Are Painful Periods Ever A Sign of Good Fertility?
Our society has deemed painful periods as normal. We’re routinely told that cramps are just a part of being a woman and something we’ll have to suffer through every month. Period pain has been compared to that of a heart attack by doctors, yet conventional medicine continues to fall short as 3 in 5 women polled said they’ve experienced PMS and cramping so bad that it’s caused them to call out of work.
And what’s just as bad as missing out on living your life because you’re doubled over in pain each month? Being led to believe that painful periods are normal.
But here’s the thing—cramps that leave you curled up on the couch are not normal. You don’t need to keep trying to ignore it. You don’t have to toughen up. You don’t need to make excuses that justify the pain. And you don’t need to keep resenting your period for the rest of your life.
But if you’re concerned about your fertility at all, you’ll want to raise the bar on what you are and aren’t willing to accept as a “normal” period.
You shouldn’t have to plan your life around your period. Even if your period’s been cramping your style for as long as you remember, this doesn’t have to continue to be true for you. It’s time to get the support you need and get your life back.
Most people have no idea how good their body is supposed to feel. So many women don’t even know what a normal cycle looks like. You only know YOUR normal. But just because painful periods are common for you, it doesn’t mean they should be the expectation or standard you set for yourself.
Menstruation should not be a deeply debilitating experience. A pain-free period is possible, and it’s possible for you.
WHAT IS A “NORMAL” PERIOD?
No matter what’s been your “normal” menstruation experience, cramps should not be normalized as they’re a sign that something is abnormal or imbalanced.
A good, healthy period is true red in color from start to finish with no hues of purple, maroon, black, or brown. Your bleeding should last 4-to-6 days, and the flow should start out heavier and dwindle down as your body clears all of your uterine lining and the blood. There should be no clotting, and you shouldn’t be losing more than 80mL of blood throughout your cycle . . . the equivalent of 16 fully soaked tampons or pads. Your period should make its appearance every 28-to-32 days with no spotting beforehand and no breakthrough bleeding.
Your body can’t talk to you in words, but it talks to you with your cycle. What’s it saying?:
What color is your period blood? Darker colors may mean you have excess estrogen, too much stress, or liver Qi stagnation.
Do you get spotting before your period? It’s probably time to look at your ovarian reserve.
What about clotting? Your liver probably needs a little more love.
Do you get cramps before or during your period? Your body is creating cramps for a reason. You may have a clogged liver, an infection, endometriosis, adenomyosis, uterine fibroids, or inadequate progesterone.
There are a number of reasons women have painful periods, and there are many natural and effective ways to alleviate these symptoms.
HIGH PROSTAGLANDINS, CRAMPS, AND PERIOD POOPS
What causes period pain and how common is it? In a study aimed at determining the frequency of dysmenorrhea (painful menstrual cramps), only 15% of the women claimed to have never experienced any menstrual pain at all. 84% of the women studied said they’ve experienced cramps before or during menstruation, and 43% of those women reported the pain occurred during every period.
One of the most common causes of menstrual cramps is higher than normal prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances that are necessary for triggering uterine contractions during menstruation. Women with significant levels of menstrual pain typically have about 4 times the amount of prostaglandins as women with symptom-free periods. Overproduction of prostaglandins can contribute to hyperactivity in the uterine muscle, resulting in inadequate blood supply and painful contractions.
In Chinese medicine, cramping is a result of liver Qi stagnation. When there isn’t a free flow of circulation, Qi (your life force energy) and blood stagnate. When your liver is bogged down, you’ll notice you’re more sensitive to stress and the toxins around you. And what you’re experiencing today will show up as more cramps and clots in your next cycle.
The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) approach to liver Qi stagnation and menstrual cramps involves getting things flowing smoothly again through acupuncture, herbs, dietary choices, and lifestyle changes that help alleviate symptoms and restore balance.
In addition to menstrual cramps, many women experience bloating, cramping, and loose stools during their period. This is usually because of the hormonal changes that take place before your period arrives. The fluctuation of estrogen and progesterone can affect the digestive system and lead to slower intestinal movement and delayed transit time of food through the intestines. Then once your period comes, the stool loosens up . . . and can sometimes get a little too loose.
Poor liver function, excess estrogen, and nutrient deficiencies play a big role in these pesky period poops. Unfortunately, so many women tolerate painful periods for years, even decades, and don’t really take the time to understand their menstrual cycle until they’re thinking about getting pregnant.
DO PAINFUL PERIODS MEAN INFERTILITY? AND CAN DYSMENORRHEA CAUSE INFERTILITY?
There are two types of dysmenorrhea—primary and secondary. You can think of primary dysmenorrhea as your run-of-the-mill period pain caused by the excessive production of prostaglandins, hormone imbalances, increased inflammation, and liver Qi stagnation.
Secondary dysmenorrhea, on the other hand, is caused by an underlying medical condition such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, uterine fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease, or ovarian cysts. Many people assume that the pain associated with secondary dysmenorrhea is much more severe, but in reality—it’s just different. It most definitely can be worse, but it’s more likely that this pain starts earlier in the menstrual cycle and lasts longer than primary dysmenorrhea.
