Ways to relieve women’s menstrual cramps

Women's dysmenorrhea can be relieved through hot compresses, taking painkillers, adjusting diet, moderate exercise, and traditional Chinese medicine conditioning. Dysmenorrhea is often related to factors such as excessive secretion of prostaglandins, abnormal uterine contractions, and endocrine disorders.

1. Hot compress

Hot compress on the lower abdomen can relax the uterine muscles, improve local blood circulation, and relieve spasmodic pain. Use a warm towel or hot water bottle at about 40℃ and apply it on the lower abdomen for 10-15 minutes, being careful to avoid burns. Hot compress is suitable for primary dysmenorrhea, but has limited effect on secondary dysmenorrhea due to endometriosis.

2. Painkillers

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen sustained-release capsules, diclofenac sodium sustained-release tablets, and acetaminophen tablets can inhibit prostaglandin synthesis and should be used under the guidance of a doctor. Among them, ibuprofen sustained-release capsules can maintain the analgesic effect for 12 hours, while diclofenac sodium sustained-release tablets have less irritation to the gastrointestinal tract and are more effective when taken before the onset of dysmenorrhea.

3. Adjust your diet

Avoid raw, cold, and spicy foods during menstruation, and increase moderate amounts of warm ingredients such as brown sugar ginger tea, longan, and red date soup. Daily supplementation of 300 ml of warm milk can help relieve muscle cramps caused by magnesium loss. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as durian and walnuts, can reduce inflammation.

4. Moderate exercise

Start walking, yoga and other low-intensity exercises on the 2nd to 3rd day of your menstrual period for 20-30 minutes three times a week. Pelvic rocking exercise can relax the lumbosacral muscles and improve blood supply to the uterus. Avoid swimming and other sports that come into contact with cold water to prevent cold evil from aggravating the pain.

5. Traditional Chinese Medicine conditioning

Moxibustion at Sanyinjiao and Guanyuan points can warm the menstruation and dispel cold, once every other day for 3 consecutive menstrual cycles. Prescriptions such as Danggui Shaoyao Powder and Wenjing Decoction are suitable for dysmenorrhea due to qi and blood stasis and require TCM syndrome differentiation. Apply acupoint plaster containing cinnamon and Ligusticum chuanxiong to stimulate the acupoints continuously.

During menstruation, keep your waist and abdomen warm and avoid staying up late and being emotionally stressed. Keeping a record of your menstrual cycle and pain levels can help your doctor determine the cause. If dysmenorrhea is accompanied by abnormal menstrual flow, non-menstrual bleeding, or continues to worsen, organic diseases such as adenomyosis need to be investigated. Annual gynecological examinations should include pelvic ultrasound, and it is recommended that women over 40 years old have hormone levels tested at the same time.