Imagine you were moving to the North Pole for five years. How would you prepare for your new life? Most likely, you’d learn everything you could about coping with the cold. And if there was anything you could eat or any supplement you could take to make the experience more pleasant, of course you’d want to know about it. It’s five years of your life, after all. You might as well be comfortable. Maybe you never thought about it, but if you add it up—month after month, year after year—you have your period for about five years of your life. And if you’re like most women, you’d do anything to sail through those days without feeling crampy and exhausted and swollen up like a baby beluga.
Why You Feel So Bad
Most women have some degree of menstrual discomfort at some point in their lives, says Susan M. Lark, M.D., director of the PMS and Menopause Self-Help Center in Los Altos, California, and author of Menstrual Cramps: A Self-Help Program and PMS: Self-Help Book and a physician specializing in women’s health.
Most menstrual pain is classified as either spasmodic or congestive. Doctors know that spasmodic pain is caused by the female hormones estrogen and progesterone and by prostaglandins, hormonelike substances that control muscle tension. Women with spasmodic cramps generally have an excess of a certain type of prostaglandins called 2 series prostaglandins, which are responsible for contraction of the smooth muscles, including the uterus. Prostaglandin production increases toward the end of your cycle, resulting in cramps that are sometimes accompanied by nausea, constipation or diarrhea.
Probably the best thing that can be said about spasmodic pain is that it tends to improve with age. It’s usually most severe in women in their teens and twenties. Spasmodic pain often improves after a woman has children, says Dr. Lark.
The other type of menstrual pain is known as congestive. Women with congestive pain also tend to suffer from bloating, water retention, headaches and breast pain. In addition, they often notice a worsening of their cramps when they eat certain foods, such as wheat and dairy products, or when they drink alcohol, says Dr. Lark. Unfortunately, congestive pain tends to get worse with age, whether or not a woman has children.
While monthly cramps aren’t pleasant, they are normal, says Dr. Lark. She cautions that in some cases, the pain can be a symptom of a health problem that requires medical attention, such as endometriosis. “You should always discuss unusual menstrual symptoms with your doctor,” she advises.
But most of the time, the cause of cramps is simply menstruation itself. And in such cases, some doctors maintain that a few prudent nutritional changes can do wonders to improve your quality of life during your period, says Dr. Lark. The following nutrients have been shown to help soothe menstrual symptoms.
| Food Factors When it comes to easing monthly discomfort, supplements are only part of the equation, says Susan M. Lark, M.D., director of the PMS and Menopause Self-Help Center in Los Altos, California, author of Menstrual Cramps: A Self-Help Program and PMS: Self-Help Book and a physician specializing in women's health. How you feel during your period also depends on what you eat during the rest of the month. Here's what she advises. Beware of hidden sodium. Most women know that too much salt in the diet can aggravate monthly water retention, says Dr. Lark. But many don't know that much of the salt they're eating is hidden in seemingly healthy foods, such as canned vegetables, frozen dinners and cheeses. Fast foods, pizza and most snacks, such as chips and pretzels, are also heavily salted. Stop adding salt at the table and during cooking, she suggests, and get into the habit of reading food labels for sodium content. Salad dressings, prepared soups and many condiments are loaded with sodium. Focus on fiber. Constipation is a common complaint of women with menstrual cramps, says Dr. Lark. Solve the problem naturally with a fiber-rich diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole-grain breads and cereals. Try banishing wheat. Wheat can aggravate monthly symptoms in women who have food allergies, says Dr. Lark. If you suspect that you may be wheat-sensitive, she suggests substituting corn, oatmeal, brown rice and rye bread for wheat products for a month or so to see if it helps. Steer away from beef. A diet that contains lots of red meats such as beef, lamb and pork may aggravate menstrual cramping, says Dr. Lark. Meats contain saturated fat, which the body uses to produce 2 series prostaglandins. These are chemicals that are responsible for the contraction of the smooth muscles of the uterus, which leads to cramping, she explains. |
Calcium and Manganese: A One-Two Punch for Cramps
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center in North Dakota have found that getting enough of certain minerals all month long can make a significant difference in how a woman feels during her period.
In one study, a group of menstruating women were fed a number of different diets over several months and questioned about how they felt at different points in their menstrual cycles. One of the diets was unusually low in calcium and manganese, a trace mineral that’s found in nuts, tea, whole-grain cereals and dried peas and beans. The same women also tried a diet that was supplemented with both minerals.
When the researchers analyzed the women’s premenstrual symptoms, they noticed a clear pattern: Most women reported much less severe symptoms when they followed the diet high in both calcium and manganese.
