How To Relieve Period Cramps: Medication and Home Remedies

There are several ways to relieve period cramps when that achy or painful feeling arrives. Over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications are go-to options, but hormonal birth control, lifestyle modifications, and at-home remedies can ease pain and cramping. Surgery may help in severe cases.

With period cramps that you haven’t been able to manage on your own, meet with a gynecologist, a doctor specializing in female reproductive health, to discuss treatment and management options.

While you usually can’t avoid period cramps entirely, you may be able to manage them so that you can live more fully and with less pain.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most effective pain relievers for period cramps. If NSAID side effects bother you, you can use Tylenol (acetaminophen), another type of pain reliever that works differently.

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

Experts recommend NSAIDs as the first go-to treatment for period cramps. Examples of OTC NSAIDs are ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin) and Aleve (naproxen).

NSAIDs help reduce pain by lowering the production of compounds called prostaglandins. These hormone-like substances affect different bodily functions, including inflammation, pain, and uterine contractions.

Start taking an NSAID a day or two before your period starts and continue to take it during the first two to three days of your period, when prostaglandin levels are highest, to help reduce or prevent cramps. Be sure to use as directed.

Acetaminophen

Some people find that NSAIDs bother their stomach, causing symptoms like nausea, indigestion, diarrhea, or vomiting. Tylenol (acetaminophen) is a good alternative. Acetaminophen reduces pain and can also slightly reduce prostaglandin production. It’s generally not as effective in reducing period pain as NSAIDs are.

Hormone therapy for period cramps includes birth control pills, birth control patches, vaginal rings, and hormonal IUDs.

Hormonal therapies work to ease cramps and pain by thinning the lining of your uterus and reducing prostaglandin production. These treatments also help with other period symptoms, like mood changes, heavy bleeding, and acne.

You can use hormone therapy in combination with pain relief medications like ibuprofen.

Any type of light to moderate exercise can be helpful for period pain. One study found that exercising 45-60 minutes three times a week can help reduce severe period pain.

Avoiding heavy meals and eating lighter, smaller meals more frequently may help decrease period cramps.

Using a hot water bottle or heating pad on your lower belly can reduce period pain. Heat therapy can be as effective as pain medications like NSAIDs.

There are many things you can try at home to ease your period cramps and to stay more comfortable. Some effective options include:

• Massage your lower belly lightly with your fingertips
• Consume warm drinks, like tea
• Eat light meals instead of large, heavy ones
• Lie in positions that are comfortable, such as on your side with your knees bent
• Try meditation
• Do yoga poses that are soothing
• Take a warm bath or shower
• Take a light walk

Most of the time, period pain is caused by the changes that occur around your period. Other people have health conditions that make their period pain worse. These conditions include:

• Fibroids: Non-cancerous growths in the uterus
• Endometriosis: Tissue similar to your uterine lining grows on nearby organs
• Adenomyosis: Tissue from your uterus grows on the muscle wall of your uterus

Your healthcare provider will likely recommend nonsurgical options, like hormone therapy, before surgery. Sometimes surgery is the best way to treat the conditions that cause severe period cramps.

For example, surgeons can often remove endometriosis lesions with laparoscopy. A surgery called myomectomy can help remove fibroids. Sometimes, a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) can address adenomyosis.

Several therapies may reduce period pain, but they have less research backing up how well they work. Some of these therapies include:

• High-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), which uses electric current to stimulate your nerves and relieve pain
• Progressive relaxation techniques can help ease muscle tension and reduce cramps
• Meditation, especially that involves relaxing imagery
• Biofeedback, which uses sensors attached to your body to help you control some of your body’s functions and decrease pain

Acupuncture is a type of integrative medicine that uses pressure points on the body to relieve pain. It has the potential to reduce period cramp pain and is moderately effective. More research is needed to understand its effectiveness better.

Overall, there isn’t good evidence for dietary supplements and herbal remedies for period pain. Vitamin B1 and magnesium supplements may be helpful, but the extent of their effectiveness is unknown.

Having period cramps can make life very challenging. Severe period cramps can cause you to miss work or school often, making it difficult to meet your day-to-day responsibilities. Period cramps can also cause a significant amount of emotional distress.

Relieving period cramps is important so you can get back to your normal life. If one treatment doesn’t work, talk to your healthcare provider for guidance about another option that can help manage your symptoms.

Experiencing mild to severe period cramps is common, but it shouldn’t be something you have to try to live with or power through. If your period pain is making it difficult to get through the days, don’t hesitate to reach out to your healthcare provider for treatment.