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"Ow! How to Simmer Down Menstrual Cramps"
by Margaret Gedde, MD, PhD
Pain from intense cramping during menstrual periods is a
familiar sensation to 50-90% of menstruating women.
That’s a lot of women! Sometimes the cramping comes with
headache, nausea, even fainting. Abdominal tenderness
and swelling are always part of it.
The whole package can be so intense that a woman has to
struggle to function, or can’t function at all, for a
couple of days each month. That’s a lot of misery and
lost productivity.
The good news is, it’s clear what is causing all that
pain. Pro-inflammatory prostaglandins that are released
from the uterine lining as it breaks down and sheds are
the known culprits.
The biochemical process is the same whether cramping is
in a young woman with otherwise normal periods, or is
part of endometriosis or adenomyosis (where the uterine
lining grows in places it shouldn’t), or goes along with
heavy bleeding or uterine fibroids. More prostaglandin
equals more pain.
Ironically, painful periods come from a normal process
gone out of balance. When prostaglandins released from
the disintegrating lining trigger contraction of the
uterine muscle, the cramp clamps off blood vessels that
are exposed as the lining falls away. So prostaglandins
and the muscle contraction they trigger are part of how
we have periods each month without bleeding to death.
The solution is to bring this process back into balance.
We can do this by both simmering down the
pro-inflammatory prostaglandins, and calming the uterine
muscle itself so it’s less likely to cramp. Here’s how:
1. To reduce cramps by blocking pro-inflammatory
prostaglandins:
- Add GLA (gamma-linoleic acid), an anti-inflammatory
omega-6 fatty acid. Evening primrose, borage and black
currant oils have abundant GLA. Take up to 1500 mg GLA
per day before and during your periods, and half that
amount the rest of the month.
- Add EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA
(docosahexaenoic acid), the anti-inflammatory omega-3
fatty acids found in fish oil. Take 1000 mg each of EPA
and DHA before and during periods, and half that the
rest of the month.
- Add ginger root, either as fresh root in your food or
as a supplement standardized to 5% gingerols. Gingerols
are potent anti-inflammatories. When using a ginger
supplement, take about 1000 mg ginger root standardized
to 5% gingerols each day.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications like
ibuprofen also block production of inflammatory
prostaglandins and both prevent and reduce cramping and
pain.
2. To reduce cramps by calming down your uterine
muscle:
- Add natural progesterone. Rub real USP progesterone
cream giving 25-75 mg progesterone per day into thin
skin starting a week before your period, and continuing
until the days of cramping are done.
- Clear out xenoestrogens (pollutants that have
estrogenic activity). Since estrogens cause the uterine
muscle to contract harder, cramping can be from
xenoestrogens in your food, water and environment even
if your natural estrogen levels aren't high. The
solution is to protect yourself from pollutants of all
kinds. For example, eat organic food, drink filtered
water and avoid household chemicals and polluted places
outdoors.
All these remedies work best preventively, before
prostaglandins are released and the pain gets going. So
take your supplements consistently through the month,
and increase your doses at the first sign of pain.
Disclaimer: Remember, this article is not medical
advice. It is for your information, and the suggestions
here may not fit your situation. Be sure to consult a qualified health
practitioner about your health concerns.
© 2005-2009 Gedde Whole Health LLC.
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