1. Keep track of your cycle so you have a good idea of when your period is due.
2. Keep a healthy diet including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as plenty of water. Attempt to track of how particular foods affect your period.
3. Take extra calcium, magnesium and vitamin D. These minerals are required for proper muscle function; when you are low, muscles (such as the uterus) are more prone to cramping.
4. Make sure to have regular health check-ups to ensure vaginal health, mention to doctors any menstrual problems you feel you might be having, and take into consideration how conditions such as IBS or anaemia may make you feel during menstruation.
5. Change your diet slightly if you can, a week prior to menstruation to avoid menstrual cramping; avoid foods that could cause bloating such as salty foods and alcohol, avoid foods such as dairy that could contribute to menstrual cramps.
6. Get sufficient rest. Take it easy - over-exertion can make your cramps worse, and you'll feel tired sooner than normal.
7. Buy a good selection of herbal teas, teas commonly used to prevent and cure menstrual pains are; camomile, red raspberry, blessed thistle, valerian, yarrow, raspberry leaf or dong quai. Many health stores will be able to help you pick the right choice for you, also many stores offer a general women's blend to assist with more general menstrual problems. Be sure to check any health clashes particular herbs may have with medicine you may be taking or health conditions you may have.
8. Exercise. Easy exercise can aid in menstrual cramp relief, gentle exercise from the likes of yoga can be very beneficial – advantage of yoga is that not only is this light exercise but also encourages relaxation and breathing exercises that can be a great deal of help for menstrual cramping.
9. Try spot treatments. Heat or cold packs can be a spot on treatment for menstrual cramps, laying down with a pack around your stomach area. A warm bath can also provide heat that eases the pain of menstrual cramps as well as highly relaxing.
10. Have sex. Sex is great as a light exercise, which aids in relaxation and increases blood flow to your vagina. During orgasm, it is believed that a hormone called Oxytocin, which causes uterine contractions, is released. This can help to push out menstrual material.
11. Take anti-inflammatory pain killers if you can. Ibuprofen and naproxen sodium work on reducing inflammation, and have been found to be especially effective in relieving menstrual cramps and pain.
12. Try OTC remedies or coffee. Caffeine is also effective in reducing cramps. It may be helpful to understand that the cramping is caused by the uterus contracting in order to expel its lining; this causes the blood vessels in the area to dilate (get bigger) to fuel the contraction, and then contract (get smaller), which often traps too much blood in the formerly dilated sections. It's the same mechanism that causes migraine headaches in a lot of cases; an effective way of dealing with this is to constrict the vessels again so that the excess is forced back out, relieving pressure and cramping. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor - it may keep you awake, but it will constrict your blood vessels and may give you some relief.
13. Minimize stress where possible. The less stress, the more resources your body has available to deal with the problem. Be nice to your body, and it'll be nicer to you.
14. Try OTC progesterone cream. Progesterone tells your uterus to relax (high levels of progesterone during pregnancy keep contractions from beginning early; labor—and your period—begin after a rapid drop in progesterone). It can relieve cramping; it might also improve a number of other PMS symptoms, such as irritability, anxiety-depression, mood swings, headaches and migraines. Pro-Gest is a good brand of cream to try. Begin applying according to the directions at the onset of symptoms, and continue until your period arrives, or is due to begin. Birth control pills or Depo-Provera will interfere or block the effect of progesterone; if you try progesterone you'll need to stop the BC and use an alternate method of birth control (and keep using that alternate even if you begin using BC's again, for the first cycle after you resume the BC). Body creams or lotions containing mineral oil or petrolatum will also block progesterone from absorbing; don't use them where you apply the progesterone. Some women, particularly those with a history of migraines, may require larger doses than are available without prescription; if the OTC cream seems insufficient, contact a prescriber familiar with the use of natural progesterone (if you can't find one, ask your local compounding pharmacist; you can find one at www.iacprx.org—click the "find a compounding pharmacist" button at the top).
Tips
- Consider aromatherapy to help you relax, something such as lavender essential oil in your bath, in an oil burner or just sniffing from the bottle.
- Visit your local library for books on menstrual problems and menstrual cramps, these can be very helpful.
- Do use painkillers. Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory (NSAIDs) medicines such as ibuprofen or naproxen actually reduce menstrual blood flow not just the pain associated with menses. Asprin is the archtypal NSAID. Acetominophen, while helpfull for the pain is not nearly as effective as the NSAIDs. Many women find that painkillers can decrease menstrual pain. If you can't tolerate ibuprofen or naproxin sodium, simple aspirin or acetaminophen can help a lot.
- Putting a heating pad over your lower stomach can reduce cramps too.
- Some women find it eases pain if they lay face down on a bed, then get on their knees, sticking their butt up in the air, but leaving their head on the pillow. This tilts the uterus and can relieve pain.
