Period Cramps and Prostaglandins

At one point in history did you know women who complained of menstrual cramps and other pms symptoms were sent to a psychiatrist because it was seen as the woman “rejecting her femininity”

I know. 😡

But on the bright side, science got better . So let’s chat, here’s what’s actually happening:

The worst your cramps are, the more prostaglandins you have. (Usually)

Like most things in life and in our bodies prostaglandins are great, until you have too many of them. We need these prostaglandins to stimulate contraction of our uterus so that we can expel the endometrial tissue, menstruate and maintain this cycle that literally makes life go on. Seriously, without them we also couldn’t naturally give labor. 
So thats that. What can you do about it?

NDSAIDs are frequently used. However, chronically used these are not without their side effects. There have been studies that suggest a correlation between those taking nsaids for joint pain and fertility issues. It was found that NSAIDS actually suppresed ovulation in 75% of those subjects studied. Thankfully, once stoped this was completely reversible. 

However if you are chronically using NSAIDs it is possible for this to lead to worsening of your hormonal balance and in turn resulting in worsening of your PMS symptoms including cramps. Additionally they can be damaging to our organs and effect our gut microbiome. 

Other ways to deal with cramps?
*always consult with your doctor before starting a new supplement. The treatments and dosages given below is what the literature suggests and may not be suitable for everyone. 
1) ginger (1000mg)
2) magnesium bisglycinate 
3) High dose Vitamin B-6 (20-100mg)
4) fiber and cruciferous veggies 
5) balance your blood glucose 
6)control inflammation- rule out root cause conditions that could be resulting in increased prostaglandin release 
7) try acupuncture!