It’s that time of the month again…bah. All most of us women want to do when our periods come is sit in our PJ’s on the couch and watch TV all day with a hot water bottle. Feel the same? What if I told you a painless period is possible?
I often hear, “every month without fail, I get period cramps.” We all hope that we get luckily and our period comes on a weekend so that we can have the luxury of sitting at home. But unfortunately, Mother Nature does not work that way and sometimes it falls on a day where we have obligations – like going to work! The easiest thing to do is to take some pain medication and get on with our day….
But – what if I told you it doesn’t have to be this way!
What causes the pain to occur?
The medical term for painful periods is dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea comes from no other related cause whereas secondary dysmenorrhea comes from other conditions such as endometriosis or fibroids.
I, like many other women, have assumed in the past that pain during my period is normal. This is a MYTH! Having pain around your period is abnormal and there are ways to prevent it!
Fortunately, there are things you can do to experience no pain at the time of your period. Yup, that’s right…. NO PAIN! So I wanted to share some of the things with you since I believe we as women should be educated about what is truly going on in their bodies, so that we can get back to our day and be as productive as we can! Sound good?
Here are my Top 4 Painless Period Pointers
- Balancing your hormones
Estrogen and progesterone are the primary hormones that can have an effect on the menstrual cycle. Ensuring these hormones are in balance is key to preventing painful periods.
What can you do to balance your hormones?
- Acupuncture is a great way to balance your hormones! Plus it reduces stress which can contribute to hormonal dysregulation.
- Herbal formulas, such as Chaste tree has been shown to help balance estrogen and progesterone and can reduce period pain! Please seek advice from a healthcare professional before taking Chaste tree.
- Watch what you eat
What you eat can directly impact your chances of experiencing period pain every month. High consumption of inflammatory foods can increase uterine contractions.
What foods should you avoid?
- Salty foods, especially chips! This is one of my cravings every month. I could go through a whole bag of salty Kettle chips all by myself! But, salt causes fluid retention and this can contribute to painful periods.
- Refined Sugar and Carbohydrates. These foods can cause inflammation in our bodies which can also be a contributor to painful periods.
- Alcohol
- Lifestyle
Exercise is one of the best things you can do to reduce the pain!
Sleep is also very important. Making sure you not only get enough sleep, but good quality sleep is key!
Stress has a major impact on our bodies. Ensuring we implement self-care activities daily to reduce our stress will be beneficial for all aspects of our health! Adaptogens are herbal formulas that can really help to manage stress.
- Minerals and Vitamins
- Magnesium is a great to relax the muscles and calm down the contractions.
- Vitamin D can actually have an impact on balancing our hormones
- Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids to help combat any inflammation
We are always here to help! I work with women to help them to really identify where the pain is coming from. If you ever want to chat or have any questions feel free to reach out!
Dr. Samina Mitha, ND
To learn more about Samina – check our her bio.
Check out some of the other articles Dr. Samina, ND has written HERE.