Tag Archives: menstrual cycle

For Women Only: Period Pains and Natural Relief

Posted in Kat Chats by

Most of us women know the feeling well.  That obnoxious pain in your abdominal region that comes once a month and last three to five days.  It can vary from a slight twinge to a pain that you just cannot stand for three days straight.  Sure, pain pills can help, but is popping pills every 8 hours for three days really the only thing you can do?  Surely there must be something your liver would prefer.  Trust me, there is and we’re going to explore some of those other options today.

First, what causes Menstrual Cramps?

We’ve previously discussed parts of the menstrual cycle, so I won’t go back over those details, but during ovulation, a release of hormone-like substances called prostaglandins send a message through the body and force the muscles of the uterus to contract.  During this contraction, the uterus sheds its lining.  This contraction and shedding is what causes us to feel pain our midsection, a.k.a. menstrual cramps.  Everyone feels a different degree of pain from this contraction; in fact some people never even notice it while others need to find ways to control the pain.

neopharm.bg

photo from neopharm.bg

What can I do to naturally reduce menstrual cramps?

Some scientific research has shown that these substances help relieve menstrual cramps, while some of them have come from trial and error of those willing to try different remedies.  There are many different natural remedies that you can try at home for yourself, but today I will discuss with you what I use for my own menstrual relief.

  • Cinnamon and Ginger– As we have talked about before, cinnamon is a natural remedy for many different ailments. It has natural anti-inflammatory properties as well as anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.  Ginger has similar properties, so both are a great natural, at home source of menstrual relief.  My preference is to either have cinnamon tea or to put a half a cinnamon stick in my water bottle for a day or two before changing it out.
  • Peppermint– Peppermint is a natural muscle relaxer (not to mention and appetite suppressant as well), so it is perfect for helping relieve menstrual pains.  Peppermint tea or peppermint oil in your water is a great way to add this into your diet.  Also, think about adding a few peppermint candies into your purse for when you feel a cramp coming on, you can pop one or two in your mouth as needed.
  • Omega three fatty acids– again, another thing we’ve talked about in a previous blog post. Omega three fatty acids, found in fish and vegetable oils are great relief for period cramps.  Eat more fish during your period, or take a fish oil supplement a few days before and during your period.
  • Reduce Caffeine intake– caffeine can actually make muscle cramps worse and this speaks true for those uterus
    Candy Cane Lane tea is sold seasonally for the Christmas Holiday and is great for menstrual cramps since it contains both cinnamon and peppermint!

    Candy Cane Lane tea is sold seasonally for the Christmas Holiday and is great for menstrual cramps since it contains both cinnamon and peppermint!

    contractions as well. From my own experience, during my period if I have coffee during the day, my periods are much more unbearable than on days where I forgo coffee.  So as much as it stinks to not have coffee during the day, it really does make a difference to skip the coffee and caffeine.  Instead, I drink tea, and lots of it, during my menstrual cycle.  My personal favorites are a blend of cinnamon, vanilla, and peppermint (Candy Cane Lane by Celestial Seasonings) and Peach Ginger which one of my local coffee shops sells.

  • Heat– A great thing to do when you’re having menstrual cramps and don’t have anywhere you need to be is to add heat to your mid section. My favorite thing to do is to lie in bed with a heating pad while I watch some Netflix.  Another great thing to do is to take a good detox bath with warm water and some Epson Salts or other bath salt.  The heat is great for relieving muscle cramps and the detox from the salts helps as well and makes you feel better overall.

Those are just my methods for relieving menstrual cramps.  There are plenty of other remedies out there, and I urge you to look them up if these ones don’t work for you.

However, if your cramps are so painful that you can’t find relief in any way, I urge you to go to your doctor and discuss options there.  There could be underlying problems or they may have better solutions for you.  Sometimes a low dose birth control is needed to control menstrual cramps.  Your doctor is the best person to discuss if this is needed with, so again, I urge you to seek medical advice if you feel it is needed.

Have you used any of these methods to relieve your menstrual cramps?  Have some of your own? Share below, I’d love to see your thoughts.

Until next time,

Kat

For the Ladies: Why do I retain water when I’m on my period?

