Foods For Painful Menstrual Periods

Painful periods, also referred as Dysmenorrhoea or menstrual cramps, are menstrual periods accompanied by continuous, intermittent or dull pain that usually occurs in the pelvis or the lower abdomen. Many women of childbearing age suffer from this problem and this pain may happen pre-menstruation or continue during periods and stops when the menstruation period ends. A little pain during menstruation is normal for all women but severe pain along with heavy blood loss needs to be treated as it may affect normal life and health. Painful periods are sometimes a normal and continuous process in some women.

Painful periods occur due to the following reasons:

• Primary painful periods describes the menstrual pain that occurs in healthy women and is not related to any problem with the uterus or pelvic organs. It is considered normal but is caused due to null parity (having never born a child), obesity, cigarette smoking, or having a positive family history. The symptoms for primary painful periods are nausea, vomiting, fatigue, diarrhea, lower backache, and headache. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen can be used for it but they have side effects such as gastrointestinal upsets.
• Secondary painful periods are a sign of some disease or any abnormality inside the uterus (such as fibroids and endometriosis) or outside the uterus (such as pelvic inflammatory disease or uterine displacement) and may be accompanied with heavy bleeding. They are caused due to pelvic infection, sexually transmitted diseases, or endometriosis. The symptoms include heavy bleeding or infertility. NSAIDs are often helpful for relieving these types of painful periods but proper medical treatment (such as prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors, hormonal contraception, danazol, or progestins) should be taken as advised by the doctor.
• Painful periods are most commonly observed in women in the late teens or 20’s and decrease as the age increases. They are not related to or affected by the childbearing process. Some women experience painful periods in their 30’s and 40’s due to the decrease in endocrine hormones and fertility leading to menopause.

Herbs For Periods And Diet For Menstruation

A healthy diet that should be used to avoid or minimize painful periods is described below:

• Foods like dairy products, red meat, and vegetable oil, having high unsaturated fats should not be eaten during painful periods.
• The food should be properly chewed so that it becomes more digestible and does not cause gas problems.
• Try to consume fiber supplements and use food that is rich in fibers like whole grains including oatmeal and rye, lentils, chickpeas, vegetables, and fruits.
• Use herbs like licorice, ashwagandha and vitamins C and B5 to relieve stress, as stress is one of the leading causes of painful periods.
• An intake of antibiotics, as advised by the doctor, should be increased as it affects the bacterial balance in the digestive tract and helps in digestion.
• Increased consumption of sugar also helps in decreasing painful periods but should be avoided by women having diabetes.
• Avoid consuming alcohol, soda and caffeine based drinks during painful periods.