How To Deal With Stomach Pain During Periods

Exercise Helps Manage Pain

How to deal with period pain | NHS

When experiencing body pain, its common to reach for ibuprofen , acetaminophen or naproxen sodium . But maybe you should also be reaching for a yoga mat and hand weights.

While you may think that moving your sore body will make pain worse instead of better, science tells us thats usually not the case. Exercises that improve your strength and flexibility can lessen everyday aches and pains. Exercise can also reduce menstrual cramps, and even help treat chronic pain without opioids or other pills.

If you have so much pain that you cant even think about exercising, make an appointment with your primary care doctor or a physical therapist. Theyll be able provide some suggestions to move your body in a way that helps instead of hurts.

Foods That Hurt: Hot Peppers

For many people, spicy foods and an upset stomach donât mix. Chili peppers have stuff called capsaicin. Not only does it make your mouth burn, but it may also turn on nerves in your gut and make your cramps worse. Case in point: Research shows that people with IBS had more pain after eating a spicy meal made with chili peppers.

Mental Benefits Of Exercise

Perhaps youre not all that surprised about the physical benefits of exercise. After all, it makes sense that physical movements come with physical rewards. But exercising also has surprising benefits to mental health, clarity and happiness.

Why is that? Well, all that blood following through your body also gets to your brain physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals, helping your brain work better.

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Theyre Paired With Heavy Abnormal Bleeding

If your cramping is associated with heavy, abnormal bleeding, that can also be a sign that something more serious is going on. If youre soaking through more than a pad an hour over a two-hour time period, thats abnormal bleeding, warns Dr. Levine. Thats worrisome. Thats not regular period cramps or regular period bleeding.

Maintain A Healthy Weight

Changes in your weight can affect your period. If youre in a larger body, losing weight could help regulate your periods .

Alternatively, extreme weight loss or being underweight can cause irregular menstruation. Thats why its important to maintain a moderate weight.

People who menstruate and have obesity are also more likely to have irregular periods and experience heavier bleeding and pain. This is due to the impact that fat cells have on hormones and insulin.

If you want to lose weight, talk with your doctor. They can help you identify a target weight and come up with a strategy of how to get there.

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No More Pain: How To Get Rid Of Period Cramps Fast

Period pain is common, but that doesnt mean that you have to suffer for too long. Here are a bunch of remedies for getting rid of period pain, from light cramps at school to more intense ones that might have you staying home. We should point out: severe period pain is not normal and please consult your doctor if the discomfort is interrupting your daily activities. Scroll to the bottom for answers on FAQs about period cramps.

Risk Factor For Menstrual Cramps

Around 50% of women suffer from menstrual cramps and 15-20% of women complain of severe pain. The study shows that a woman who doesnt exercise are more at risk to experience painful menstrual cramps.

Emotional stress is also one of the psychological factors for having uncomfortable menstrual cramps. Women who attained puberty at the age of 11 or before also at more risk to suffer from painful periods.

Apart from this, women who never given birth, younger than 20 years of age, or heavy bleeding during periods could be the risk factor for uncomfortable menstrual cramp.

Consult Vardaan Medical Center

Now that you know the difference between normal and abnormal periods, you must not ignore the signs that indicate the prevalence of any health disorder, as mentioned above. If you do, then immediately connect with the best gynecologist and get yourself treated.

Visit Vardaan Medical Center, which is known for its excellent women care services worldwide. Kindly connect with our in-house expert gynecologists if you face any unusual consequences during your monthly cycle.

Period Pain And Fertility

How To Reduce PERIOD PAIN Instantly | Period HACKS Every Girl Should Know

Period pain thats part of your normal menstrual cycle will not affect your fertility. However, if the cause is a medical condition, this may affect your fertility.

For example, endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease can cause scarring and a build-up of tissue in your fallopian tubes, making it harder for sperm to reach and fertilise an egg.

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Referral To A Specialist

If your period pain has not been controlled after 3 months of treatment with painkillers or a suitable hormonal contraceptive, your GP may refer you to a specialist, which will usually be a gynaecologist.

The specialist will carry out further tests to help confirm or rule out an underlying medical condition. Tests you may have include:

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What Is Gas Pain During Your Period

Hormones wreak havoc on a womans system during menses. Progesterone is a hormone that slows down your digestive system, especially during the latter half of your period. Many women begin to bloat a few days before their period even begins.

During this already painful time, gas can build up in your digestive tract and cause you to hurt even more. This is incredibly common: nearly 55% of women report gastrointestinal pain during their period.

There isnt much you can to control the hormonal turmoil within your body, but there are several steps you can take to reduce the extra pain that is caused by gas.

