3 things I did to stop my period cramps
What are period cramps? Why we have them and how to cure them?
Many men are not aware of this, but period cramps can actually hurt as much as getting a heart attack. Yes, women are warriors for being able to deal with this kind of pain for hours, in some cases even days, every single month.
The clinical term for period cramps is “dysmenorrhea”. There are two different types of it- primary and secondary.
Primary menstrual cramps are reoccurring and come back every month. They can last anywhere between 12 and 72 hours and many times women get nauseous and can actually throw up from the amount of pain.
The other type of menstrual cramps is called secondary. They usually appear later in life and are usually the result of a disorder or infection. Basically, it occurs due to problems with the reproductive organs or hormonal imbalances.
Menstrual cramps and how to fight them
Fasting, CBD topicals and Collagen.
Backstory
A little back story, I am 28 years old and never had a period cramp until the age of 25. Everything was normal and I was not understanding my friends when they were complaining about how much pain they are going through. I am still not sure what caused my period cramps to begin, but I do want to state that I took plan B twice in the span of 2 months which I have never done before. After the first time, everything was normal and I had no pain. However, after the second time, I began experiencing excruciating pain every time I get my period. It was very weird and I had no idea how it is even possible to start having period cramps at such a late time of your life. At the beginning, I thought that maybe my uterus was still developing and this is the final cycle of development. However, as the time went by, the pains got worse and worse and they even started prolonging, When my cramps started, they used to last not more than 4 hours and a few months later they were lasting the whole day which totally incapacitated me and I could not perform my job at all. I was forced to take sick days off.
At this point, I have had enough and decided to seek medical assistance. I went to my OBGYN and did some examinations. It turned out that my hormones were in a disbalance, and I was producing more estrogen which made the sides of my uterus get tighter which caused the pain. I told my doctor that so far what I have tried has not really helped me, but the most relief that I felt was when I begin my period and directly went to the gym and did weight training. She said that it makes sense because working out boosts your testosterone level which in turn reduces estrogen levels.
After that, she prescribed me a homeopathic hormonal treatment which I did for a couple months, but did not notice a difference. However, with trial and error, I figured out what works best and I am about to share it with you. No more gate keeping.
Here it goes, 3 things I did to stop my period cramps forever!
Fasting
Number 1: Fasting- this one was very accidental. Initially, I started fasting because of the numerous health and weight loss benefits. However, later I realized that it actually helps tremendously with period cramps. The first 2 weeks I did It, it was hard, but after that I got used to it. On week 3 of fasting, I got my period and I could not believe it. I had zero cramps, I even thought that this is not my period and that it is some fake one day bleeding, but it was not. I actually had a very heavy flow (which usually means bigger pain, but I felt absolutely nothing.
The fasting that I do is 8/16. I start eating around 11am and finish at 7pm. It is very easy to follow, but you can adjust the hours depending on your own schedule
Using CBD pain relief gel
Number 2: I started incorporating CBD topicals. I had this one gel that I put on whenever something hurts, I have an injury or I am simply sore and it worked great. So one day while I was still having period cramps, I thought to myself “If this thing helps when the rest of my body cramps, why would it not help when my uterus cramps?” So I randomly put it on my lower abdominal and I was fascinated. It has a cooling effect so you immediately feel relief, but in the long term it decreases the pain by more than 60% to the point where I forgot I was on my period!
Drinking collagen
Number 3: Start drinking collagen powder for women. The brand that I started using has women’s equilibrium blend which again helps balance your hormonal levels. The collagen powder is vegan and I buy the unflavored one. It is great and can even work as a creamer for your coffee. In conclusion, period cramps suck and I feel for every woman out there that has to go through it.
I know that period crimps are strongly individualistic, but I will be happy if these three methods help at least one woman!
