I attended several gentle yoga classes and added

Earlier this spring, my 10-mile race and my period were scheduled to arrive on the same day. Every 28 (or so) days since my teenage years, I’ve found myself curled up in pain on the bathroom floor on the first day of my menstrual cycle, I attended several gentle yoga classes and added run during that time caused nothing short of panic.

What added to my worries was that while some runners find relief in movement when they get their period, in my case it exacerbates it. On numerous occasions, I have had to stop my run or my visit to the gym in the hours leading up to the first (and usually worst) day of my period, just to cry in pain on my way home where I’d find temporary relief in a bath filled with nearly boiling water.

A race in itself can be a nerve-wracking experience, but I went into this one with added anticipatory stress about it getting derailed by the arrival of cramps. So before I went to bed and in the morning before the race, I took a dose of ibuprofen that was certainly over the recommended limit in hopes it would stop the pain from manifesting—and kept them coming.

The race went okay. My period mercifully waited to arrive until after I received my medal, but the mental space my worries put me in propelled me to take action and learn about ways I could manage my menstrual cramps. I reached out to experts to learn more about keeping period pain from ruining my running plans, as well as how to reduce the suffering it causes when not in my running shoes.

What are period cramps and why do you experience them?

Period cramps are throbbing or cramping pain that can occur before or during a menstrual period, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“What you experience is dysmenorrhea, which is a fancy term to describe menstrual cramps,” says Camille Moreno, D.O., medical director of the Midlife Women’s Health and Menopausal Medicine program at The University of Utah. “If we really want to get nerdy, it involves the mechanism where prostaglandins [hormones that help regulate the functions related to the female reproductive system] get released when uterine contraction occurs. And that’s basically what causes the actual pain you experience during your menstrual bleeding.”

Mayo Clinic lists period symptoms like a dull ache and pain in the lower abdomen, but in addition, you can experience nausea, diarrhea, headache, and dizziness. And while menstrual pain causes only slight discomfort for some, others may experience pain severe enough to interfere with their daily activities.

“It depends on not just environmental factors—like body mass index, weight, or how much you’re exercising—but also genes, which play a huge role,” Moreno says.

During a period, the uterus expands as the lining thickens, so it takes up more space within the pelvic bowl, which is a bowl-shaped bone structure that holds organs like the bladder, uterus, and rectum, says Julia Smeltz, P.T., D.P.T.

“The uterus is the driver for our cramps as it contracts to dispel our menstrual blood,” she says. “And as it takes up more space and contracts, it can irritate the other organs within the pelvic bowl.”

What are the best strategies for relieving period cramps?

Smeltz reminds us that, like everything else, solutions to period cramps are individual. If you have unmanageable and consistent period cramps, you should rule out an underlying health issue first, such as endometriosis or uterine fibroids.

However, there are lifestyle habits and adjustments that can help relieve the worst pain:

Be mindful of what you eat

During a menstrual bleed, we lose iron, a key component of substances in red blood cells that help to transport oxygen to your muscles and joints. So without enough iron, we often feel fatigued. That’s why Moreno suggests iron intake, along with increasing protein, You can take magnesium supplements or add more.

Some food groups that contain a high concentration of both iron and protein include meat, leafy greens, seafood, eggs, and nuts. Adding these to your meal plan can help reduce the pain.

Moreno also suggests avoiding inflammatory foods, including processed meats, fried foods, fried chicken, or sugar-sweetened foods and drinks, as these can lead to more inflammatory pain and therefore make you feel worse.

Here are a few examples of supplements and natural remedies that have been shown to help ease cramping for some:

• Ginger Sip on ginger tea to gain the benefits can help relieve pain. Sip on ginger tea to gain the benefits.
• The herb motherwort DAA Industry Opt Out thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties. You can get motherwort as a tincture, but consult with an herbalist and make sure you have someone who’s reviewing your whole medical and health history before you do that.
• during the first day of my period magnesium, especially together with vitamin B6, can help with period pain. You can take magnesium supplements or add more magnesium-rich foods to your meal plan, like salmon, avocados, or bananas.
• What to Know About VO2 Max as You Age that omega-3s, found in foods like fatty fish and flax seeds, can also contribute to period pain relief.

Check for nutrient deficiencies

Some deficiencies can also contribute to menstrual pain. Smeltz recommends getting a blood test from your doctor to understand any deficiencies you may have. The doctor may suggest taking supplements for a few months, and getting retested to see if levels have improved.

