Many women experience menstrual cramps just before and during their menstrual periods. Sometimes headache, nausea, palpitation, or diarrhea are associated.
Menstrual Cramp Management：
- Try taking a hot bath, drink warm beverages, light abdominal massage, or placing a heat pad or a warm water bottle over the lower abdominal area to ease menstrual cramps.
- Rest and relax.
- Avoid alcohol, tobacco, spicy or cold food. Chocolate or bean soup may help relieve menstrual cramps.
- Your doctor may suggest taking over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen or naproxen sodium, at regular doses starting the day before you expect your period to begin. Prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as mefenamic acid, also are available. If you can’t take NSAIDs, acetaminophen may lessen your pain.
- Your doctor may suggest taking over-the-counter drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen just before you expect your period to begin or prescribe other medications to treat or prevent your pain.
- See a gynecologist if menstrual cramps cause serious disruptions every cycle or if your symptoms have grown worse, or if you’re older than 25 and have only just started having severe menstrual cramps.