Relieve Menstrual Cramps: Best Meds, Foods & Exercises

Relieving menstrual cramps fast can be achieved through ginger tea, magnesium, or targeted pressure points. Learn how caffeine impacts your flow and find out which exercises can help stop period pain while staying active.

How to Get Rid of Menstrual Cramps Fast

Menstrual cramps may make the week of your period miserable and uncomfortable. Cramps occur because your uterus contracts in order to expel your uterine lining and can be quite painful, reports Iris F. Litt, author of "Taking Our Pulse: The Health of America's Women."

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Pressure Points to Relieve Menstrual Cramps

Most women suffer from menstrual cramps--some cramps are severe, while others may be mild. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, University of Maryland Medical Center and The American Family Physician all recommend acupressure, or pressure point therapy, to relieve menstrual cramps.

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Foods That Are Bad for Menstrual Cramps

Menstrual cramps can be a part of a woman’s natural cycle. High levels of chemicals known as prostaglandins can cause contractions in the uterine muscles.

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Menstrual Like Cramping During Exercise

One of the key benefits of exercise is that it helps reduce menstrual cramping. But sometimes, it has the opposite effect. If you suffer from menstrual like cramping during exercise, there are a number of possible causes, and some of them are potentially serious.

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Ginger Tea to Relieve Menstrual Cramps

When you have menstrual cramps, sometimes all you want to do is lie down and hope they go away; most days, you don’t have that luxury. If you relax with a hot cup of ginger tea, you might find relief from the herb's healing properties. However, you should talk to your doctor before using ginger as a treatment method.

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How to Run With Menstrual Cramps

Arising from your body’s production of prostaglandins, menstrual cramps -- called dysmenorrhea in medical circles -- can lead to excruciating pain for many women, potentially limiting prolonged physical activity like running.

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How to Relieve Cramping Fingers

Cramps that occur in the fingers have a variety of causes. For example, overusing the fingers during activities such as writing, playing instruments or typing, can cause muscle fatigue and unwanted spasms that interfere with normal motor performance.

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Magnesium for Menstrual Cramps

Menstrual cramps are a widespread problem that many women face on a monthly basis. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, increasing magnesium is one effective way of treating menstrual cramps, as well as other types of menstrual-related pain -- including headaches and nausea.

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What Are the Causes of Menstrual Cramps After Menopause?

Women normally experience cramping as a part of the menstrual cycle. This abdominal pain can begin weeks before menstrual bleeding or midway through the cycle when ovulation takes place.Once menstruation ceases and menopause begins a woman should no longer feel menstrual pain.

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Menstrual Cramps & Cranberry Juice

Cranberry juice isn’t likely to lessen menstrual cramps. The vitamins, minerals and antioxidants found in cranberries — and its juice, for that matter — do nothing to combat the source of the pain. Other methods are often necessary to relieve any discomfort associated with menstruation.

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Caffeine and Menstrual Cramps

For many women of reproductive age, the menstrual cycle includes at least a few days of uncomfortable symptoms -- including menstrual cramps.

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Running in the Woods

Can Exercising Stop Menstrual Cramps?

Menstrual cramps top the list of reasons that girls miss school and women miss work, according to University of California San Diego's Student Health Services. Pain may occur a few days before your period begins and becomes less severe as menstrual bleeding comes to an end.

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Menstrual-Like Cramping & Gas While Pregnant

Although you don’t get your period during pregnancy, it’s not uncommon to feel menstrual-like cramps during this time. Cramps may be caused by gas, or they may be a sign of a larger problem.

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The Best Medicines for Menstrual Cramps

Cramps are a common complaint during the menstrual cycle. A March 2014 "American Family Physician" article reports that as many as 9 out of 10 women experience menstrual cramps. The pain can be severe enough that some women miss work, school or social activities.

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