What is Menstrual Cramps and Home Treatment ?
Varied degrees of menstrual cramps are experienced by women of young and middle age alike. Menstruation occurs when an egg reaches the uterus from one of the ovaries, but fertilization does not occur and the egg, along with the endometrial lining of the uterus formed over the month, is shed out.
There are small blood vessels inside the endometrium formed as a preparation for implantation of a fertilized egg. But when the fertilization does not take place, this layer breaks down and is shed out along with the unfertilized egg. This causes the monthly menstrual bleeding in a woman.
The uterus usually contracts and expands during a period and the endometrium ruptures and sheds out as bleeding of menstruation. A chemical called prostaglandin is produced during this rupture which may be in excess amounts in some women. Due to the action of prostaglandin the uterus contracts strongly in these women and causes increased bleeding and pain. Prostaglandin is the reason for pain in girls during menarche as well.
Reason behind menstrual cramps
This is commonly seen in girls who have an early menarche. Girls who get periods before the age of 11 years may have increased possibility of severe pain. Also, girls who are obese, anemic, or have increased bleeding, may have increased pain. Habits of smoking or drinking beer or alcohol too may lead to increased pain during periods. Women who do not conceive may also have persistent pain during periods.
The symptoms of menstrual pain include severe lower abdominal pain which may feel like cramps or a tight binding. There may be severe backache and a general discomfort in the body. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, headache, vertigo and even unconsciousness in some girls. They may also have loose motion, burning urination, etc. during periods. In some girls, this pain reduces after around 15 hours, but in some others this may extend upto 72 hours or 3 days. They may even require a pain-relieving injection.
Usually after a childbirth the tissues of uterus expand and contract a lot and the action of prostaglandin reduces, and the tendency to have menstrual cramps also reduces. But in some women the pain and discomfort recur after the age of around 30 to 40 years.
Home Treatment for Menstrual Cramps
Such recurrence of pain after an interval may mostly indicate some underlying disease like uterine fibroid, adenomyosis, endometriosis, endometriotic cyst where the endometrial cells which are usually seen inside the uterus are seen along the ovaries or other parts of the abdomen. Women who use IUD like copper-T may also experience such pain. Also, small polyps occurring around the region of the cervix, any infection of the uterus like pelvic inflammatory disease with persistent leucorrhea, lower abdominal pain, tingling in lower back, some sexually transmitted diseases like herpes genitalis or syphilis, may also cause recurrence of pain. Excessive tension also may lead to severe gripping pain in lower abdomen just before periods.
When the pain recurs after an interval, a doctor must be consulted for thorough investigation of the reason for this pain. A simple ultrasound scanning of the uterus can be done to know if any conditions like endometriotic cyst, fibroid or adenomyosis are present. If any of this is present, appropriate treatment must be taken.
But other than this, if young girls and women have pain during periods, some home remedies may be tried. First one is application of warm compress to the abdomen. This is a practice that has been followed by women in our houses since earlier times. They hold hot water bag on the abdomen and this helps reduce the pain during periods as warm application reduces the activity of prostaglandin and the contraction of uterus reduces in turn.
Second one is getting proper rest. If there are complaints of pain every month, at least a day off from all stress and tensions is recommended.
Third is to avoid foods and drinks containing caffeine. People who get severe pain every month must avoid the use of colas at least one week before periods. Avoid use of coffee, tea, colas, and caffeine-containing medicines because foods containing caffeine increase the activity of prostaglandin and the uterus contracts severely. Also, girls who drink beer may need to avoid this if they have pain during periods and this will help to a large extent.
Regular exercises which stretch the muscles of the body also help to reduce the pain during periods. Regular exercises release endorphins in the brain which relax the muscles and reduce the production of prostaglandin during periods. Next important thing is the yoga exercises that can be done, including breathing exercises like pranayama. These too will relax the muscles, release endorphins and reduce the production of prostaglandin.
The most important home remedy for menstrual cramps is a spoon of ground fenugreek seeds. Fenugreek has the ability to relax our muscles and reduce the production of prostaglandin. So, just before getting the periods, girls can start eating one spoon of ground fenugreek daily. Girls may be given salads regularly one week before beginning the periods which must include chopped mint leaves along with ginger juice. Include foods containing ginger from one or two days before the onset of periods to help reduce the production of prostaglandin and relax the muscles.
Also, people who have tendency to get such pain must include more protein such as fish, egg, green gram, bengal gram, lentils, etc. in their diet and reduce the foods containing sugars as increased intake of carbohydrates and sugars and reduced use of proteins will lead to increased contraction of uterus and pain during periods.
Magnesium-rich foods must be included in the diet as it helps smoothen muscles movements. Magnesium is abundantly found in nuts like almonds, walnut, peanut which must be regularly given to girls. Also, include beans and leafy vegetables as they have abundant supply of magnesium too.
A low-stress lifestyle, healthy diet and exercise regime, can surely reduce the difficulties and cramps during menstruation to a large extent.