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You Might Have A Food Intolerance

If you find that your cramps keep happening after you eat certain things, you might have an intolerance to a specific food substance. Common culprits of intolerances are foods that are designated as fermentable oligo-, di-, and monosaccharides and polyols , which is a fancy designation for poorly-digested carbohydrates, Dr. Ahuja says. Examples include fruits like apples and pears, veggies like cauliflower and lentils, and dairy products. In fact, trouble processing lactose is the most common type of food intolerance, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

In addition to getting abdominal pain when you eat that particular food, you might also deal with symptoms like nausea, bloating, gas, vomiting, heartburn, diarrhea, and more, the Cleveland Clinic says. And keep in mind that different people can be intolerant to the same food to different extents. For example, Dr. Krishnareddy explains, someone who is mildly lactose intolerant may be able to digest cheese and yogurt but not a milky latte, whereas someone with a severe intolerance may not be able to digest any form of dairy very well.

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Menstrual Cramps Are Classified As

1. Primary Dysmenorrhoea

Arises in women under the age of 20.
One may feel mild to severe pain in the lower abdomen, back, and thighs. It starts right before the period and usually lasts between 12-72 hours.
Due to pain caused by uterine muscle contractions. During menses, a high level of prostaglandins has released that act as chemical messengers which shed the uterine lining by uterine contraction causing pain during menstruation.

2. Secondary Dysmenorrhoea

One may feel mild to severe pain in your lower abdomen, back, and thighs. It starts right before your period and usually lasts between 12-72 hours.
It often first arises after a young woman has already been menstruating for several years. Here, women may also have pain at times of the month other than during menstruation.
Pain during menstruation such as benign uterine growths , endometriosis uterine tissue lining growing outside the uterus elsewhere in the abdomen or pelvis, PID infection of the upper part of the female reproductive system.

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How To Relieve Period Cramps: 17 Ways

The discomfort is merely annoying for some women. For others, cramps can be severe enough to interfere with daily activities for a few days each month. If you belong to the first group, you need to know how to reduce period cramps. Maybe you will be surprised, but home remedies are the best in these cases. You can relieve cramps naturally, without pills. Does a heating pad help with cramps? How can your diet help? Can vitamins help? Lets discuss the details.

When To Contact A Doctor

A person may wish to speak with a doctor if home remedies do not help reduce cramps or if they are experiencing very severe cramping.

A doctor can suggest other home remedies to try or prescribe medications, such as birth control pills or some types of pain reliever, to manage the symptoms.

Other symptoms that may warrant contacting a doctor include:

cramps that get worse over time or with age
severe pain or discomfort
cramps that interfere with daily life

These symptoms may indicate an underlying condition, for which a doctor will be able to suggest an effective treatment.

Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about home remedies for menstrual cramps.

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When To Ask For Help From Specialist

There are many home remedies that you can do in periods to get rid of pain and bloating. But sometimes, these remedies dont work in that case, one should not continue doing home remedies and go to the doctor when they have the following symptoms:

cramps that get worse over time or with age
severe pain or discomfort
cramps that interfere with daily life

These symptoms may signify an underlying disorder. A doctor can help you treat that disorder with proper treatment.

Food That Helps: Ginger

What are period cramps and how to deal with them?

This plant root tamps down inflammation in the body. This may help ease stomach and menstrual cramps. Scientists found that taking a ginger supplement during the first 3-4 days of your period can lower menstrual pain. Add fresh or dried ginger to your stir-fries and sauces. Or brew a tea with fresh ginger.

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How Do I Know If My Cramps Are Severe

Menstrual cramps feel like a throbbing or cramping pain in your lower abdomen. You may also feel pressure or a continuous dull ache in the area. The pain may radiate to your lower back and inner thighs.

Cramps usually begin a day or two before your period, peaking around 24 hours after your period starts. They typically last for two to three days.

Menstrual cramps can be accompanied by other symptoms, including:

spotting between periods

Way To Reduce Menstrual Pain Instantly

To get rid of menstrual pain instantly, you have to follow the following rules:-

Increase intake of liquids to prevent dehydration during menstrual pain.
Ginger helps in reducing the pain instantly as it has a lot of medicinal value.
Placing a hot water bag on your stomach also reduces the pain.
Avoid caffeine.

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Go On Hormonal Birth Control

Taking birth-control pills or using another form of hormonal contraception prevents ovulation, which can make a big difference for women who have endometriosis and suffer from severe cramps every month as a result.

But even women with normal periods may notice that their cramps go away or arent quite so bad when they start taking hormonal birth control. Contraception can help regulate hormone levels and decrease extreme fluctuations, which can be helpful, says Dr. Worly.

