MediArticles

Introduction

It is estimated that between 50 and 70 percent of women endure some degree of period pain and cramping. Of those, approximately 10 percent experience contractions so extreme that they are one and a half times more powerful than labour pains.

How painful is painful?
Every month many women suffer from pain around the time of their periods. For some women the pain can be so debilitating that they are forced to take time off work or can only get through their periods by dosing themselves with painkillers. Pain is normally considered to be a message from your body, telling you that something is wrong and that an investigation is in order. However, painful periods are viewed somewhat differently by the medical profession and many women who complain of period pains are advised to take a painkiller and to get on with it.

Every one of us has a different pain threshold, and it is impossible to imagine what another person might be experiencing. Only you know whether or not your period pains are unacceptably high for you, and if the pain is affecting the quality of your life, it’s time to do something about it.

What symptoms could you experience?
Obviously pain is the overriding symptom in dysmenorrhoea, but many women will experience other symptoms, including:

• nausea
• vomiting
• diarrhoea/constipation
• fainting
• light-headedness
• feeling dizzy
• headaches
• exhaustion and lethargy

The pain itself can vary and women will often experience two types of pain:

• a constant low back ache like a dull ache (congestive dysmenorrhoea)

and/or

• cramping pains like contractions (spasmodic dysmenorrhoea)

What are your choices?

Because pain is usually a warning signal from your body, it is important that the pain is investigated. But period pains can, however, be unusual in that there may actually be nothing medically wrong and are simply an abnormal functioning of your body around the time of your period. This is pretty good news because it means that if you can get things back into balance, you’ll not only get rid of the pain but you’ll prevent it from returning. What the natural approach aims to do is to treat the condition, not simply mask the pain or ‘turn off’ your cycle. Furthermore, if you work to put your body back into balance, all aspects of health and well-being will be improved.

Supplements

The supplements recommended below have been studied in clinical trials and have been found to be effective in connection with painful periods. For best result you should take them over a period of three months, at the end of which you should be reassessed in order to monitor improvements and changes and then adjust the supplement programme according to your new condition.

Multivitamin and Mineral
A good quality multivitamin and mineral would form the foundation of your supplement programme to make sure that you are getting a ‘little bit of everything’. You then add in those nutrients in slightly higher amounts which are known to be helpful for painful periods.

Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is needed to help produce ‘good’ prostaglandins which help to relax and widen blood vessels as opposed to ‘bad’ prostaglandins which increase the womb contractions and increase the pain. So it is worth taking a good B-complex supplement. This vitamin has been shown to significantly reduce the intensity and duration of period pains.

Vitamin B1
This B vitamin is very effective in helping with period pain. In one study, it was given to 556 women (aged 12 to 21 years) who had moderate to severe dysmenorrhoea. Some of the women were given the B1 first for 90 days and then changed to a placebo. Others were given the placebo first for 90 days and the B1 next. A full 87 percent of the women were completely cured after starting the B1 treatment. This effect remained for at least two months after the B1 was stopped.

Vitamin B12
Because both vitamins B1 and B6 are helpful with treating period pains, the best approach is to take a vitamin complex. This also gives you vitamin B12 and it has been found that a combination of fish oil and B12 is actually more effective than just fish oil on its own for relieving dysmenorrhoea.

Vitamin E
Up to 70 percent of women have found the supplementation of vitamin E to be useful in treating painful periods.

Vitamin C and bioflavonoids
Bioflavonoids are helpful with period pain because they help to relax smooth muscle and reduce inflammation. Bilberry is one of the best bioflavonoids for this, but other bioflavonoids can be helpful. Include berries of any kind (including blackberries, blackcurrants, raspberries and even grapes) in your diet.

Magnesium
Magnesium acts as a muscle relaxant and it has been shown to have a beneficial effect on painful periods and lower back pain so it is worth taking as a supplement.

Magnesium also has the ability to lower the ‘bad’ prostaglandins that may be causing the womb to overcontract.

Finally, along with vitamin B6, magnesium is required by your body to help convert the essential fats into beneficial prostaglandins. Try always to take them together.

Zinc
This mineral is important for eliminating period pains because it is needed for the proper conversion of essential fatty acids.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
Taking EFAs in supplement form is extremely important in the treatment of painful periods. Research has shown that women with low intakes of Omega 3 fatty acids (the ones that come from fish, linseed and walnuts), have more painful periods than women who have a good intake. The study that found this link also discovered that the extent of the pain was connected to the ratio or balance of the Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats. The women with the worst period pains ate a much lower ratio of Omega 3 fats in relation to Omega 6 fats – a 1 to 4 ratio.

I would suggest adding either fish (EPA) or linseed oil capsules in order to keep the ‘bad’ prostaglandins under control.

Bromelain
This is an enzyme contained in pineapples and it has been found to be extremely useful for treating painful periods. It has anti-inflammatory properties and helps as a natural blood thinner. Bromelain also acts as a smooth muscle relaxant and is thought to decrease the ‘bad prostaglandins and increase the ‘good’ prostaglandins.

Tests

Tests are extremely useful, in that they can tell you what deficiencies you have at the moment and then for you to know what supplements would be useful to take to correct those deficiencies. You would then be re-tested after three to four months to monitor your progress and to adjust the supplement programme accordingly.

Disclaimer

The contents of this site are for information only and are intended to assist readers in identifying symptoms and conditions they may be experiencing. This site is not intended to be a substitute for taking proper medical advice and should not be relied upon in this way. Always consult a qualified doctor or health practitioner, especially if you are pregnant, taking the pill or on any medication. Your situation will need to be looked at individually and you should not attempt to self treat. The author and publisher cannot accept responsibility for illness arising out of the failure to seek medical advice from a doctor.