How to Avoid Menstrual Cramps

Are you dreading the day that those monthly cramps, bloating and tummy-writhing pain return? Today is the day this changes. Many women simply don’t understand what exactly occurs in their bodies during monthly menstruation, and it is difficult to determine the best solution. Many teen girls find it difficult to come up with a steady solution, i.e. one method may work well for several months but a different one after that.

First, let’s take a brief look at what menstruation is, then a guaranteed list of solutions to cramping, bloating and aching.

Menstruation occurs when a girl’s body becomes able to conceive children. Once a month, ovulation (the best time to conceive) occurs exactly between your periods. This means, a slight amount of spotting on your underwear approximately two weeks after your last menstruation and two weeks before your next one. Then, menstruation (a steady bleeding from your vagina for a few days) occurs, which is the body’s natural cleansing process. When a baby is conceived, a large amount of proteins, tissue-building material and nutrients have been stored in the body to facilitate growth, nutrition and proper formation of your baby. However, once a month, this store of good things for the growth of your baby must be changed out and replaced by a brand new supply. The elimination of this nutritionally-enriched store is your menstruation. This is why it is so important to take in extra nutrients and raw foods during your time of the month. You are losing a lot of that nutrition in a few days time.

Now, on to more comfortable periods:

1. The number one monthly-related piece of advise passed from mother to teen is the use of pecans. Pecans are eaten by many women who wish to not only remove menstrual cramps, but who wish to have a less heavy period. Eating thirty or forty pecans a day during the length of your period may be all it takes, but it is recommended for first-timers to eat pecans until all of the pain stops. Usually this occurs within a couple of hours, but remember: one cannot overdose on pecans, so eat as many as you like! Men, if you dread this time of the month as well, consider cooking pecan-infused meals for your women.

2. Second on our list of cramp cures is the generous consumption of fluids. A lot of fluid is leaving your body, your blood sugar drops more quickly and simple dryness of the tissues can cause extra discomfort. Soft drinks have been known to increase this dryness during a woman’s cycle, so fill up on juice, smoothies and water!

3. Exercise and sex. Surprisingly, monthly cramps are processed very quickly in hormone- and endorphin-infused bodies. This is exactly the reason for ice cream and chocolate trips to the store. Endorphins released in the body not only feel good for their own sake, but they balance the delicate cycle within a woman’s system. Jogging, swimming and sexual activity can dramatically reduce long-term pain.

4. Reducing stress is the fourth most effective solution to monthly discomfort. As with all potential dangers to the body, muscles tense up, adrenaline is secreted, and stress hormones distributed. Take precautions against extra stress by relaxing with a cup of hot herbal tea and some good conversation. Women are more likely to destress when in conversation with each other. The potential to ease your menstrual cramps is an added benefit!

Remember, your period is a natural and balanced process in your system. Imagine the consequences to your body if you could not urinate or move your bowels. Keep this in mind when eliminating menstrual pain. Not all short-term solutions are long-term solutions, so ease up on methods which decrease your periodic flow. Relax and enjoy your more comfortable body.