Posted in Kat Chats by

Recently a co-worker of mine was telling me about how she always ends up gaining 2-3 pounds right before and during her period.  She wasn’t worried about it, because most women experience these conditions during their periods, but she was curious as to why it happens.  So I broke out some of my old biology texts, did some digging online, and have come up with some potential reasons for why this happens.

Why do we retain water during menstruation?

To understand why we retain water when we are menstruating, we must first understand our ovarian and menstrual cycles.

ovary

The Ovarian Cycle (legacy.owensboro.kctcs.edu)

Stage 1 is known as the follicular phase.  This is when the ovary follicles begin to develop.  During each cycle, 1000 or so growing follicles are lost, however those that continue to grow fill the antrum.  Out of all of these follicules, one is selected to go to full maturity, the others are discarded.  The important thing to note during this phase is that the growth is stimulated by FSH (a hormone) and estrogen secreted by the follicules.  Estrogen secretion rates actually decrease during this phase before finally slowly increasing as the follicle continues to grow before ovulation.

Stage 2 is the Luteal Phase.  During this phase, the wall of the follicle ruptures causing a flow of antral fluid which carries an oocyte to the ovary’s surface.  This follicle then transforms into a glad cell called the corpus luteum which secrets estrogen and progesterone causing a rise in LH (another hormone) levels.  The oocyle enters the uterine tube and if not fertilized, the corpus luteum degenerates to a scar tissue called corups albicans.  During the end of this phase, estrogen and progesterone levels decrease.

This decrease in estrogen and progesterone triggers, the menstrual cycle marked first by its menstrual phase (stage 3).  During this phase the dead tissue of the uterus causes the lining of the uterus to shed.  This is when we actively bleed. Then, during stage 4, the Proliferative phase, the uterus renews itself preparing to restart the cycle (Stanfield).

We only talk briefly about the actual menstrual cycle because most of the things we want to note happen during the ovarian cycle.  The most important thing to note here is the hormone changes that take place during the follicular and luteal phase.  Researchers believe that this is the main cause to many of the changes females experience while on their period.

sportsmd

Ovarian cycle, body temps. and hormone cycles during menstruation. Note the changes in Estradiol (estrogen) seen in orange along with the hormones LH (blue) and FSH (green). (sportsmd)

This constant change in LH, estrogen, and progesterone cause many hormonal changes during menstruation (which I probably don’t have to tell you about!) Researchers believes that because of the estrogen changes during the luteal stage, our bodies respond by retaining fluid in the feet, hands, legs, and as we all experience, the abdomen.

However, the cause of fluid retention could also be as simple as dehydration during menstruation.  Many women do not drink enough water to properly hydrate their bodies while they are on their period.  During dehydration the body retains water in order to save what water it has available (Period Vitamin).

Please note that there is still debate as to the exact reason women retain water while on their period, and the answers given here are not definitive.  As more research is done, more definite answers will come about.

What else can cause weight gain during your period?

Again, we can’t be completely certain what the cause of weight gain during menstruation is, but some reports claim that because of the gas build up during menstruation bloating can occur.  This is most likely because women are less active during the early stages of their period.

And you know those food cravings you have during your period?  That is due to the changes in your metabolism during your ovarian and menstrual cycle.  This can cause increased sodium and sugar consumption which can cause additional weight gain.  So maybe it’s finally time to ignore those cravings for chocolate cake when on your period! (Period Vitamin)

Finally, it is important to note that hormones and genetics play a role in how you gain weight during your period.  Everyone’s body is different.  Your hormones act differently than your friends’ or neighbors’, so you may gain weight or lose weight differently than others.

What should you do to combat the weight gain?

  • Drink more water to stay hydrated.
  • Increase Magnesium consumption during your period to fight the additional glucose in the body.
  • Decrease sodium intake while on your period.
  • Take iron and multivitamins when menstruating
  • Stay active, especially in the early phases of your period.

I hope you’ve found this article interesting and helpful.  Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Until next time,

Kat

Sources:  Period Vitamin website: http://www.theperiodvitamin.com/water-retention-during-period.html

Stanfield, C.L. (2013). Principles of Human Physiology.  Pearson. 5: 649-654.