Making Peace with Your Menstrual Cycle: A Dietary Approach (Ask Laurie)

The Question I Am Never Asked

There is one question, I am rarely asked about, but I wish I was.  Are there any dietary changes I can make to help ease my menstrual cramps? You bet there are.  But before getting clinical, let me tell you my story and why I wish I was asked this more often.

Dysmeno – what?

Since 15, I have hated my ovaries and uterus. I just couldn’t make peace with them since they insisted on ganging up on me once a month and causing me extreme pain.  By the time I was 16, I was on the pill for the sole purpose of easing my cramps, which were beginning to interfere with schoolwork.  I still had cramps but they weren’t as debilitating.

In my mid-30’s, having just ended a relationship, and reading too many concerning things about birth control pills, I decided to go off them.  Ugh.  I was back on the ride of unbelievable monthly pain.  I talked to my ob-gyn about it and we tried several things, including laparoscopy to rule out endometriosis. It wasn’t that and nothing was working.  Instead, I was diagnosed with dysmenorrhea.  I fancy term for painful menstrual cramps with no known cause.  Great.

I decided to check my regular nutritional sources to see if there might be something I could do.  They all suggested eliminating dairy. Ha. There was no way I was giving up my cheese.  Instead, I chose to continue eating copious amounts of Advil each month.

I had completely forgotten about this prior research when I gave up dairy 18 months ago, following my multiple sclerosis diagnosis.  (Since MS is more debilitating than my monthly cramps, I decided to end my love affair with cheese). Not only that, but my consumption of vegetables, especially dark leafy greens went from nil to 2-3 times a day.

I was so focused on MS that it took me a few months to realize that I was barely taking Advil anymore.  Yes, it seemed my menstrual cramps were nothing more than a minor annoyance now.  Holy cheese curd. Every woman should know this.

A Dietary Prescription

There are many causes of severe menstrual cramps.  So my experience may not be the same for you. Nevertheless, I and many others believe unresolved emotions, stress and diet play a significant role in the severity of our monthly menses.  There are many books that discuss the effect unresolved emotions have on our menstrual cramps.  Christiane Northrup’s Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom is especially good on this, so I won’t address that here.

As for stress, you probably know that you can never eliminate it.  However, you can change the way you react to stressful situations.  Try yoga, meditation or exercise to help you change your stress response.  Anything that will get your body relaxed will help alleviate the pain of cramps.

Unresolved emotions and stress response can take a while to have an effect.  So if you are tired of popping Advil or want to have a loving relationship with your feminine cycle, try these dietary recommendations:

• Eat dark leafy greens.  Dark leafy greens provide you with a balanced proportion of magnesium and calcium, which is critical to reducing cramping. Most of us are deficient in magnesium in part because we don’t’ get it in our diet (it is easily processed out) and we consume far too much calcium in proportion. All that dairy and calcium supplements actually leaches magnesium from your system.  Greens will help restore the right balance that will calm your uterine muscles.

• Eat sardines or taking an EFA supplement. Essential fatty acids are critical for proper menstrual system functioning and easing inflammation that results in pain.

• Eat lots of high fiber whole foods.  Ditch the processed foods and base your diet on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.  Not only will this deliver a good balance of nutrients, but will also provide lots of good fiber.  A happy digestive system leads to a happy reproductive system.

• Nix the meat, dairy and eggs.  Red meat, dairy and eggs can increase cramping in those of us that have dark red, heavy menses.  Not only does dairy interfere with our magnesium absorption as discussed above, but it can clog up the lymph system which backs up into our reproductive system leading to cramps and PMS.  Note, if you are iron deficient, eating lots of greens, especially spinach should be enough to offset the absence of iron found in red meat.

A Few Supplements to Consider

I’m not a huge fan of supplements. I believe we can get what we need from food, if we are eating good quality organic food.  However, when our body is out of balance, supplementation can be necessary. If your cramps are severe, try these:

• Probiotic.  Helps metabolize estrogen and improves gut function. A properly working gut will ensure a healthy lymph system, while a backed up lymph system will adversely effect the menstrual cycle.

• Evening primrose oil. EPO is not cheap, but it can be very effective at having an anti-inflammatory effect that can reduce cramps.

• Vitamin B complex.  Vitamin B helps our body handle stress.  Since stress contributes to the severity of menstrual cramping, be sure to get your B-vitamins, especially if you find that eliminating red meat is helping.

Our monthly cycle is truly a beautiful thing.  It is unfortunate that our bodies get out of balance and cause us pain.  In addition to all of the above, remember to take time out for you at your time.  Don’t try and push through the pain, but honor your body and take down time.

With love and peace,
Laurie
Chronic Wellness Coaching