It’s interesting to note that the diet the researchers considered low in calcium, the one that produced the most uncomfortable menstrual periods, included about 587 milligrams of calcium per day. The high-calcium diet had about 1,336 milligrams of calcium, which is close to the amount experts recommend to prevent osteoporosis, the brittle bone disease.
Just how these minerals fend off menstrual discomfort isn’t clear. Researchers know that calcium is involved in the production of prostaglandins. “It may be calcium’s role in prostaglandin metabolism that’s responsible for the mineral’s effect on pain,” says James G. Penland, Ph.D., head researcher at the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center.
Manganese’s role is even more mysterious. “We do know that manganese is involved in blood clotting, and some research shows that a low intake is associated with a heavier menstrual flow,” says Dr. Penland. “This is definitely an area that needs more study.”
While researchers continue to try to figure out exactly how these two minerals work their magic on menstrual symptoms, a daily multi vitamin/ mineral supplement that includes the recommended levels of both calcium and manganese makes good sense for women who want to minimize menstrual discomfort, says Dr. Penland. The Daily Value for manganese is 2 milli grams. Because women of all ages have trouble getting enough calcium through diet, Dr. Penland recommends increasing your intake of low-fat, high-calcium foods such as low-fat yogurt and skim milk. If you still need more calcium, he suggests taking 500 to 1,000 milligrams of supplemental calcium a day.
Vitamin B6 Keeps Cramps at Bay
The whole B-complex is essential for good health, but when it comes to relieving monthly symptoms, vitamin B6 and niacin are the stars, says Dr. Lark.
Vitamin B6 plays a key role in the production of 1 series prostaglandins, the “good” prostaglandins that relax the uterine muscles and keep cramps under control, according to Dr. Lark. But a woman’s B6 stores are easily depleted. Stress and certain medications, such as oral contraceptives, can easily cause a shortage. As a result, your body may not manufacture enough of the right kind of prostaglandins, leaving you feeling tied up in knots when your period comes. And if you’re bothered by water retention or monthly weight gain, B6 can ease those symptoms, too, Dr. Lark says.
Dr. Lark recommends taking vitamin B6 as part of a B-complex supplement. Look for a B-complex supplement that contains no more than 200 to 300 milligrams of B6. Large doses can be toxic, she says. It’s a good idea to check with your doctor before taking doses of more than 100 milligrams daily.
Equally important in staving off cramps is niacin.“Some research shows that niacin is about 90 percent effective for relieving cramps,” says Dr. Lark. To head off cramps before they start, she suggests taking between 25 and 200 milligrams of niacin a day, beginning seven to ten days before your period is due and stopping the day that your period starts. This treatment can be repeated every month to prevent menstrual cramps.
Because niacin can cause slight flushing in some women, start with 25 milligrams a day for the first month. “If it doesn’t seem to help, you can always increase the dose the following month until you find the level that’s right for you,” she advises. Women with liver disease should use niacin only under medical supervision, cautions Dr. Lark.
| Prescriptions for Healing There are a few nutrients that can help make a woman's monthly cycle more comfortable. Here's what some medical experts recommend. Nutrient Daily Amount
Calcium 5001,000 milligrams Iron 15 milligrams Manganese 2 milligrams Niacin 25200 milligrams, beginning 710 days before your period and stopping the day your period starts Vitamin B6 200300 milligrams Vitamin C 1,000 milligrams
MEDICAL ALERT: Do not take niacin in doses exceeding 100 milligrams without medical supervision. Women with liver disease should use niacin only under medical supervision. Vitamin B6 can cause side effects when taken in doses of more than 100 milligrams daily, so it's a good idea to talk to your doctor before supplementing the amount recommended here. |
Nutrients to Lessen Bleeding
Next to cramps, heavy bleeding is probably the most common complaint of menstruating women, says Dr. Lark. Besides being inconvenient, heavy bleeding can deplete a woman’s iron stores and can even lead to anemia.
It isn’t surprising, then, that doctors recommend iron supplements to women with heavy bleeding. What is surprising is that getting extra doses of this mineral doesn’t just replace the iron that has been lost. It may actually reduce the amount of bleeding in the future, says Dr. Lark.
“Women need only a small amount of iron. But what they need they really need,” she says. She recommends a daily supplement of about 15 milligrams.
Women with heavy bleeding also need plenty of vitamin C and bioflavonoids, says Dr. Lark. Bioflavonoids are chemical compounds related to vitamin C; they’re found in many citrus fruits and included in many supplements. Both vitamin C and bioflavonoids reduce bleeding by strengthening the capillary walls, which are at their weakest just before and during the menstrual period, says Dr. Lark. She recommends a daily supplement that includes at least 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C and 800 milligrams of bio flavonoids.
Because vitamin C helps the body absorb iron more efficiently, Dr. Lark recommends taking these two nutrients together.
