There are many reasons for painful periods. While period cramps are definitely common, that doesn’t mean that they are normal. Any sort of pain is a sign from your body to investigate that something is not working properly or something is out of balance. Endometriosis is the extreme case of period pain, and requires medical diagnosis. This condition has life disrupting period pain characterized by a growth of uterine tissue somewhere else in the body. Here are 12 reasons for painful periods.
Is PMS normal? is a common question, especially because so many people experience it. PMS is actually not normal, but it is common so that’s why so many people write it off as normal. Pain is never felt without a trigger. PMS stands for premenstrual syndrome which is defined as life-disrupting physiological and psychological changes in the luteal phase of the cycle, or the second half of your cycle. After the menstrual cycle begins, symptoms typically disappear. Here are 6 reasons that can lead to PMS, showing that PMS is not normal, but rather a symptom of a potential imbalance in the body.
Effecting 11% of the population, endometriosis is a condition where bits of tissue similar to the endometrium (uterine living) grow in places other than inside the uterus. The extra tissue that grows elicits a high inflammatory response resulting in severe period pain. This tissue is responsive to estrogen, so as hormone levels fluctuate throughout the month this can affect your pain. Diagnosis is not simple – it requires laparoscopic surgery, but if you experience debilitating period pain it’s important to bring this up with your doctor. The goal of endometriosis is to reduce pain and inflammation because there is no cure. There are many natural remedies for endometriosis that you can implement starting today to aid with pain.
Anxiety can occur as a result of stress. Anxiety is feelings of fear, worry or unease, but there is also a physical connection to anxiety. Anxiety is like a siren that your body turns on to let you know something needs to be looked at or something’s not quite right. Meaning anxiety can also be a symptom of either a hormonal imbalance or nutrient deficiency. Maybe we’re not eating enough of something or our body isn’t absorbing our nutrients the best it can. Genetics also plays a role in this. Healing anxiety doesn’t mean to make it go away forever, it just means that we can learn to work with it, to ease episodes or attacks caused by the anxiety. There many foods that reduce stress and anxiety by supporting hormones and possibly nutrient deficiencies.
When it comes to an irregular period, managing stress will take precedence over producing our sex hormones. Our body's stress response places negative effects on our hormones which leads to imbalances. In order to have a regular menstrual cycle, your hormones need to be balanced and released at the correct time each cycle. A missed period, heavy bleeding, excess cramps, and anovulation are all signs something is wrong with your hormones and it may be caused by stress. A lot of the symptoms associated with stress and your period is due to the impact of stress on ovulation, affecting progesterone production, and resulting in estrogen dominance.
Seed cycling is a food-based approach for supporting healthy hormones. It is the concept of alternating seeds during the first half and second half of your menstrual cycle to support your hormones throughout your cycle. The idea is that seeds contain a lot of phytoestrogens and healthy fats which have been shown to balance out hormones. Phytoestrogens are components that have structures similar to estrogen, thereby having a weak estrogenic effect in the body. Additionally, the seeds contain other essential nutrients in them that aid in hormone regulation. There is no specific evidence available yet on the concept of seed cycling as a whole, but there is evidence for specific seeds and their benefits. Anecdotal evidence supports the use of seed cycling to encourage menstrual regularity, easing period pain, in addition to other nutrition and lifestyle shifts to support hormones and your individual hormonal story.
Heavy periods can be a huge burden on your daily life and can make the time of month very stressful. In addition, heavy periods can be a signal that something deeper is going on the body. Any physical symptom that is outside of the norm, should always be looked into because it can be a sign that there is an imbalance in the body. If you want to know how to stop heavy periods naturally, here is a list below to help you out.
To get estrogen back to normal we need to make sure that we are detoxing estrogen. Estrogen can recirculate in the body if this detoxification process is not working which can cause symptoms like cramps, breast tenderness, insomnia, low sex drive, irritability, and migraines. The goal with supporting detoxification is to include nutrients required for this process to run optimally and to provide inflammation support.
PMS stands for premenstrual syndrome which is defined as life-disrupting physiological and psychological changes in the luteal phase of the cycle (the second half of the cycle after ovulation). Symptoms include cramps, bloating, headaches, nausea, fatigue, and food cravings. After the menstrual cycle begins, symptoms typically disappear. It is important to uncover why you have PMS food cravings.
