why your period is not meant to be painful. iMAGE by Lana prins — A gentle spasm with a feeling of downward energy is normal, because all the energy is focusing on that area, your uterus, to release the menstrual blood.

This time is so important because as women/AFAB, this is a way in which we release emotions, stress, tension, pent up resentment, it’s a time for reflection and going inwards to explore self.

Photo by: @lana.prins

Extreme pain and cramping is not normal. Yes, I will say it again. Extreme pain and cramping is NOT normal & who told us this in school?

I remember feeling like o great, pain for the next 40 years.

Cramping often occurs when the blood is stagnant, dark in colour, clotted and is struggling to come out.

We are really looking for a bright red blood, we can use our periods as another vital sign, so assess our health.

The darker the colour, typically is a sign of old blood or blood that has taken longer to leave the uterus and has had time to oxidise, turning brown or dark red. It can also indicate low progesterone levels (in which you want to increase if you are trying to conceive) & high oestrogen.

So the body has to increase contractions in order to remove the blood. Makes sense right? I often explain the toothpaste analogy. Say your toothpaste has dried up a bit, the thicker the toothpaste it's harder to squeeze out, so you squeeze and squeeze. If it's thinner and runnier you need to make literally no effort.

Alternatively increased secretion of proinflammatory markers (such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes) in the body, induces abnormal contractions in the uterus. Unfortunately, the contractions actually end up reducing uterine blood flow, which leads to the uterine pain and cramping.

So what to do?

We need to reduce cramping, move blood stasis (get the blood moving to prevent blood becoming old and turning brown) rebalance hormones & decrease proinflammatory markers in the body.

Firstly…

Reducing any external interference, reducing those proinflammatory markers in the body.

These are often increased by;

~ Lack of sleep

~ Poor diet containing inflammation causing foods

~ High stress

~ Pesticides on foods

~ Bpa in cans

~ Xenoestrogens (chemicals that mimic oestrogen) from plastic wrapped foods and water bottles

~ Exposure to too many chemicals at home such as air fresheners, paraffin wax candles, make up, beauty products, perfumes & cleaning products.

Don’t panic, these are all things that can be removed and replaced from one's life. Removing what we’re used to from our life can feel overwhelming, but it's all baby steps, one change is greatly beneficial, you don’t have to remove it all overnight.

I found natural cleaning products the easiest to start with which are readily available in most supermarkets or cheap to make yourself with vinegar and essential oils, like our grandmothers used to do (loads of help on youtube).

There are hundreds of natural beauty products, make up and perfumes online now, its really trending so it makes it easy for us to make the switch, I use ‘INIKA’ personally or buy from ‘plastic freedom’ online. For perfume I just use essential oils in either a base oil or in a water spray bottle.You can also use hydrosols like rose water. I sometimes buy Korres perfume which is natural.

Switching to vegetable box deliveries like Riverford, Abel & cole or a local farm scheme is great to avoid plastic wrapped fruit & veg, it also saves a lot of time if your busy as the box comes straight to your door.

Opt for BPA free cans, which are available in health food stores or buy your beans in a cardboard carton - Sainsburies have a good range.

Paraffin wax candles can be switched to soy, beeswax of candelilla wax.

Avoid buying single use plastic water bottles & buy a reusable water bottle, you will save so much money, its more hygenic having your own & helping the environment too.

Dirty Dozen Clean Fifteen - Emma Marigold, Medical Herbalist, Lady Apothecary — DIRTY DOZEN
CLEAN FIFTEEN

Organic food can feel expensive and a step up in price, I often get a local veg box fortnightly, grow a little seansonal fruit & veg and do the rest of my shopping in a supermarket using the ‘dirty dozen, clean fifteen’ method.
This reduces my plastic waste greatly and exposure to pesticides.
> Opposite is a little card I made which you can screen shot and keep on your phone so you can take it with you to the supermarket or even print it out & add it to your purse/wallet.
If you haven’t heard of the ‘DIRTY DOZEN CLEAN FIFTEEN’ before, ill explain.

It is simply that the dirty dozen are ‘dirty’ meaning these foods are better to buy organic, as pesticides & chemicals soak into the vegetables & fruits easily.

The clean fifteen however are ‘clean’ & naturally reject pesticides & chemicals, making them safer to eat so you don’t need to buy them organic.

