A Little Easter Egg About Cramps

Have you ever had excruciating cramps, where you've decided to stay in bed, maybe laying on your side with a heating pad?

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That seems like a really good idea... it allows you to rest, keeps you off your feet, and you can just focus on breathing...

But did you know: menstrual fluid (blood, mucus and other lining from the uterus) is made to leave the body, not only from cramping, but also from gravity?  It's simple and definitely makes you want to roll your eyes and say, "Well, duh!"  

Obviously, as soon as you sit up in bed in the morning, you can feel "the gush" - you may even notice your sheets have been soiled!

Anyway, this is relevant information because, if you're in an inverted position during your cramps, the abdominal muscles around your uterus will actually work harder (stronger cramps!) to push more blood out of your body - ouch!

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So how can you fix this? 

Well, personally, this took me a long, long time to figure out on my own.  My first instinct when my cramps got intense, was to lie down in bed, plug in the heating pad and watch TV.  Yeah sure it would give some very mild relief - but the cramps were still there. Sometimes I could be laying like that, still cramping, for upward of 4 hours... my husband questioned me, and said that whenever we were out & about together during my time of the month, I didn't complain about the intensity of my pain as much as when I was laying down.  He actually made sense - my cramps truly did feel worse when I wasn't upright! 

After some research about the cause of menstrual cramps (and alternative relief, such as yoga), I was enlightened to find out that when we're in a position where our menstrual fluid cannot just "flow out" onto the pad (or, into the Diva Cup, etc.) with gravity, we will feel more intense cramping. Which means we, as women, have power to change that 😍


Next time you're tempted to lay back down in bed, or on the couch (c-ouch), challenge yourself to get up and walk around your home for just 10 minutes.  If you can handle that okay, try for 20 minutes.  If you think you can do it, go outside for a brief walk around the block... you may be surprised to find that light physical activity is better for the muscles around your uterus, than laying down.  It's totally okay if you don't believe me... after all, I'm not trying to sound preachy.  I only suggest that you try this and compare how you feel. 

If you're worried about bad cramps keeping (or waking!) you up, take a pain relief medicine about 30 minutes before sleeping.

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Caveat:  If you find your cramps are so intense that they interfere with your ability to complete daily tasks, going to work, if they cause you a fever, chills, or nausea/vomiting, then you should seek prompt medical advice!  It's never a bad idea to visit an ER if you're in too much pain to stand straight or do a simple task like take a shower or do light housework.  If it turns out you have something like endometriosis (lining on the outside of your uterus), it would be a relief to start getting that condition treated.