Foods That Hurt: Dairy Products

Too much dairy can trigger stomach cramps for some people. Thatâs because it has a type of sugar called lactose, and many people donât make enough of the enzyme that digests it. That can cause stomach pain, bloating, and nausea within a couple of hours after eating. You may need to cut back on milk, cheese, or other dairy foods, or you can eat lactose-free versions or take an enzyme supplement.

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Heart Disease And Exercise

When you think about the health benefits of exercise, the first thing that probably comes to mind is preventing heart attacks and heart disease. Theres a reason for that. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States responsible for about 1 in 4 deaths.

Preventing heart disease

Exercise makes your heart stronger. Since your heart is a muscle, the more you work it, the bigger and stronger it gets. Heart-healthy workouts are a proven way to lower your risk factors for heart disease. In particular, exercise:

Reduces high blood pressure If youre wondering how to lower your high blood pressure numbers without medication, the answer could be moving your body more. Regular exercise lowers blood pressure by up to 5-8 mm Hg. But improvements will go away if you stop exercising, so its important to stick with it.
Improves good cholesterol Exercise can help you manage cholesterol levels by raising your high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. HDL is referred to as the good cholesterol because it helps your body process the other cholesterol in your blood stream. High levels of HDL cholesterol can lower your risk for heart disease.

Managing heart disease

Exercise is also important if you already have heart disease. Regular workouts can strengthen your heart and prevent heart disease from getting worse. For example, if you have clogged arteries, exercise can reverse some of the damage and help with heart attack prevention.

When Should You Contact Your Healthcare Provider About Menstrual Cramps

Bad cramps keep some women from working and going to school. You dont have to suffer and you dont have to put your life on hold. Contact your healthcare provider if you have painful periods.

It may be helpful to keep track of your periods and the days on which pain is the worst so you can make a complete report. If you notice other symptoms, like headaches or heavy flows, you should keep track of those, too.

Your provider will probably ask you when you started getting your period, how long they last, if you are sexually active, if other women in your family have problems with their periods and what kinds of treatments you might have tried already.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Menstruation is normal. You might get cramps, but you dont have to suffer silently with them. There are ways to make painful periods less painful. Make sure you talk to your healthcare provider about painful periods.

Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 11/20/2020.

References

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Other Characteristics Of Severe Abdominal Pain

Also, pay attention to the quality and location of the pain. Your pain may be localized and limited to one area of the abdomen. It may be intermittent, or colicky, which is a term that describes the pain that is sudden and feels like a severe muscle spasm. The pain can also feel like cramps or a tightening sensation in your stomach.

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Reach For Decaf Coffee

Period Pain Relief: What Works? [Dr. Claudia]

Caffeine causes your blood vessels to narrow. This can constrict your uterus, making cramps more painful. If you need your coffee fix, switch to decaf during your period. If you rely on caffeine to beat the afternoon slump, eat a snack high in protein or take a quick 10-minute walk to boost your energy.

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What Causes Cramps During Your Menstrual Cycle

Period pain is often driven by prostaglandins, hormone-like chemicals that cause uterine contraction, says Jolene Brighten, medical director at Rubus Health and author of Beyond the Pill.

Though it seems like the muscular contractions would cause the pain, its actually the prostaglandins that take you to cramp town. Typically, the more prostaglandins in your body, the worse you feel during your period.

Luckily, there are ways to minimize those body chemicals and reduce your pain, though they dont always give you the fastest relief.

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Yoga Exercise & Sleep To Get Rid Of Period Pain

Exercise: Doing a light workout daily can help to get rid of menstrual Back of stomach pain and also help regulate irregular cycles. Exercise strengthens your body and gets you to prepare for the period. It stretches the muscles and tissues that might be cramping and causing the pain. Daily exercise also relaxes you from stress which can cause you hormone disturbance. Jogging or a long walk is an excellent way to stop menstrual pain.
Yoga to ease menstrual pain: Doing yoga daily is very beneficial for reducing menstrual pain. Yoga offers exercise, stretching, relaxation time, and meditation. It can also help regulate the irregular period cycle.
Sleep: Sleeping is a good way to reduce stress and avoid hormone disturbance. It is a vital component of pain reduction. It is recommended if a woman suffering from menstrual pain should get more than 8 hours of sleep just before one week of her menstruation.

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Improving Your Diet May Alleviate Period Cramps

When researchers put 33 women with dysmenorrhea on a low-fat vegetarian diet, they found it eased their cramps, according to research published in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Start by swapping out less healthy fats like the saturated fats found in animal products for healthier ones like unsaturated fats found in olive oil, suggests the American Heart Association. Overall, try to make the fats you eat better quality, such as those found in fish or nuts, the organization suggests. Examples of meals not overly reliant on fats can be found in the healthy eating plate guide from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.