Most of the women experience pain during or before periods every month. Some complain of pain in lower abdomen, while some have pain in legs, thighs, back or extreme tiredness and fatigue. So, is it normal? Everyone do say so, but if one is having unbearable pain it can be due to some underlying medical issues like endometriosis, fibroids, etc. Let us first understand what are period cramps? Period cramps is the pain most women experience during periods which is caused due to contractions in the uterine muscles to shed the uterine lining. Along with these, drop in estrogen and progesterone hormone before periods can cause mood swings, anxiety, fatigue, bloating, constipation, etc. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce and get rid of period cramps, in this article we will discuss some easy-to-follow tips and lifestyle changes that you will thank me later for.

Vitamin D and calcium

Vitamin and calcium rich food.

Supplementing with daily dose of 400IU of vitamin D and 1000-1200 mg of calcium has shown a relief from pre menstrual symptoms (PMS) especially abdominal cramps. Therefore, add calcium and vitamin D rich food like dairy products, soy and soy products, egg, chicken, sesame seeds, sabja seeds and fish in your daily diet to get rid of period pain and make your bones strong.

Iron

Iron rich food.

Iron deficiency or anemia is another possible cause of pre menstrual symptoms like abdominal pain, back pain, weakness, tiredness and fatigue throughout the day. Taking optimum amount of iron in diet has shown 33% reduction in PMS. Load up your meals with iron rich food like pomegranate, beetroot, green leafy vegetables, raisins, almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, figs, prunes, sprouts, legumes, etc to meet your daily iron intake and relieve period pains and other menstrual issues. Also, do not forget to add vitamin C rich food to maximise the absorption of iron.

Magnesium

Magnesium rich food.

We all have heard of iron, vitamin D or vitamin B12 deficiency. But have you heard of magnesium deficiency? If you are tired of staying in bed every month for 3-4 days, then low magnesium in your diet can be one of the reason. Have magnesium rich food like banana, pumpkin seeds, cashews, figs, peanuts in your meals and enjoy happy periods.

Turmeric ginger tea

hot ginger tea on table

Sip freshly prepared hot turmeric ginger tea 2-3 time in a day to relieve abdominal cramps. Ginger and ginger being rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties reduces muscle spasms which in turn manages PMS like stomach pain, bloating, constipation, stress and anxiety.

Exercise

Another way to manage period pain is to perform exercises regularly. Exercises helps in balancing hormones, relieving fatigue, bloating, stress and relaxes muscles that further relieves pain during periods. Practice 20-30 minutes of yoga or simple walking daily and have fuss free periods.

Try to incorporate all these changes in your diet to have pain free periods going ahead. Along with this, stay active and avoid outside food as much as you can. With these simple tips wish you happy and pain-free periods.