Common aches and pains during your period
There are 5 period aches and pains, which you may experience during your menstrual cycle, these include:
Menstrual cramps
Lower back pain
Hip pain
Headaches
Breast tenderness
Below I recommend some medium to long-term solutions for easing these aches and pains, as well as some quick fixes which can help you if you need some immediate relief.
Medium to long term solutions for your period aches and pain
There are several solutions to period aches and pains that require a medium to long term commitment but reap long term rewards:
Hormone Balancing
There are two main hormones associated with your menstrual cycle – oestrogen and progesterone. In the week leading up to your period, levels of these hormones drop. When you experience menstrual cramps and breast tenderness, accompanied by anger, irritability, water retention and heavy periods, it can indicate that the oestrogen levels haven't dropped as much as progesterone, so the ratio is all wrong, leaving you feeling imbalanced.
If you tend to be someone with high levels of oestrogen overall, the decline of this hormone before menstruation feels very sudden and alarming for the body. This will then play a part in PMS symptoms developing. The uterine lining is thicker when oestrogen is high. This is another reason for cramping and pain. The more oestrogen, the thicker the uterine lining and the more effort/cramping required for the uterus to expel it during menstruation.
If the symptoms of high oestrogen sound familiar to you; Agnus castus will help to level out high oestrogen by promoting progesterone production. Our Agnus castus remedy for PMS needs to be taken consistently for 3 months to see changes. It's not a quick fix, but it works very well for those suffering with oestrogen-dominant PMS.
Tip: Agnus castus is not suitable for those on hormonal contraceptives. |
Magnesium and Zinc
Period pain anywhere in the body can have a lot to do with your diet and lifestyle. If you are deficient in certain nutrients, it shows up in the week leading up to your period. Levels of magnesium and zinc naturally dip at this time. They both play key roles in pain management so we can really feel the effect of their disappearance.
Magnesium helps to relax and ease stiff and cramping muscles; it also plays a role in how we perceive pain. By eating lots of magnesium-rich foods (more info on magnesium here) and steering clear of sugar, coffee and alcohol, (all of which interfere with our absorption of magnesium and other nutrients) you can really improve your PMS pain.
Zinc has also been shown to help ease period pain, due to its effect on inflammatory messengers in the body. If you can keep your zinc levels in tip top shape it will not only ease painful PMS symptoms but will help with the emotional upheaval we sometimes experience around our period too. Increasing zinc-rich foods is a good idea. Nuts, seeds and legumes are wonderful plant based sources of this mineral.
I recommend adding a nutritional supplement alongside increasing magnesium and zinc in your diet. This will mean you see results faster. Plus, if you fall off the healthy diet wagon for a few days, you won't be left completely depleted. I love to supplement with Balance Mineral Drink in the week leading up to my period to give me an extra boost of magnesium, zinc and other important minerals and vitamins.
Improve Liver Function
Our liver is such an important organ, it has many functions and does a lot for us. We don't give it the care and attention it deserves. When your hormones have done their job in the body, they're sent to the liver to be deactivated. If our liver is tired from processing lots of junk food, alcohol and toxins from the environment, it may not be able to do this effectively. In this case, you end up with more hormones in the system than you should. This can trigger PMS symptoms because it creates hormonal imbalance.
The liver helps to keep the blood clean and toxin-free. If it can't complete this job, you might experience more aches and pains. This will be especially noticeable around your period, a time when inflammation is high and pain is perceived more strongly.
The herb, Milk Thistle has been traditionally used as a liver tonic. It is great to use for a month or two at a time to give your liver some well-deserved TLC.
Water
Dehydration increases your sensitivity to pain, and studies show dehydration can make pain levels worse. It's not clear why, but when you become dehydrated your body feels increased pain in the forms of headaches, muscle pain, arthritic pain, back pain and more.
To make sure you're avoiding this ache-y fate, drink 1.5 litres of plain water a day. You may need to increase this amount if you are sweating often, drinking coffee, or eating a lot of salty foods. Keeping a jug or bottle of water by your side throughout the day is a good way to remind yourself to drink more.
In summary, long term solutions to relieve period related pain anywhere in the body are:
|
Quick fixes for period aches and pains
It may take a few months to feel the benefits of these tips, so here is a list of my short-term 'quick fix' solutions for period-related aches and pains anywhere in the body:
Heat
Applying heat to an inflamed area will dilate the blood vessels, promote blood flow, and help sore and tightened muscles relax. I like using a hot water bottle for tummy cramps or pain in my hips. For pain that is awkward to alleviate with a hot water bottle, such as head or back ache, I use a buckwheat heat pack instead.
Atrogel
For any sort of muscle ache or tension, I find Atrogel Arnica gel works amazingly well. I rub it on the affected area and allow it to work its anti-inflammatory magic. It can be used up to four times a day on unbroken skin.
Rest and relaxation
Take a guilt-free rest day/morning/hour and notice how your muscles relax and pain and tension ease. Breathing exercises, meditation and gentle stretching can be really helpful to amplify relaxation. When we feel pain in our bodies, it causes us to tense up and, understandably, we get stressed and agitated. The muscle tension this creates leads to more feelings of pain, and more feelings of stress and unhappiness. If we can break this cycle of tension, stress and pain, it will greatly improve how we experience menstrual cramps. If you would like a simple sequence of stretches for period pain, have a look at my article: 4 stretches for period pain.
Magnesium
Over time, supplementing with magnesium helps reduce instances of cramping and pain. However, it can also help in the short term. When you are experiencing cramps or pain, topical magnesium can be very helpful; magnesium sprays or Epsom salt baths are great ways of absorbing magnesium through the skin.
My Self-Care Tip: Make yourself a period self-care pack
I really like to keep these quick-fix products to hand in case of period pain emergencies. Have a look at my self-care video below, where I show you what’s inside my period pain pack:
Over the counter medications
If none of the above have worked for you, a conventional pain killer can help with aches, pains and cramps. This is not a long term solution though. Pain killers are an effective quick fix, but have side effects if taken regularly.
It is helpful to track your period aches and pains to make sure they have not suddenly got worse. Our downloadable Period Symptoms Diary is a simple way of doing this. If your periods make it hard to do everyday tasks or you need pain killers to alleviate menstrual pain regularly, I recommend making an appointment with your doctor.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1421497/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2067759/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28188965/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7025716/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/334126/