Menstrual cramps caused by this type of period pain are recurrent, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
As your body prepares for the next menstrual period, “hormone-like chemicals called prostaglandins are produced in the uterus,” says Dr. Joy Friedman, MD, a pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine at Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware. “The prostaglandins can cause muscle contractions like cramping,” she says.
When your period begins, prostaglandin levels are high. As your period progresses and the lining of the uterus sheds, prostaglandin levels will decrease. In tandem, your period pain will begin to subside, per ACOG.
When preteens or teens get their first period, “sometimes the cycles are not associated with ovulation,” Friedman says. So, “it's not uncommon for [period] pain to get worse after a year or two” when cycles become more ovulatory, she explains.
What helps with period cramps?
Over the counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as naproxen or ibuprofen, can help you find relief from period cramps, Friedman says. Taking these medications “at the onset of pain can decrease the body's production of prostaglandins” before the pain becomes really severe, she says.
Hormonal birth control (such as the pill, injection or implant) can be prescribed to treat period cramps, per the National Health Service. “One of the things that can make painful periods worse is if someone has heavier periods, because that typically requires more cramping to expel the blood,” Kingston says. So, birth control methods “traditionally used for contraception can be prescribed in a way to suppress menstrual bleeding,” she says.
What home remedies help with period cramps?
Exercising prior to or on your period can “improve circulation, improve endorphins and improve someone's coping skills with symptoms that they're having,” Kingston says. One 2018 study concluded that regular exercise is effective at reducing the symptoms of painful menstruation.
According to the NHS, other remedies that can help alleviate the symptoms of painful periods include:
- Applying a heated pad or hot water bottle
- Massaging the tummy and back
- Taking a warm shower or bath
During your period, you’ll want to avoid foods and beverages that can trigger water retention and bloating. Consuming fatty foods, caffeine, alcohol, carbonated drinks and salty foods may intensify the symptoms of period cramps, per Healthline.
More:Are tampons safe or harmful? Study finds that tampons contain arsenic, lead, other metals
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Oklahoma City man kills his 3 children and estranged wife before taking his own life, police say
- Water managers warn that stretches of the Rio Grande will dry up without more rain
- Pakistan arrests 129 Muslims after mob attacks churches and homes of minority Christians
- Trump's 'stop
- Former district attorney in western Pennsylvania gets prison time for attacking a woman
- Niger’s neighbors running out of options as defense chiefs meet to discuss potential military force
- Progress toward parity for women on movie screens has stalled, report finds
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Abbott is wrong to define unlawful immigration at Texas border as an 'invasion', Feds say
Ranking
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- How Pamela Anderson Is Going Against the Grain With Her New Beauty Style
- UN: North Korea is increasing repression as people are reportedly starving in parts of the country
- Dramatic video footage shows shooting ambush in Fargo that killed an officer last month
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Strong earthquake and aftershock shake Colombia’s capital and other cities
- 2 deaths suspected in the Pacific Northwest’s record-breaking heat wave
- England's Sarina Wiegman should be US Soccer's focus for new USWNT coach
Recommendation
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
Federal appeals court upholds block of Idaho transgender athletes law
Ex-Anaheim mayor to plead guilty in federal corruption case over Angel Stadium sale
4 Australian tourists rescued after going missing at sea off Indonesia for 2 days
What to watch: O Jolie night
Pakistan arrests 129 Muslims after mob attacks churches and homes of minority Christians
Honda Accord performed best in crash tests involving 6 midsized cars, IIHS study shows
Blinken had long, frank phone call with Paul Whelan, brother says