what can i do about menstrual cramps?
604765
ALL OF THE OTHER ANSWERS are good.and do try them. i used to manage a HEALTH SPA and here is something you can do,Lay on the floor, put your legs and feet up on a sofa or comforetable chair. this tips the urtus back and relieves the cramps.  but a hot bath first then  up with the legs and feet, is even better...do it 20 min at a time...it will help.
146266
If anything, a nice warm bath while on your period would help ease cramps, relax you, and is just what the doctor ordered!\n\nI have never personally experienced any bad effect from this.
46635
Take some midol, wear a pad because tampons make cramps worse and get one of those heating pads to put on your back or stomach whichever hurts more.
321107
Almost all women have some cramping during their periods, classified as either primary dysmenorrhea (which refers to "normal" menstrual pain) or secondary dysmenorrhea (which is a result of an underlying disease or disorder).\n\n"Normal" cramps occur in almost all women due to the release of prostaglandins, which are hormones produced by the endometrium (the lining of the uterus). Prostaglandins cause the uterus to contract (sometimes quite painfully) in order to expel the menstrual debris (and henceforth, start the period). Some women produce higher levels of prostaglandins than others, so they may hurt more. \n\nHOWEVER, killer cramps are NOT normal and are in most cases due to secondary dysmenorrhea. Most frequently this is because of a disease or disorder like Endometriosis, Adenomyosis, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, cervical stenosis, structural abnormalities in the vagina or uterus itself, fibroids, etc. If your cramping disables you, see your gyn to talk about options.\n\nNon-steroidal inflammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen may help relieve cramping...your doc can also prescribe oral contraceptives that will prevent ovulation and reduce prostaglandin production, thereby alleviating cramping. \n\nUse of heating pads, avoidance of salt, sugar, alcohol and caffeine, intake of vitamin B6, calcium and magnesium supplements, and pelvic massage are all said to be helpful as well. \n\nIt is important to determine if the cramps are "normal," or if they could be due to another cause. Pain that is crippling is never normal and should be investigated ASAP so that appropriate diagnosis and treatment can be rendered. Hope that helps.
771139
The best pain relief I have found for cramps is motrin.  Yes you can take it.
760244
start taking the medication a day before you expect the pain....once it starts, it's harder to stop\n\ntry a heating pad or a warm bath and try to relax....sometimes breathing exercises even help\n\nalso, make sure you eat healthy and exercise regularly....I can't believe when I get off track how much worse my cramps are!\n\nyou might want to talk to your doctor, they could give you a prescription for the pain and check for any possible problems such as fibroid or endometriosis\n\nwhen I was your age, I had horrible cramps, and I got on birth control pills a couple of years later, and that reduced the pain probably by 80%.....so you may also talk to your doctor about that
62829
Heat does help releive cramps.  I usually just use a hot water bottle and elevate my legs.  I've never heard of that medication the other response mentions, I always just take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.)  To prevent cramps, its better if you wear pads instead of tampons.  When mine are bad, I'll just wear tampons at work, and switch to pads as soon as I get home.
714299
You could use a heating pad, or take a hot bath.  This will help relax the muscles ease the pain of the cramps.  Good luck.
519461
I had really irregular, painful , heavy periods. i went to my doctor and she told me that i should go on birth control pills to help regulate all that. It has helped. Before when i had serious cramps, I used to lay on my back and put a pillow or a towel under my lower back. i have also found out that when i started exercising regularly, the cramps where not as bad when i had my periods. good luck and i hope you find some relief!
316174
Stretch for at least 15 minutes before hand and hold each stretch for a 15 second count. You may want to take up yoga which is excellent for increasing flexability and will also increase your muscle strength all of which will help to curb cramping. dont forget to stay hydrated!
496555
If you're really having serious cramps, your GYN may be able to perscribe soma, however it makes you really sleepy so it's not good to take during the day. I generally take 2 asprin and an anti-inflamatory like IB proufen (probably spelled that wrong) during the day. It really depends on how bad the cramps are and what meds your body absorbs more easily. A lot of people swear by midol and pamprin but those usually never work on me, unfortunately. Also, when you're able, the thermacare patches that heat themselves seem to help quite a lot. I generally get the ones for your back and stick those on my abdomen since they seem to heat up a bit more than the others.
1095776
I take advil which is the only pain killer that will take away my cramps. Try taking a hot shower letting the water hit your lower back. Also heating pads on your lower abdomen can help soothe. But nothing will really take away the pain except pain killers.
