Dealing with unbearable menstrual cramps and need period pain relief?

You are not alone.

For years, before and after being diagnosed with uterine fibroids, I dealt with horrible cramps. 

Nausea, migraines, and pain that made it difficult for me to even get out of bed.

Fortunately, through trial and error, I’ve discovered options for relief. 

From medicine, to heat therapy, to warding off the pain before it starts, you don’t have to suffer each month. 

Every person is different, and not every pain relief method will have the same effect for everyone. 

I know it might get frustrating, but keep trying different things until you find something that works.

You don’t have to suffer from period pain forever.

 unbearable period pain might be something more serious

Before we get into some ideas for period pain relief, I want to call out of couple of things that you should be aware of.

If your pain is truly unbearable and your quality of life is tremendously impacted, there might be something else going on.

Health issues that could cause painful period cramps: 

Fibroids – noncancerous tumors in the uterus
Endometriosis – tissue that is similar to the what is inside the uterus grows outside the uterus
Pelvic inflammatory disease – an infection of the female reproductive organs
Adenomyosis – tissue that normally lines the uterus grows into the muscular walls

Your menstrual cycle shouldn’t stop you from living.

If it does, do not wait to talk to your primary care physician or gynecologist. 

Oh, and if your daughter tells you she’s dealing with bad cramps, listen to her. 

What to do for Period Pain Relief 

Unless you have one of the aforementioned serious health issues that make your menstrual cycle unbearable, at least one of these remedies should work for you.

Don’t be afraid to mix and match these remedies, either.

A hot shower, plus medication, plus a nice long nap with a heating pad on your belly might be the one, two, three punch you need to knock those period cramps right out. 

Medication
Heating pad
Hot shower / bath
Essential oils
Massage
Hot tea
Movement
Supplements
Switch to a menstrual cup or disc

1. Medication

I try to go natural in my life as much as possible, but when it comes to period cramps, I don’t play. I take meds as soon as feel any sort of cramping starting.

Midol is the go-to period cramp medication and has been for menstruating folks for years and years. 

Personally I prefer Aleve. It works within minutes for me.

If you get Midol, make sure to get the kind that is caffeine free so you won’t be wired up.

2. heating pad

Even before I knew I had fibroids, heating pads were my go-to for period pain relief.

I was so happy when the disposable heating pads came out that you could buy at the drugstore.

Now there are so many more options that are travel-friendly and affordable. You gotta have a heating pad on hand at all times. 

3. Hot Shower / bath

There is nothing better than letting hot water from a shower or bath run over your stomach when you’re experiencing period cramps.

Add a shower steamer with essential oils to aid even more in your healing. 

4. Essential oils

Lavender essential oils can help ease your period cramps, too.

Take a little bit of it and rub it into your lower belly, or place a few drops in your bath water. 

5. massage

You can do a traditional massage with essential oils, a self-massage, or reflexology, although some folks try to steer clear of massages when they’re on their cycle, I love it.

Stimulating my muscles eases the cramps, and I feel a lot better almost instantly. 

6. Hot Tea

Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties, so it make sense that drinking ginger tea would ease menstrual cramps.

And, I don’t know. Something about holding a steaming mug of tea when I’m not feeling good just feels good.

7. Movement

I know the last thing you might want to do when you’re having period cramps is move, but trust me, it helps.

You don’t have to run a marathon or anything, but doing some stretches, taking a (brisk) walk, or having a dance party will help relieve cramps and make you feel a lot better.

8. Supplements

Taking supplements can help decrease muscle pain.

Tara Jefferson is a wellness educator and founder of The Self Care Suite. She said that her daughter’s period has gotten much better after she started taking magnesium a few days before her cycle starts.

Other supplements that could help include thiamin and niacin, or vitamin B1 and B3. 

9. switch to Menstrual cup or a disc

Ever since I switched to a menstrual cup, my periods have gotten lighter and my cramps have decreased.

Using a menstrual cup or disc might provide period pain relief for you, too!

Get this period tracker Journal

The more in touch you are with your body, the more prepared you’ll be to manage your period cramps.

I want to help, so I created a simple period tracker that will help you to do just that.

You can click to download the journal for free, or if you’d prefer a physical copy with an adorable cover, get it on Amazon for less than six bucks. 

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