Painful Periods May Be Common But They are Not Normal!!

Who has ever had to see a physician due to painful PMS symptoms? Well I for sure have! I have more than once since I got a period! I remember when I was in highschool I use to have to miss 1-2 days out of school because the pain was unbearable. I was popping pills left and right. I mean I was nauseous, often vomited, and slept with a heating pad all night long just to wake up with my whole stomach being bright red from how high I had the heating pad. Now when I was younger I just assumed oh this is normal and I have to deal with it because honestly that’s what I was taught.

Well girl listen to me clearly when I say those painful periods are not normal! Not by a long shot! There is a root cause to the pain. As women we know our bodies better than anyone so always listen when your body is rejecting every attempt you take at getting rid of those painful PMS symptoms.

Now do not get me wrong of course we may experience some slight pain, but not pain that keeps you from doing everyday things like going to work, cooking, working out, etc. If it’s that bad it needs to be investigated by your physician!

Birth Control

I was on birth control for 11 years! Yes 11 years! When I was 18 and I was getting ready to leave for college I told my mom that I have to do something about these cramps. I can’t go on like this! So she took me to my Gynecologist and she immediately put me on birth control. For a while the pain was not as bad. I cramped a little, did not have any nausea or vomiting, but I expected it to all go away. It didn’t it just masked the symptoms. 11 years later my cramps started coming back hardcore and I started reading on all the cons of why I should not be on birth control it absolutely shook me so one day I just stopped taking them. Now hear me out if you do take birth control that is your choice and it is your body. I did this for me.

The two main reasons that I decided to stop taking birth control were because oral contraceptives can deplete many B vitamins, including: riboflavin, B6, B12, and folic acid. They may also deplete vitamins C and E and minerals magnesium, selenium, and zinc. Folic acid is such an important vitamin for women in their child bearing years. I absolutely want to have me some babies one day so having infertility issues is not an option for me. Honestly what my physician could have done was do some tests to see if I had any other underlying conditions that caused my pain. I did not get a test until years later and the doctor that I have now (S/O to Dr. Shaw) let me know that there were no underlying condition. So I started with diet and lifestyle changes and let me tell you it has been a game changer for me!

Let’s Talk Prostaglandins

According to Medicine Net, Prostaglandins are:

“One of a number of hormone-like substances that participate in a wide range of body functions such as the contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle, the dilation and constriction of blood vessels, control of blood pressure, and modulation of inflammation. Prostaglandins are derived from a chemical called arachidonic acid.”

Prostaglandin hormones are made in almost all of your cells in your body. They are the hormones that causes your uterus muscles to contract each month to release the lining of your uterus which is called the endometrium. Many studies have shown that the more prostaglandin inflammation you have, the worse your menstrual cramps can be, and this is what we call dysmenorrhea. Which is what I tell myself I have haha!

Now do not get me wrong all prostaglandins are not bad, they are very necessary and help protect your health. One thing that amazes me about this hormone is that it helps with stimulating ovulation and making sure your uterus contracts appropriately so you can remove the endometrium efficiently during your period. They also play a role in inducing labor. Prostaglandins in pregnancy elevate during labor to stimulate uterine contractions and the birth of baby.

Things start to get a little tricky when you have an over abundance of prostaglandins. Let me tell you how! You ever wonder why you poop so much before your period starts? You may have noticed looser stools or even diarrhea the day before or the day of your period and wonder why is this happening. Well boo its those darn prostaglandins. Diarrhea during your period is a sign that you have too many prostaglandins. As I stated before, while prostaglandins cause menstrual cramps they also affect the bowels. Prostaglandins stimulate contracting and relaxing the muscles of the digestive tract, which is why your period can cause changes in your bowels.

Too many prostaglandins = looser stool and painful menstrual cramps

How I Decreased My Period Pain ( I did the research so you don’t have too)

Increase Magnesium!

Magnesium supplements has been shown to be more effective in helping lower prostaglandins and easing menstrual cramps.

I started out with using Magnesium Bisglycinate Chelate I found it to be the safest supplement through extensive research. I started by taking it daily and then 5 days before my period I increased my dosage. Typical dosing is 300-450 mg nightly. I was not always compliant because It is very hard for me to swallow pills, but to reduce my menstrual cramps I just did it! This has also helped me stay regular! 😁

Quit Smoking! That Includes Hookah😂

Honestly this is a give away, but I need to mention it from the research that I have done. Smoking is associated with an increase in menstrual cramps and in addition to that, it causes inflammation in the body. Inflammation can lead to further disruption of your hormones.

Eat More Ginger!

I saw in a small study, ginger was found to be as effective if not more effective than ibuprofen in relieving menstrual cramps. Research suggests that 1,000 mg is the minimum dose to get relief during menstruation. I used Ginger Root supplements and I also drink lemon ginger tea nightly!

Ginger is an anti-inflammatory herb that can be incorporated into your diet. You can cook it in many meals such as stir fry, and even soup. I also put fresh ginger in when sauteing my vegetables. If you're having severely painful periods, you’ll probably want to opt for ginger in capsule form like I did.

Eliminate Dairy for at least 30 days!

Now this was a tough one for me because I absolutely love cheese on everything. I also use yogurt in my smoothies that is not plant based to increase my protein. Doing research it showed that women who have dairy sensitivities also have worsen menstrual cramps.

Dairy can sometimes cause inflammation and in turn cause an imbalance in your hormones which increases the pain of your menstrual cramps. I found this to be true for me. Inflammation from dairy can also increase estrogen. When estrogen gets too high it creates a condition known as estrogen dominance, which can also contribute to prostaglandins pain and other period problems.

What I recommend: I started charting my symptoms and removed dairy out of my diet for 30 days straight. I then started to reintroduce it slowly and now I do not eat dairy the week before my cycle starts. I have the Period Tracker App that helps me keep track of when my cycle is coming. If you are pretty regular this could help you know when you should increase or decrease certain foods in your diet. This allowed me to understand my relationship with dairy and how it affects my body.

Please keep in mind, you're going to have to go through a full menstrual cycle and you will need to track your symptoms to really understand how it's affecting you.

Eat Fish!

Eat more fish, but not just any fish. Go for mackerel, sardines, and salmon which contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory. Prostaglandins are synthesized from fatty acids and more prostaglandins are made from omega-6, think inflammatory fatty acids, than omega-3 fatty acids. While you can make prostaglandins from omega-3 fatty acids, they tend to be much less effective, in other words they don’t cause as much pain!

I typically eat fish at least two times a week. The week before my period I increased it to about 3 or sometimes 4 times in a week to reduce my pain. I found this to be highly beneficial, especially when I was not as compliant with taking my supplements.

Other things I did:

I tried to increase my exercise as much as possible, studies have shown that women who exercise more tend to have a decrease in period pain! I stayed away from processed sugar and no fried foods. I always made sure my meals and snacks were a balance of complex carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Most importantly I increased my vegetable intake to at least 6 servings a day a mixture of cooked and raw vegetables. Here is my period pain smoothie that I incorporated as well. If you want the recipe comment below! 😉

I hope that this resonates with someone that has suffered for a very long time with period pain. As an African American Woman, physicians dismiss our pain often. Because they assume we have a higher tolerance for pain, so not true! Just remember you know your body best and find you a physician that will listen to you and not blow you off!!

Let me know in the comments below some things you have done to overcome period pain and if you will use any of these tactics that I talked about today!

XO

Kayla