You can’t have an in-depth conversation about period pain without talking about endometriosis.
And this is when it’s common to see dysmenorrhea cause infertility. But all period pain (or really bad period pain) is not the same thing as endometriosis. With endometriosis, there’s a disease present. There’s actual diseased tissue that’s not supposed to be there. Endometriosis can improve with natural treatments, but this process may take longer. And for some women—especially those wanting to have a baby—additional surgery may be necessary.
Even though surgery is on the table with endometriosis, you don’t need to rush straight into it.
If you think you may have endometriosis, but haven’t confirmed it, the first step is to make the natural lifestyle changes to improve your menstrual period. And if after 3-to-4 months of consistent changes you don’t see improvement, then consider pursuing an endometriosis diagnosis.
If you end up needing to have laparoscopic surgery to remove the diseased tissue, doing as much as you can on your own naturally will help make your surgery more successful. There will be less disease to deal with and you will have an easier recovery because your inflammatory factors have been reduced in advance.
Outside of endometriosis, all other causes of painful periods do not necessarily have a direct impact on your fertility. There is definitely an indirect connection between high prostaglandins and fertility, but this is able to be treated naturally if you get to the root cause of what’s going on and make the proper changes sooner rather than later.
The conventional methods of treating painful periods include taking over-the-counter pain relievers and being prescribed birth control which completely shuts down your cycle. Having a healthy period is key for your fertility, but you don’t need pain pills and synthetic hormones to reduce your cramps. You can break the cycle of period pain naturally.
The new standard is pain-free periods. And here are a few ways to get you there!
HOW TO EASE YOUR PAINFUL PERIODS NATURALLY
So what can be done to make periods less painful? Every woman will have her own unique experience, but there are several ways to naturally ease your menstrual cramps.The following suggestions seem to have the biggest benefit for the most women, but there are several more lifestyle changes you may also find helpful and want to consider as well.
Just be sure to do yourself a favor and don’t try to change everything overnight. It’s okay to start slow. You don’t have to be perfect, but it is important that you’re consistent.
The exact treatment that will work best for you will depend on several different factors. It’s always advisable to work with a practitioner who can guide you through your own wellness roadmap, as figuring things out on your own can often take far longer and be more expensive than necessary.
DRUG-FREE WAYS TO MANAGE PERIOD PAIN
Honor your Time of the Month: There’s a good chance you feel more introverted and crave more rest during your period, and that’s your cue to slow down and honor what your body needs. Learn how to live in alignment with your menstrual cycle—take it easy, be intentional with your time, and have a little chocolate if you’re craving it.
Take Magnesium: Magnesium does wonders for easing muscle cramping, which might just be why so many women reach for the chocolate during that time of the month. If you’re a chocolate person, treat yourself to a high quality, mineral-rich bar of Hu, which is a better-for-you brand that’s oh so delicious!
Even the best bar of chocolate isn’t going to cut it as your magnesium supplement though. There are a lot of options when it comes to magnesium, so be careful not to get magnesium citrate—it will likely just give you diarrhea. Magnesium Glycinate is a much better option for muscle cramping and period pain.
Add Zinc: There’s a clinical trial that measured the effectiveness of Zinc supplements for dysmenorrhea. And it turns out that taking Zinc is extremely effective for period pain! If you add a Zinc supplement to your routine, be sure to take it with food because it can make you feel nauseated and sick to your stomach if you don’t.
Drink Red Raspberry Leaf Tea: Red raspberry leaf tea has been used by midwives all over the world to tone the muscles of the uterus for pregnancy and menstruation. Enjoying a mug everyday is a great way to help balance hormones and fuel the body with iron. To get the most out of every cup, steep your tea for at least 5 minutes (the longer, the better) and cover your mug to hold the steam in so you don’t lose any of that healing goodness.
Do a castor oil pack: Castor oil has a unique lipid composition which allows it to absorb through the skin into the pelvis where it can target prostaglandin receptors. Doing castor oil packs a few times a week can even help to stimulate the immune system and clear up excess inflammation. If you decide to start doing castor oil packs, adding heat will take it to the next level. Combining castor oil packs with a hot water bottle the week before your period arrives should help prevent cramps before they happen.
There are more things you may want to try like giving up alcohol, skipping seed oils, quitting conventional A1 dairy, ditching gluten, and not using tampons. And as a reminder, you’ll get the best results when you’re working with an experienced functional medicine practitioner to help you find the right resources as you get started.
SHOULD I BE CONCERNED ABOUT PAINFUL PERIODS IF I’M TRYING TO CONCEIVE?
Your painful periods are telling you something is out of balance in your body. Maybe it’s your hormones. There’s a good chance it’s your liver. And no matter how long you’ve been putting up with painful periods—they’re not normal, and they certainly aren’t helping your fertility.
But detecting and correcting these imbalances can be complicated especially when you’re not sure what to look for or how to figure out what each symptom really means.
If you’re looking to get clarity around your cycle for a more in-depth understanding about how your period pain might be affecting your fertility, book a Fertility Consult. On this one-on-one virtual call, you can ask your specific questions and get expert insight and support to figure out what next steps will be the best for you.