Stay hydrated

Leading up to and during your period, increased fluid intake can help prevent bloating and reduce period pain by helping flush the menstrual fluids out of the body.

“Hydration is really important because fluid is the mechanism through which our body moves everything,” Smeltz says.

Try gentle movement and relaxing your services, which has been helping me strengthen my pelvic floor muscles

Download Your Training Plan services, which has been helping me strengthen my pelvic floor muscles, but like any muscles in the human body, those of the pelvic floor have to be able to fully relax and contract to stay healthy, says Smeltz. Tight and constricted services, which has been helping me strengthen my pelvic floor muscles can increase period pain.

“If we’re trying to evacuate menstrual fluid through our vaginal canal, but the muscles are really tight and not letting things flow through, now the uterus is going to try even harder, contracting more and more, trying to get things out of the body, and that’s going to increase our cramps,” Smeltz explains.

Yoga is a great addition to your training no matter what, but it can be especially beneficial during your period. The gentle movement—together with the focus on breathing—taps into your parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest and digest” state, helping you relax.

Yoga poses like child's pose and happy baby help relax the pelvic floor, Smeltz says. “These stretches become powerful release tools for the pelvic floor, especially when we add diaphragmatic breathing to these stretches,” she says. A Every Running Hydration Question, Answered I attended several gentle yoga classes and added.

What lifestyle habits can actually contribute to period cramps?

Just like there are best practices for avoiding period cramps, there are also potentially not-so-helpful habits you should stay clear of to avoid further irritating your body.

Check your products

Some research suggests a link between endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and more severe premenstrual symptoms. EDCs are environmental toxins that, once they enter our bloodstream, mimic estrogen, Smeltz says. High levels of estrogen in the body can lead to releasing more of the cramp-producing chemicals known as prostaglandins, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

You can find EDCs in items like household cleaners, cosmetics, body products including lotions, sunscreen, shampoo, conditioner, and for example, phthalates and other toxins that leach from food packaging.

In Smeltz’s clinical experience, choosing the right menstruation hygiene products has made a significant difference for her patients, because the vaginal canal is a direct pathway to the bloodstream. She suggests unbleached and organic cotton tampons to avoid EDCs.

You can also try period underwear, period cups, or, my favorite, a menstrual disc.

Stay away from NSAIDs

Remember me saying I took a high dose of ibuprofen leading up to my race? Wrong! Moreno explains that a high dose of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like ibuprofen, which metabolizes in kidneys, can lead to decreased kidney function in the setting of strenuous and high-endurance exercises, which can lead to dehydration (not to mention cause kidney injury), and therefore may not be in my best interest.

“Given that was the first day of your period and most likely you’re going to be slightly dehydrated on race day, I’d advise using Tylenol or acetaminophen instead of NSAIDs,” Moreno says.

Don’t let your mind make you feel worse

Once the physical body is all taken care of, it’s time to talk about the mind. There’s a physiological basis for our body responding to whatever our brain tells it is true, Smeltz says.

Our body is a big sensory organ that’s constantly scanning our internal and external environments to get information about whether it’s safe. “The body brings that information to the brain and says, ‘Okay, brain, what’s the story?’ If the brain says ‘not safe,’ then the body will feel those physiological, somatic sensations that we’re not safe.”

Races - Places cortisol spike, which leads to more inflammation, You can take magnesium supplements or add more.

How did it go in practice?

I’ve decided to follow as many of these tips as possible and skip painkillers for the first time since I stopped taking contraception 10 years ago. I’ve made it a habit to drink ginger tea daily, taken magnesium supplements, and intentionally included protein- and iron-rich meals in my diet while avoiding inflammatory foods leading up to my period.

I attended several gentle yoga classes and added electrolytes to my water intake. (All healthy habits in general, I might add!) I also signed up for Sword Health services, which has been helping me strengthen my services, which has been helping me strengthen my pelvic floor muscles.

I’ve only had two periods since my deliberate attack on cramps, so I’m not making any conclusions just yet, but both cycles went better than expected. I cannot say for sure what did it—my diet adjustments or my renewed mindset determined t0 tame the pain—but the cramps were tolerable. Though I felt some discomfort, it wasn’t the same unbearable pain that had me scrunched up in a fetal position and unable to function. I even went for an easy run How to Handle Running With Allergies.

Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a new era with no more skipped runs or worries about race days lining up with periods. Ginger-tea cheers to that!