Are your period cramps normal?

Are periods supposed to be painful? Are women somehow designed to experience cramps? It worries me how many women spend much of their lives thinking that being female is inevitably a painful experience and that cramps are an unavoidable part of being born with a uterus. Period cramps are seen as inevitable part of the process of the uterus shedding its lining each menstrual cycle. It’s a pervasive myth that, I believe, has deep roots. But the thing is, it’s just a myth, and the cramp-free period is not only a pipedream - it’s totally possible.

Your body is not designed for period cramps, in fact it is perfectly, beautifully designed for you to not have period cramps, it just needs a little support from you to return to that wonderful state.

Why do you get period cramps?

So, how do period cramps work and where do they come from? Before you have your period the endometrial cells that form the lining of your uterus produce lots of prostaglandins. When the uterine lining breaks down during menstruation, the prostaglandins are released. Prostaglandins constrict blood vessels, making the uterus contract, which brings about painful cramps. Women who have period cramps have higher levels of these prostaglandins in the uterus lining than those women who experience little to no period pain.

While your body produces 1 type of prostaglandin – PgE2 – which causes uterine contractions and, so, your period cramps; your body also has 2 types of prostaglandin – PgE1 and PgE3 - that actually exist to counteract the contractions and are antispasmodic in nature i.e. natural pain killers. Your body has twice the capacity for providing pain relief as for causing you to experience period pain.  

How to prevent period cramps

The more PgE2 prostaglandin your body makes, the more period cramps you’ll get and the worse they will be. PgE2 also plays a part in other period symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, and headaches.

The key, therefore, is to support your body to make LESS of the prostaglandin PgE2 and MORE of those natural painkillers PgE1 and PgE3.

I used to have horribly painful periods - the kind of cramps that knock you sideways and put a stop to your day. I was determined to discover not only the science behind why I was experiencing this, but also the science behind how to stop it happening. This was when I began to develop the FLO Living protocol.

As just one example, the body will produce more PgE2 in response to not having enough omega 3 fatty acids and having too many omega-6 instead, the main culprit often being too much canola oil in your diet. But it’s not just about lowering PgE2 levels, it’s also about INCREASING the levels of those helpful, painkilling prostaglandins - and they like salmon and sardines, sesame seeds and flax. Red meat and dairy products contain arachidonic acids, which brings about the overproduction of PgE2 prostaglandins, so avoiding these will have a positive effect.

The Monthly FLO program is perfectly designed to get rid of your cramps within one or two cycles. The FLO foods boost the body’s ability to produce the right kind of prostaglandins, and block production of those cramp-inducing prostaglandins. Plus, you’ll learn a whole host of self-care practices to lower your stress levels - highly important, because increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol actually slows the production of PgE1 and PgE3. You can stop having cramps by next month.

Please note: there are other reasons you might be experiencing bad period pain - endometriosis and fibroids being two common functional issues.

Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

To your FLO,

Alisa

We believe that no woman should suffer simply because she has a period.

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