Foods to avoid, that cause inflammation are:

Processed white SUGAR, high fructose corn syrup, chemical sweetners.
Saturated Fats
Trans Fats (often found in margarine)
Omega 6 Fatty Acids (Fast food, crisps, safflower oil, cured meats, soybeans, corn, sunflower oil, walnuts, meat, poultry, fish and eggs. (It doesnt mean you have to remove all these foods from your diet, it means don’t just eat all these foods, a balance of healthy fruits and vegetables that are antiinflammtory will counter the effects, not that I recommend anyone eat fast food).
Refined Simple Carbohydrates (White bread, white pizza dough, white pasta, pastries, white flour, white rice, sweet desserts & some breakfast cereals).
MSG - Monosodium glutamate (often added to takeaway chinese food, some chinese products, processed meats, Fast food chains like Mcdonalds, Doritos, Pringles, some spice blends, frozen meals, condiments, instant noodles etc check the ingrediants list. Msg is often added as it is addictive and will bring the consumer back time and time again).
Gluten
Casein protein in Dairy (Casein is removed when making ghee which is why it is a medicine in India)
Excessive alcohol intake
Processed foods in general
Processed meats (includes bacon, sausages, hot dogs, salami, corned beef, beef jerky, ham, canned meat and meat-based sauces.

Healthy Food swaps, Emma Marigold, Medical Herbalist, Lady apothecary

stress

The hardest to remove is high stress. There are tools we can implement to lower our stress levels, but in the society we live in today its quite common for us to have stressfull jobs & lives.

Stress affects our hormonal cycle so much, you may have noticed a late period after a stressful time or maybe it has stopped all together.

When were stressed were in the ‘fight or flight’ response, our body wants to keep us safe and run away from danger. So we get an increased heart rate, more energy, we may feel hotter, we may need to use the toilet so were emptier and can run faster. The body doesnt know the difference between, running from a threat - say a tiger and high stress of deadlines at work, it just understands you are stressed.

So when we are stressed, the body will shut down the ‘rest mode’ digestive processes and reproductive system & activate ‘stress mode’, its not the ideal time to be making babies it thinks, so often the period is delayed until you are relaxed or you may experience no periods at all. This is also common in women who excercise too much.

The science

Stress activates a hormonal pathway in the body called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Activation of the HPA axis is associated with increased levels of cortisol and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). The HPA axis, cortisol, and CRH are normal bodily functions & help control the stress response in the body, although prolonged stress suppresses the normal levels of reproductive hormones that are produced, which often leads to anovulation (no ovulation), or amenorrhea (absence of menstruation).

Try adding in some tools to your daily life that can reduce stress, I know this isn’t always easy. Simple breathing techniques are really effective, the main way our body thinks we’re stressed is by how we breathe. The vagus nerve is a cranial nerve in our brain, that controls the lungs, amongst other organs.

So when we breathe slowly, we’re telling the brain that we are safe and relaxed.

OTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR REDUCING STRESS…

Reducing coffee intake can help aswell, one a day is often ok, but too much caffiene recreates stress conditions in the body, by releasing cortisol (the stress hormone).

Can you make your home even more soothing, is there a quiet corner you can make just for you? a small temple, with candles and pillows, a sanctuary you can go to when you feel overwhelmed?

Maybe there is a nice app you can download on your phone and listen to soothing voices or nature sounds before bed, less screen time after dark or a local class of yoga nidra?

HERBS

There is also plenty of herbs for aiding in stress reduction and anxiety… I will do another post on this, but my favourite herbs for stress are;

~ Passiflora incarnata - Passionflower

~ Scutellaria lateriflora- Skullcap

~ Avena sativa - Oatstraw

- Holy basil - Tulsi

- Tilia europaea - Lime flower

Secondly…

Reduce cramping and get the blood moving. We can use herbs to do this, there are many antispasmodic herbs (reduce spasm/cramps), I like to use cramp bark for period pain (see previous post), cramping will also reduce naturally as we make some dietary changes and remove external interference as mentioned above.

Exercise is an easy way to get the blood moving and avoid stagnation, which can also aid in painful cramps.

I highly recommend mini rebounder trampolines for this, which also gets your lymph moving, aiding in the removal of toxins from the body. When actually on your period try yin yoga or gentle stretching & save higher intensity excerise like running for ovulation time.

Thirdly…

Rebalance hormones.

Ultimately, over time by reducing stress we will rebalance our hormones, but we can also use herbs to rebalance and recentre us. My favourite herbs for this are: Angelica sinensis - Dong Quai + Vitex agnus castus - Chaste tree.

Angelica sinensis - Dong Quai

Angelica regulates hormones, is a blood tonic, is blood building, rich in iron, magnesium and potassium. She is an antispasmodic meaning a reliever of cramps & spasm & an analgesic meaning painkiller. She supports the liver, therefore ensuring proper recycling of hormones removing excess hormones or hormone dominance. She is a uterine tonic, rejuvenative & nourishing to the pelvic area.

Vitex agnus castus - Chaste tree

Vitex reduces breast congestion, thus reduces tender painful breasts. She balances the hormones, is a uterine tonic & rejuvenative in nature. She is progesteronic, useful in reducing oestrogen and balancing the hormones. Progesterone plays a role in sexual desire, prepares the uterine lining by thickening & providing nourishment, It also prohibits muscle contractions in the uterus.

Your Period is not meant to be painful