Exercise

  • Do some gentle exercise - it's probably the last thing you feel like when you're doubled up with stomach cramps but exercise can help to ease the pain by relaxing the muscles in your womb (uterus) and increasing the blood supply to your pelvis. It may also help to lower the levels of prostaglandins, the hormones thought to be a cause of period pain.
     
  • Yoga, pilates and swimming are all good forms of exercise to help relieve period pain. Or, to get blood pumping to your pelvis, you could go for a brisk walk or lie down and cycle with your legs in the air.
     
  • Stretch out - stand up straight and imagine there's a piece of string running from your heels, up your legs and spine and out through the top of your head. Pull in your stomach and breathe deeply as you imagine someone pulling slowly on the string so you're stretched up tall.
     

 

If you've tried everything under the sun and period pain is still making your life a misery, it's worth asking your GP for advice.

Period Predictor

Use our Period Predictor to find out the likely start dates of your periods for the next 12 months

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