All-Natural Pain Relief for Menstrual Cramps With CBD

It seems like a monthly plague - the throbbing, cramping pain in your lower abdomen that women intimately know to be menstrual cramps, or dysmenorrhea. Often times, the pain becomes so intense, it radiates to your lower back, hips and legs.

For many women, menstrual cramps can be debilitating. They may be temporary, but when they hit, all bets are off because often gut-wrenching cramps may last for days on end. According to one recent survey conducted by OnePoll, menstrual cramps have been so painful, they have brought 42% of women to tears, 39% had trouble sleeping and 25% have vomited. Moreover, 58% of women surveyed reported that they have taken time off from work because of how bad their menstruation symptoms felt.

Menstrual cramps come with being female, but how do you get relief?

In this article, we’ll explore:

1. What are menstrual cramps and why do women get them?
2. Natural remedies for helping with menstrual cramps and PMS
3. Does CBD help with cramps?

What are menstrual cramps and why do women get them?

Menstrual cramps occur when the lining of the uterus contracts during monthly menstruation to expel the womb lining. Prostaglandins, which are hormone-like substances that are involved in pain and inflammation, trigger these cramps. Most women experience some amount of cramping and pain before and during menstruation, even if they are generally healthy. However, sometimes, disorders can cause abnormally difficult periods.

Causes for extremely painful menstrual cramps include:

• Endometriosis. Uterine tissue becomes implanted outside your uterus, most commonly on your fallopian tubes, ovaries or the tissue lining your pelvis.
• Uterine fibroids. Painful noncancerous growths in the uterine wall.
• Adenomyosis. The uterine lining begins to grow into the uterine walls.
• Pelvic inflammatory disease. Sexually-transmitted bacteria infects the female reproductive organs.
• Cervical stenosis. The cervical opening is so small it impedes menstrual flow.

Regardless of whether you have a problematic reproductive system, there are all-natural remedies you can try to hopefully provide some relief.

Natural remedies for helping with menstrual cramps and PMS

Most women, at some point in their life, look to over-the-counter pain meds like ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve) to decrease their pain. These non-prescription meds work fairly well for most women and are generally considered safe. However, if a small dose (200mg every 4 hours) doesn’t work for you and you are taking larger doses, the side effect can become serious. Long-term use of these prostaglandin-inhibitors can cause stroke, high blood pressure and decreased kidney function, among other possible serious ramifications. 

For many of us, avoiding the pill-popping in favor of using all-natural alternatives is preferable.

Here are five all-natural menstrual cramp remedies you may want to consider trying to find some meaningful relief.

Apply heat. 

A 2018 study found that applying a heat patch at 104°F worked as well as taking NSAIDs for the pain. For this purpose, consider using an electric heating pad placed on your abdomen or back; or try temporary, disposable heat patches, which can be adhered to your skin when you are on the go.

Do Yoga

Acupuncture is the practice of partial insertion of hair thin needles into various parts of the body. While the needles are so thin you typically can’t even feel them, the body recognizes the micro-trauma and floods the insertion points with fluids and chemicals to ‘heal.’ This rush creates different effects in other parts of the body which has been meticulously mapped over hundreds of years of medical research and study.

The findings of a 2017 study published in the journal Human Reproduction Update revealed that the intensity and duration of period pain can be reduced by up to 50% by administering manual acupuncture. Even studies conducted by the National Institute of Health have affirmed that acupuncture is an effective treatment alone or in combination with conventional therapies to treat menstrual cramps.

Does CBD Oil Help with Cramps?

While more medical and scientific research is called for, several studies have shown that CBD, derived from the cannabis plant, appears to affect a certain group of molecules that are key to the inflammation process. When inflammation occurs, pain isn’t far behind. 

That is one reason why there is broad interest in CBD and its potential to treat pain, in general.  Using cannabis for treating pain dates back 5000 years when Egyptians used it to treat neuralgia, headaches and toothaches.  And, in the late 19^th century, Sir John Russell Reynolds, Queen Victoria’s personal physician, was said to prescribe hemp tincture to relieve the monarch’s painful menstrual cramps.

Today, the use of all-natural, hemp-derived CBD products for cramps appears to be rising in popularity. Google searches for CBD have quadrupled in recent years and there is new information and research coming out every day.  Many women and care providers believe that CBD’s pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties could contribute to treating specific menstrual discomforts such as low back pain and lower abdominal cramps.  Further, as reflected in numerous articles published on the web, there are women who swear by using CBD oil for PMS relief, as well.

While there are no published studies found specific to CBD for period cramps (yet), there has been extensive scientific and medical studies to support CBD’s ability to positively affect acute and chronic pain relief.  Prescription drugs and over-the-counter remedies for pain abound, but as interest in natural alternative treatments grow, so does the interest in CBD products and their ability to support a healthy pain and inflammatory response.

So how do you use CBD oil for menstrual cramps?

One way is to purchase topical CBD oil products that can be gently rubbed into your abdomen. Or, one of the most common preferences for using CBD oil is in the form of a sublingual tincture. Full spectrum CBD oil may be effective for helping our bodies manage period cramps, but there are also CBD products that are fortified with additional extracts and vitamins proven to support women before and during menstruation.  Many believe that CBD products bolstered with Vitamin D, B-12, calcium or extracts such as Black Cohosh and/or Evening Primrose oil may provide women with additional hormonal support, delivering much needed relief from menstrual cramps and other period-related woes. 

Bespoke Serenity can be taken safely every day. It is fortified with a unique blend of full-spectrum CBD, Vitamin D, Mucuna Pruriens Seed extract and the hormonal health boosters Evening Primrose oil, Chasteberry, and Black Cohosh extract.  Just place your desired dosage under your tongue and hold it there for one minute. Then swallow. When consistently taken, it may provide excellent menstrual cycle support.

Depending on the severity of your period pain, CBD may help soothe your mood, reduce your stress and aid in alleviating your discomfort. However, with any all-natural remedy, it may take time to find the right CBD dosage that works for you.  It is important to do research about dosage and check with your doctor if you are on any prescribed medications that may be affected by your use of CBD oil for cramps or PMS.

As nearly every woman can attest, periods are a recurring source of pain, discomfort and sleepless nights. If you happen to be one of the sufferers, consider trying CBD for cramps or one of these other easy and proven home remedies to enjoy some much welcomed relief from the “monthly plague.”