How to relieve menstrual cramps?

The frequency and intensity of menstrual pain depends on ovulation. If the cause of menstrual pain is not getting any disease of the female reproductive organs, can relieve pain home remedies.

The fastest and easiest way to ease the pain during menstruation - take painkillers. However, regular use of these drugs is not recommended - studies have shown that chronic administration of pain medications can affect a woman's ability to conceive.

To protect the reproductive system, you can use home remedies, which not only reduces pain, but also relieve stress How to beat stress? Create an oasis , Depression, irritability Irritability - you try to control my temper , Normally associated with the onset of menstruation.

A balanced diet: studies show that some products may increase the intensity of menstrual cramps, however such products - at least for the period of menstruation - should be excluded from the diet. Among them - products containing arachidonic acid, such as dairy products, saturated fats, animal food. Instead, the best diet to include foods that contain essential fatty acids and linoleic acid - such as meat tuna, salmon, mackerel, helps to relax the muscles and get rid of cramps. In addition, you can include in the diet of nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin, fresh fruits and vegetables, foods rich in calcium, which normalizes muscle tone, relieving spasms. The minimum daily amount of calcium should be at least 800 mg.

Reduce pain during menstruation helps foods rich in magnesium. Magnesium is not only normalizes muscle tone and relaxes the muscles, increasing the body's ability to absorb calcium. The richest sources of magnesium - green vegetables, yogurt, dried fruit, beans, cereals. Experts recommend the increase of magnesium in the diet to 500-1000 mg daily.

• Physical Activity: bed rest during painful menstruation - not the best way to get rid of unpleasant feelings: being in a horizontal position can cause additional muscle spasms and additional pain in the abdomen and legs. Light exercise reduces pain, increasing the level of endorphins in the blood - and endorphins are known to act as natural pain killers. Physical activity can be anything - walking walking, training on a treadmill, swimming, any aerobic exercise, simple cardio, yoga. The exercises will help to strengthen and stretch the muscles, allowing the body to effectively deal with the pain.
• Hot compresses Fill the bottle with hot water and place it on the stomach or the part of the body where the pain is felt. The heat helps to relax the muscles and relieve pain. A bottle filled with hot water, can be replaced by a hot wet towel.
• Hot Tub: Fill the tub with warm water, adding a little sea salt and Epsom salts, which contain magnesium, relaxing muscles. A 20-minute warm bath will help relax muscles and relieve pain.
• Herbal teas: analgesic properties of many herbal help quickly relieve menstrual pain. Well suited tea with mint Mint and its useful properties: aromatic freshness , Raspberry tea, ginger tea or ginger root, oregano. In addition, menstrual pain well helps having antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties of cinnamon, half a teaspoon of which can be mixed with warm milk and drink in the morning or at bedtime Dreams: how to understand our dreams .
• More fluids: the use of a large volume of fluid to prevent dehydration, which in turn may worsen the menstrual pain. Herbal teas, fruit and vegetable juices, water not only reduced the necessary supply of moisture, but also accelerate blood circulation, thereby relaxing the muscles.

Treatment algomenoree

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

In most cases, women who complain of pain during menstruation, doctors recommend taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Drugs of this type help to cope with algomenoreya about seven out of ten women.

Many NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen Ibuprofen: anti-inflammatory drug   and aspirin, can be bought without a prescription. If they do not help, your doctor may prescribe other NSAIDs, such as naproxen, or mefenamic acid. NSAIDs are not recommended for patients with asthma and those who have problems with the stomach, kidneys or liver. Pregnant and lactating women as these drugs should be avoided. Aspirin should not be taken to patients younger than 16 years. If you are not sure whether you can take NSAIDs, consult your doctor.

Other painkillers

Patients that NSAIDs are contraindicated, or for whom they were not effective enough, can be assigned to other analgesics.

Paracetamol rarely causes side effects, has few contraindications and is sold without a prescription, but studies show that, on average, it reduces pain less effectively than NSAIDs. However, in many cases, it is well relieves pain during menstruation.

If either NSAIDs or paracetamol do not help to cope with algomenoreya, the doctor may prescribe the patient an analgesic such as codeine.

Combined oral contraceptives

Those who need and a way to relieve pain during menstruation and contraception, the gynecologist may prescribe combined oral contraceptives.

Combined contraceptive pills facilitate pain during menstruation due to the fact that they make the uterine lining thinner, and reduce the production of prostaglandins in the body. The thinner of the uterine lining, the less uterine muscles to withdraw from her body during menstruation. As a result, the monthly will be less abundant and painful.

For those who, for any reason can not receive combined oral contraceptives may be a good alternative contraceptive injections or implants.

Additional recommendations

There are a number of ways in which you can relieve yourself of pain during menstruation. They do not always help to get rid of algomenoree, but in most cases the pain becomes much weaker.

• Physical exercise. Although painful menstruation often do not cause the desire to play sports or even moving, physical activity helps relieve the pain. Choose moderate loads, such as swimming, walking or cycling.
• Heat. The impact of heat on the stomach has analgesic effects in many patients suffering from algomenoree. Try to put a hot water bottle to his stomach or a hot water bottle. If you use a bottle, do not pour boiling water into it - prolonged contact with very hot surfaces can cause damage to the skin.
• A warm bath or shower can also help relieve pain in the abdomen and relax.
• Massage. Gentle massage of the lower abdomen some women replace analgesics.
• Relaxation techniques Relaxation and stress - calm, not panic! . Regular practice of yoga or meditation helps to be distracted from the pain, and significantly reduce the discomfort in the first days of menstruation.
• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS). The stimulation of the nerves in the pelvic region by weak electrical impulses are quite strong analgesic effect. Apparatus for TENS now widely available and can be purchased for home use. You only need to attach the electrodes to your body and relax for a while.

If within three months after the start of NSAIDs and / or combined oral contraceptives month are still very painful, consult your doctor. He will direct you to the examination to detect the disease, which could cause algomenoree. If such diseases are identified, further treatment will depend on the diagnosis. For example, pelvic inflammatory disease is treated with antibiotics Antibiotics - whether they will help you in the foreseeable future? And uterine fibroids Uterine fibroids - when surgery is needed?   removed surgically. To treat these diseases it is necessary, because in addition to algomenoree, they can cause a number of other, more serious complications.

Galina Romanenko