The average menstrual cycle is 28 days, and a period will last for three to five days. Cycles vary not only from woman to woman but can change during an individual's lifetime as well. Some women, unfortunately, suffer from severe cramps that can impact their health and wellbeing. Here we look at the causes of menstrual cramps, important signs to look out for and how a functional medicine approach can help.
What causes menstrual cramps?
Menstrual cramps exhibit a throbbing sensation or pain in the lower abdomen and, if severe enough, can interfere with daily living. During a period, the uterus contracts to expel its lining, and prostaglandins, involved with pain and inflammation triggering, are also released.
Other causes of menstrual cramps include endometriosis, where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, or uterine fibroids, which are non-cancerous growths that can cause pain.
Period pain facts
- 80% of women will experience some form of period pain during their lifetime.
- In 5-10% of women, this is enough to disrupt their lives.
- Many women suffer from other symptoms up to a week before their period, including headaches, bloating, irritability, and fatigue.
Signs that period cramps are not normal
While period pains are common for many women, it's important to pay attention if things change or become more severe. The signs that your period cramps are not normal include:
- Pain medications don't work: Most women find that taking pain medication such as Ibuprofen helps ease their symptoms. If this is not the case, then it's important to seek medical attention to find out if there is another underlying cause and to figure out why pain management isn't working.
- Disruption in day-to-day life: If period pain means that an individual's life is being disrupted, this should also be a concern. This could include regularly taking off time from work because the cramping is so bad or finding that normal daily activities are difficult to perform.
- Random pelvic pain: Many women experience pelvic pain during their period or just before it starts. However, if pain is experienced at other times during the menstrual cycle it can be another cause for concern. Pain during the cycle can often be accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea and fever.
- Long-lasting menstrual cramps: If the menstrual cramps last for more than just the usual few days, this is a reason to be concerned. Most of the time, cramps occur at the beginning of the period but do not continue until the end, dissipating in a few days at most.
- Cramps don't feel "normal": Women understand their bodies, and sometimes there can just be a sense that something is wrong. It's important to take this concern seriously and have a check-up with a physician rather than ignore it.
- Experiencing other symptoms: Other symptoms may mean an individual's period is not normal. These include having nausea or bowel problems during cramps, heavy bleeding, and irregular cycles.
Period pain management: a functional medicine approach
Managing period pain often involves taking something like an over-the-counter pain killer. A functional medicine approach doesn't look at only treating the symptoms of any particular health condition, but instead focuses on determining and addressing the root causes of the issue.
Medications can have undesirable side effects. There are alternative, natural options that can help. For instance, ginger tea has been shown to be effective in reducing period pain.
Period pains may be caused by mineral and vitamin deficiency, and, according to the functional medicine approach, looking at the individual's diet and making lifestyle changes could make a significant difference. Foods that contain plenty of omega 3, such as salmon and nuts, for example, may help reduce cramping.
Eating a diet that is high in iron-rich foods such as leafy green vegetables and lentils is also a good idea. Individuals can add essential minerals like magnesium by consuming more spinach and kale (another great source is dark chocolate). Fruits are another good choice as they contain vitamins like B6 and minerals such as potassium that help reduce cramps.
Nutrition is very personal, as are the diseases caused by either nutritional excess or deficiencies. Nutrition is among the most critical of all lifestyle factors in terms of its effect on disease formation. Consequently, the nutritional treatment will be as unique as the person and the condition under treatment.
Adequate Nutrition
It is true that with a good healthy lifestyle and nutrition, you will lower your risk of certain diseases and conditions. However, in our polluted modern world, it is best to get whole organic food to give our bodies the best chance of processing and absorbing essential disease-fighting minerals, vitamins, and other micro-nutrients. This is often not so easy to do.
Even if we do have access to clean organic food, it can still be difficult to get the required minerals and vitamins to the right parts of our body. The GI tract processes our food so nutrients can be delivered safely to our cells for growth and repair. Unfortunately, during this processing, a lot of the nutrition gets "filtered out," so sub-optimal levels of the micro-nutrients reach our cells.
To "side-step" this down-regulation in the delivery of nutrients to our cells, experienced integrative physicians use proprietary blends of vitamins, minerals, and other micro-nutrients, introduced in intravenous (IV) form directly into the circulatory system, where they are available to the cells in much higher concentrations than oral formulations.
Because the absorption of nutrients from our food is so important to our health, it is also important to provide treatments to improve the function of our natural absorption through improved gut health.
Today, the functional medicine approach is an essential component in effective health management because it views healthcare from the perspective that everyone is an individual and that each patient is unique. That means understanding what is happening on a physiological basis when it comes to period pain and finding tailored solutions. A key component to this approach is to look at making lifestyle changes that combat the root cause of the issue, rather than simply trying to alleviate the associated symptoms.
Authors: Miskawaan Health Group (MHG). For further information please visit us online at www.miskawaanhealth.com or contact us via: contact@miskawaanhealth.com, Health Group located at Gaysorn Tower, Level 11, Unit D, E & K. Call (0)2086 8888 or What's app - +66 (0) 94-409-1844.
Series Editor: Christopher F. Bruton, Executive Director, Dataconsult Ltd, chris@dataconsult.co.th. Dataconsult's Thailand Regional Forum provides seminars and extensive documentation to update business on future trends in Thailand and in the Mekong Region.
