Natural Treatment for Menstrual Cramps

A few natural treatments for menstrual cramps are mentioned below. Some of the ingredients that are essential for the preparation of the remedies are ginger, hot water, eating minerals and vitamins, sesame seeds and so on. Acupuncture is also found to be beneficial for the treatment of menstrual cramps.

Menstrual cramps

Menstrual cramps occur at the pelvic and the belly regions. They occur in women during the menstrual period. The discomfort that is experienced during menstrual cramps is not the same as the one experienced during premenstrual syndrome. But, it is sometimes observed that the signs of these two disorders are observed as a continuous process. Several women were found to be suffering from mild to severe menstrual cramps and premenstrual syndrome. The mild pain may not cause much discomfort and it remains for a shorter period. It might also make the person to feel heavy belly. The severe pain during menstruation might disturb the regular activities of the women for a shorter to longer duration.

Menstrual cramps that exist to a certain extent are known to influence nearly 50 percent of women. Among these people, nearly 15 percent would consider the menstrual pain as serious and severe. The study that was conducted on the adolescent girls revealed that 90 percent of them were suffering from menstrual cramps.

The medical terminology for the menstrual cramps is “dysmenorrhea”. Two kinds of dysmenorrhea exist in the menstrual cramps. One is called as primary dysmenorrhea and the other one is secondary dysmenorrhea. In the primary type of this condition, the pain is not caused due to any gynaecological problem. The cramps might start in just six months to one year period after the first menstruation of the girl. Till the ovulatory period of the menstrual cycle, the menstrual cramps do not exist. The bleeding occurs prior to the starting of ovulation. Hence, this type of dysmenorrhea may not appear for months to even years, after the beginning of the menstrual period.

In the case of secondary dysmenorrhea, the underlying problem associated with the female reproductive system might be the cause of menstrual cramps. The secondary dysmenorrhea might begin at the onset of menstruation and might recur after a few years.

Symptoms of Menstrual Cramps

• The pain that occurs at the pelvis and lower abdominal regions
• Discomfort at the lower back or lower legs
• The painful cramps or a dull pain that might be periodical or continuous
• The menstrual cramps usually begin before the menstrual period. The pain will be for about 24 hours after the starting of bleeding and the pain will be reduced after about one or two days
• The menstrual cramps will be followed by nausea or a headache which might lead to vomiting
• The menstrual cramps might be followed by constipation or diarrhoea. This is because the prostaglandins that are elevated to cause contraction of smooth muscles might be present in the uterus as well as in the intestinal tract
• A few people who have menstrual cramps might have a urinating sensation very often.

Causes of Menstrual Cramps

Every month when an egg is formed, the uterus will form a new lining called as the endometrium. This lining is created for providing an environment for the pregnancy to start. If the egg is not fertilized by the sperm after the ovulation period, then pregnancy will not occur and the uterus lining that was formed will not be of any use. The levels of estrogen and progesterone also will get reduced and the uterus will be swollen and is gradually shed off through bleeding that takes place during menstruation. In the next menstruation cycle, the new lining will be formed.

If the uterine lining is getting degraded, some compounds called prostaglandins are produced. This substance is responsible for causing the contraction of uterine muscles. This contraction of muscles will result in the contraction of blood vessels that supply blood to the endometrium. This will, in turn, stop the supply of oxygen to the endometrium and hence the lining will get destroyed and die. After this tissue is destroyed, the contractions of the uterus will make the old tissue of endometrium to get squeezed and get removed from the cervix. This tissue will be sent out through the vagina. Other materials such as leukotrienes are found to be responsible for giving an inflammatory response. These substances increase in their levels at the time of endometrial removal, which might result in the development of menstrual cramps. The menstrual pain is formed by chemicals such as prostaglandins. The menstruation cramps intensify when the lining tissue of the uterus wall moves through the narrow cervix.

The levels of prostaglandins in the women function as the determinants of painful or non-intensive menstrual cramps. The people who do not have menstrual cramps will have low prostaglandin levels in the endometrium, while those who have more painful period will possess enhanced content of prostaglandins in the uterus lining. The menstrual pain is the same as the pain that is experienced by a pregnant woman, who is given prostaglandin to get labour pains.

The other characteristic features that might lead to menstrual pain are that

• Abnormal narrowness in the cervical canal
• Retroverted uterus (back tilted uterus)
• Lack of exercise
• Psychological processes like emotional stress

Natural treatments for menstrual cramps

The home remedies for menstrual cramps that might work effectively for a few people may not be effective for others. So, they have to be carefully followed.

The people who have active lifestyles will not have energy or time to bother about the menstrual cramps. They can neither bear the pain nor have the time to get it checked up by the doctor. Therefore, it might be difficult for them to face this problem with ease. It will affect their daily routine very much. There are certain medications called NSAIDs, which can help the person to get relief from pain. But, to prevent the person from experiencing the side effects of the drugs, it is important to follow certain home remedies, which might bring some relief to the sufferer before it is been treated.

The therapy that is provided by the heat will bring some relief to the cramps that are caused by menstruation. A hot water bag or heat pad can be kept on the lower part of the abdomen. This treatment can reduce the menstrual cramps to a large extent and also decreases other symptoms of discomfort.

Some women will soak themselves in hot water bath as it will reduce the inconvenience and make the person feel relaxed. If this method is used correctly, it might provide a lot of comforts. This remedy is very effective and can be followed very often without bothering about the later effects.

The menstrual cramps will make the people very strenuous and they feel like taking rest and avoid all types of physical activity. But, it is suggested that physical activity is essential to be done during this period as it is found to be giving sufficient relief from pain caused by menstrual cramps.

A popular Chinese medicine called Acupuncture is one of the remedies for the treatment of most of the health problems. This method can also be used for alleviating the menstrual cramps. But, a professional has to be approached to get a proper and careful therapy.

Eating sesame seed powder mixed in hot water, for about two times a day will alleviate the pain due to menstruation.

The water that is used for taking bath can be added with chickpea plant and the plant is made to soak in the hot water. Taking bath with that water will bring relief from menstrual pain.

The infusion prepared from the Marigold plant given at the dosage of one tablespoon for two times a day will reduce the menstrual pain.

A kitchen towel can be soaked in water and kept in the microwave for one minute. Then it can be spread on the abdomen and taken care that the skin is not burnt. It will provide help in alleviating the pain.

Drinking more water can also help.

If the menstrual cramps are caused due to some disorders that are underlying, then it is essential to take the doctor’s help in identifying them and get them eradicated first.

These above remedies are safe to use. But it is better to use them after consultation with the doctor. If these methods are not able to give any sufficient results, then it is necessary to consult a health care practitioner.

The diet used for menstrual cramps are

• Usually eating fish that consist of omega-3 fatty acids is helpful in fighting against any inflammations present all over the body. So, it is better to eat fish before menstruation or during the period.
• The deficiency of vitamins and minerals might enhance the menstrual cramps. So, it is good to eat fresh fruits and various vegetables that include leafy vegetables.
• The intensity of the menstrual cramps goes up when there is the production of prostaglandins in the body. The prostaglandin levels will be reduced by eating flax seed. This will also reduce the menstrual cramps.
• It is also observed that drinking tea that is flavoured with basil leaves and cinnamon powder will bring a lot of relief from the menstrual cramps.
• Drinking ginger tea provides help in reducing the menstrual cramps. The ginger can also be used as an ingredient in the cooking dishes which might bring relief from discomfort.
• The menstrual cramps will be alleviated by taking enough of magnesium, zinc, calcium, vitamin E and other nutritive substances. So, eating nuts that provide all these might help in reducing menstrual cramps.