853428
80 percent of the time doctors relate cramps and muscle cramps, as a lack of not drinking enough.  Water  is a lubricant, for our body. Actually, cranberry juice is just as important. For 2 months drink  your fill. eight glasses of water and cranberry juice only.If the cramps wake you a nite especially. Relax a little, prop  your legs up on a  moist heating to increase your circulation. Also massage them,with a moisturing lotion> Always massage going down to ur feet. This will get ur circulation up to par
989857
Contrary to popular belief menstrual cramps are not a necessary part of being a woman, excluding health problems such as endometriosis most women can prevent period pains all together, or at the very least cure the pain when they do get any easily without resorting to painkillers and without messing up their bodies with extreme hormonal methods.\n\nPeriods are only as good or bad as YOU make them – if you have a good attitude towards your period this does effect your periods including making period pains less painful, also of course if you have a positive attitude about your body it also means you are more likely to research and learn about it and so find out that there are in fact a lot of things you can do to prevent menstrual cramps all together.\n\nHere are some ideas both to prevent and ease menstrual cramps;\n\n•Do not use painkillers, these actually increase period pain over time as your body build immunity and gets used to the painkillers being within your system, not only that but they simply numb the pain they do not actually do anything about the cause of the pain – pain is your bodies way of telling you that something is wrong, don't ignore it. Coming off painkillers if this is what you normally use can be hard because the next few periods after stopping using painkillers can seem more painful, but if you use other methods to prevent or cure menstrual cramps it does get better.\n\n•Take herbal teas, many herbal teas are ideal for menstrual pains as well as other menstrual or cycle related problems including curing PMS, reducing flow, inducing your periods and regulating your menstrual cycle. Herbs to try are as follows; Lemon balm, Black Haw, Blessed thistle, Camomile, Wild marjoram, Red raspberry, Wild strawberry, Valerian, Yarrow, Raspberry leaf, Blue cohosh, Dong quai – Check with a health store to make sure they are right for you, some stores will also sell women's blends that would help as well.\n\n•Don't use tampons, as well as being very bad for vaginal health many tampons are also made in such a way that they expand lengthways meaning that they can expand straight into your cervix, which is already delicate due to menstruation, and increase cramping. Commercial pads are also best avoided because as well as also being bad for vaginal health they are generally uncomfortable so hardly help with menstrual cramps. If you use these options consider other options such as; rubber bell-shaped menstrual cups, silicone bell-shaped menstrual cups, diaphragm as menstrual cups, homemade menstrual cups, softcups, organic tampons, sponges, padettes, padded panties, organic pads, cloth pads, homemade pads, free-flow, free-flow layering, free-flow instinctive, extraction, toilet paper, period blankets, etc.\n\n•Avoid salty foods and alcohol, these can increase bloating by retaining water, and so make you feel generally sluggish as well as making cramping worse.\n\n•Drink lots of water, this can aid in avoiding bloating. This will also help with headaches or migraines brought on by menstruation. Also adding lemon juice, a natural diuretic can decrease bloating.\n\n•Eat your greens, and a healthy diet can make you feel a lot better at the best of times, but during menstruation it can be a good pick up and help avoid that sluggish feeling.\n\n•Avoid foods like dairy and caffeine, generally these can cause problems for people, during menstruation this can be particularly true, many find these increase period pains. Also avoid soy products; these are notorious for causing menstrual cramps.\n\n•Take up yoga, this is a very good exercise tip because as well as being gentle exercise it also has stretching that can help even further and breathing exercises that can help relax you and so further aid in relieving menstrual cramps.\n\n•Take a bath, a nice warm bath can help relax you and the heat can ease period pains as well, avoid things that can harm your vagina like bubble bath, however some nice
536597
Potassium helps with leg cramps sometimes.  Eat bananas or get some pills...
1182615
I agree with all the other answers. I used to get horrible cramps, the kind that made me want to passout, I found that Tylenol menstrual/Midol or any pain reliever, doing some light jogging, and a heating pad after my jog worked really well. Even though exercising seems like the last thing you want to do, getting those muscles working helps loosen them up so that you don't have that "cramping" feeling. That's why as another person suggested "orgasms" help because they cause the muscles in your uterus to move and loosen or uncramp. Good luck!
779895
heating pads have become my best friend during my period. You can buy them at the store and place them against your stomach. They work wonders! I also tend to enjoy chocolate during my unhappy time. Well, Good luck getting rid of the cramps!