What is menstrual cramp?

The lower abdominal pain is usually crampy and intermittently intense, but may be a continuous dull ache during menstruation or before and after menstruation. Some women also have severe backache or thigh pain. Fatigue, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or unstable emotion often accompany the pain. In some serious cases, the patients could have pale face, cold sweat, and even fainting.

Cause of Pain in Western Medicine

• Primary Menstrual Cramps

It usually occurs in slim, depressed young women in the absence of organic change of disease. The possible cause is abnormal increased prostaglandin concentration. The symptom usually starts from the beginning of the period soon after the first menstruation.

• Secondary Menstrual Cramps

It is caused by organic disorders such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, uterus or cervical congenital anomalies, pelvic cavity inflammation or after installing contraceptives.

Therapy

• Therapy through Western medicine: symptoms treatment by applying hot compress to the lower abdomen, drinking hot drinks and taking a hot baths to reduce pain.
• Primary Menstrual Cramps

The purpose of treatment aims to relieve the pain related to menstruation by using painkiller (prostaglandin antagonists) and to adjust the status of menstruation for pain relief through contraceptive pills.

• Secondary Menstrual Cramps

Although painkiller can alleviate the pain, the most important rule is to correct the cause of menstruation cramp.

• Therapy through Chinese medicine: The cause of menstruation cramps is the Qi stagnation and blood stasis which make poor meridian circulation and results in pain. Treatment principles include adjusting blood and relieving pain for symptom control and distinguishing syndromes for adequate treatment for underline disease and body texture.

Diet

• Diet: Balanced diet will boost body immunity.
• Eat warm food and avoid cool and cold food.
• Avoid fatty and greasy food.
• Avoid roasted, fried and spicy food.

Daily Care

• Exercise: daily proper exercise could enhance physical immunity. (Ex: yoga, Tai Chi and Qi-gong.)
• Emotion:  Maintain a pleasant mood and seek adequate ways to relief stress.
• Living habits:  Normal meals and routine with full rest, sleep and mental and physical relaxation. 

Food Therapy

• Ginger brown sugar tea
• Material: Three slices of fresh ginger with moderate amount of brown sugar.
• Preparation: Brew with boiled water or cook into ginger soup.
• Function: Drink during menstruation to alleviate the symptoms of menstrual cramps.
• Rose tea for primary menstrual cramps
• Material:  10 grams of rose and moderate amount of cubed sugar.
• Preparation: Brew with boiled water as tea drink.
• Function:  soothing the liver, relieving stagnation, and regulating Qi. Suitable for women to drink daily. 

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