5 Ways to Deal With Period Pains

If you have never experienced period pain in your life, well... you’re extremely lucky! If you have, you’re not alone!

The pain sometimes feels like an intense spasm and other times, a dull and constant ache. You might also find they don’t happen at all or they come when ever they feel like it. Every woman is different.

If you're find yourself dreading that time of the month and are looking for ways to manage your pain (along with chocolate, movie-marathons and a duvet) we also find some of these methods work wonders...

How to Relieve Period Pain

1. Exercise - you might feel like this is the last thing you can to do but a little walk, cycling or swimming can help reduce pain.

2. Heat - a heat pad or hot water bottle, bath and shower also might help relive the painful symptoms.

3. Massage - a light, circular motion around your lower abdomen should help ease off the pain.

4. Take Vitamins - B1 or Magnesium may help reduce painful period pains, bloating and other PMS symptoms.

5. Relaaaaaax - activities like yoga or Pilates may distract you from feelings of pain and discomfort but also, help you relax.

How to Treat Period Pain

In most cases, it’s pretty easy to treat at home with some ibuprofen and aspirin. If you have asthma, stomach, kidney or liver problems - you should try paracetamol instead. If these don’t help, visiting your GP for something stronger like naproxen or codeine should do the trick.

What Causes Period Pain?

Period pain occurs when the muscular wall of the womb contracts. During your period, the wall of the womb will contract more vigorously to help the womb lining shed as part of your period. When contracting, blood vessels are being compressed in the lining of your womb. This cuts off the blood supply temporarily and the oxygen supply to your womb. Without oxygen, the tissues in your womb release chemicals that trigger pain.

How Long Will the Pain Last?

Period pain usually starts when your bleeding begins, though some women have pain several days before their period happens.

Thankfully, it should be pretty short lived and only last 48-72 hours though it can last longer. The pain is usually at its worst when your bleeding is heaviest.