Pelvic Pain During Your Period: 5 Things That Can Help
Period pain and cramping is all too often dismissed in our youth and continues to be normalized as we age. Women do not all experience menstrual periods and associated pelvic pain the same. For some, the pain may be the worst the first few days, and for others, it may last the whole time or ramp up near the end. Some may describe their pelvic pain and cramping as debilitating, causing them to need to take off from school or work, while others may have mild-moderate pain and are able to continue daily activities for the most part, albeit uncomfortably. Some may experience minor or very little pain or cramping on their periods, which really is what should be considered normal. Say it with me – Bad period pain is not normal.
Not All Pain Is Created Equal
Location of pain is highly variable as well. Oddly enough, my personal experience is intense cramping of my left leg during my period. More commonly, period pain is reported to be in the abdomen, back, vulva, or pelvis. I have some clients that have more of the pelvic pain intra-vaignally and some that feel this more at the surface of the vulva or right around the vaginal opening.
Because of the varied experiences of period pain, a boss, friend, or colleague may brush off the pain you are having because they assume that your experience is either like theirs or perhaps like their partners. I remember a male cheerleading coach once saying, “Everyone needs to participate in practice to their full potential, skipping practice or sitting out because of a period is not an option. After all, his wife (the co-coach) used to still cheer when she was on her period, so if she could do it, then we could too.
If you are reading this blog, you are probably already thinking, well what if that woman fell into the minimal-to-no-pain category during her period when there were athletes silently suffering with very painful periods, some of which likely were experiencing undiagnosed endometriosis, still being pushed to perform on their worst days to keep their spot on the team.
Support Strategies for Period Pain
Whether period pain is related to diagnosed or suspected endometriosis or if it has seemingly no cause, there are strategies that may help ease the pain and help you to get through the day, hopefully without needing to do any backflips along the way. We’ll dive into 5 tips, but know that the list goes on. Pain strategies can vary just as greatly as the pain experience can. This will give you a good place to start!
H.M.B.M.H. - Help My Body Menstruate Happily?
More like Heat, Massage, Breathwork, Movement, and Hydration.
We will expand on each!
Fired Up About Period Pain
Heat can be helpful for reducing the intensity of period pain for some folks and is considered a comfort tool. While sometimes we know this could be a viable option, it may not seem practical at work or school. There are options that can be filled with hot water, microwaved, or plugged in to work in a way that is best for the setting you are in. They even make belts or stick-on patches that some of our clients love. This may be a more realistic option for when on-the-go! When using heat, precautions include checking temperature before applying to skin, using a buffer between skin and product, as well as making sure to not fall asleep with heat applied.
Solo or Partner Massage
When it comes to pelvic pain, especially period pain, massage can be a useful tool to increase blood flow to guarded muscles and the surrounding areas. Massage could look like a backrub in a way that is comforting to you, or it could include other at-home myofascial release strategies using one’s hands or tools like myofascial cups.
Our pelvic floor therapists at Bloom Pelvic Therapy find that having clients learn about massage or self-manual strategies and practice them in office is instrumental in improving confidence and competence in trying them out at home during a pain flare. Learning how to use cups can be a great way to expand your pelvic pain or period pain toolbox. You can be in control and in charge or have partner support, especially if the pain is in harder to reach places.
Inhale Relief, Exhale Pelvic Pain
Remember to come up for air when you feel the weight of period pain on your shoulders. While it is not as simple as “just relax,” or “take a breath,” there is true value and physiological processes that take place when engaging in diaphragmatic breathing. Getting the diaphragm pumping effectively with deep breathing is instrumental in stimulating the vagus nerve and helping our pelvic floor muscles relax through every breath. The vagus nerve is our gateway to turning up the volume on “rest and digest” messages and turning down the volume on our “fight, flight, or freeze” responses.
Picture this, as you take a breath in, your rib cage expands 360 degrees (like the kids’ ball featured below) to accommodate for the full breath and increase in pressure. While this happens, your diaphragm actually opens up like an umbrella and descends in the abdomen. The pelvic floor muscles that sit like a hammock within your pelvic bones mirror this movement. In other words, they descend responsively and are given permission through a physiologic cue to relax while you inhale.
As you exhale, the diaphragm moves up sort of like an umbrella would be closing and the pelvic floor muscles respond by mirroring this. They retreat back into their normal resting position. Imagine that with pelvic pain or period pain these muscles are often in a tightened and guarded state. Through this style of diaphragmatic breathing, the muscles literally get the nudge to “let go.” Even if the pain seems elsewhere in the pelvis, abdomen, legs, or other areas, these tight muscles often contribute.
If you are not sure where to start with this, try moving through 10 slow breaths on your lunch break before returning to work or school. Use this as a reset and observe what you notice in your body. You may feel more calm and ready to walk into the task ahead, you may also notice a step in the right direction in terms of turning down the intensity of your pelvic pain.
Let’s Get Physical
Supporting your circulation through movement is an excellent tool for your pelvic pain toolbox, especially when it comes to period pain. Sometimes movement seems like the absolute last thing you want to do when you are in pain. However, giving yourself permission to move can be game-changing in terms of breaking the pain cycle.
Even 10 minutes of movement with light walking, mobility, stretching, or a gentle yoga flow can be helpful to decrease pain. When your muscles are tight, your circulation of blood, which carries essential nutrients, oxygen, and hormones, is limited in its reach. Movement helps improve circulation by creating space for blood to travel to those areas that are otherwise guarded, such as the pelvic floor.
If you are more of a HIIT girly and that speaks more to you, then lean into that. However, keep in mind that sending your body into fight or flight mode with a highly intense workout may be a trigger for your nervous system and pain response. This does not apply across the board but may be helpful to consider. If this is comforting to you and seems to be supportive to your pain, then lean on in! You are in charge of your body.
Hydration Station
Consider taking your body weight in pounds and cutting that number in half for a little math exercise. Now take about ⅔ of the remaining number. That number you are left with is the amount of water we suggest starting with – in ounces! For example, if you weigh 200lb, try drinking about 66oz of water daily. See how you feel! If a cozier option speaks more to you and your period pain, consider Raspberry Leaf Tea!
Pelvic Therapy Is Key
If these are not quite cutting it for you or if you prefer to have hands-on support, pelvic floor therapy is the key to refining this period pain toolbox in a way that is individualized to you! We have clinics in South Tampa and Lutz, Florida and also support clients virtually across the globe. You do not have to be alone in dealing with period pain or pelvic pain. It should not be considered normal or par for the course – it should be validated, and you should be helped to get the relief that you deserve.