When it’s that time of the month, it may feel like nobody understands what your body is going through. Maybe you get severe cramps that you’re missing school, migraines for days, or your mood changes on a dime. Fortunately, at Pelvic Connections, we are right there with you and aim to provide you with a safe space in-person or virtually to address your menstrual cycle at any age and the aches and pain that come with it. 

What Causes Painful Periods

Period’s are never fun but it’s important to address what’s normal in terms of period symptoms and what’s not. For example, the uterus has to contract to expel the blood which leads to cramping pain known as dysmenorrhea which is a normal occurrence before or during your period. 

However, if your experiencing severe pain that is preventing you from enjoying normal activities, you could be experiencing secondary dysmenorrhea such as: 

1. Endometriosis: Endometriosis happens when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in other areas of the body, such as on the ovaries and fallopian tubes, behind the uterus, and on the bladder. With endometriosis, there could be adhesions present where the uterus cannot contract as efficiently compared to someone without adhesions. 

2. Pelvic floor muscle spasms: These spasms can feel like a stabbing sensation, a gentle throbbing, or a fast tremor. You also may notice incontinence, urgency, painful sex, painful insertion of tampons, or low back pain. In addition, pelvic floor muscle spasms could also be the result of diet, stress, sleep hygiene, metabolism, and muscle imbalance such as weakness in hips, leg, or feet.

Birth Control and Alternatives

Deciding to go on birth control is a huge step in taking care of your body and health. You may be deciding between a systemic and localized birth control.

• Systemic birth control is your typical daily pill that is absorbed into your bloodstream. 

• Localized birth control when it releases hormones does not enter the bloodstream, but directly into the uterus such as an IUD. 

The good news is nowadays more and more women are speaking up about the various birth controls that work and don’t work for them and the pain level associated with each one. As we continue to hear about stories of painful insertions of IUDs, we want you to know at Pelvic Connection your pain matters to us and your comfort is our number one priority. 

When you’re deciding which birth control is right for you, you may also want to consider great period tracker apps with comprehensive tracking features:

• Clue

• Flo

• Period Tracker

• MyFl

If you are not able to go on birth control due to other health conditions, you should know there are other natural ways to avoid getting pregnant. For example, apps like Tempdrop and Ava track your basal body temperature to predict ovulation. You can also do a cervical mucous assessment which is a way to track the changes in cervical mucus throughout the menstrual cycle to help determine when ovulation is occurring and when intercourse is most likely to result in pregnancy.

How Can Pelvic PT Help Period Pain

1. Myofascial Release & Stretching: We can use this manual therapy transvaginally and/or transrectally to improve blood flow to the genitals. 

2. Dry needling: Dry needling can help relieve menstrual cramps and pain by releasing multiple trigger points

3. Visceral Therapy: Visceral therapy can help menstrual pain by addressing the tissue around the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries to allow for greater capacity for movement

4. Relaxation Strategies: We use guided visual and auditory meditation, breathing techniques, heating pads, and biofeedback to teach you how to relax your pelvic floor muscles. 

5. Taking a Step Back and Addressing the Whole You: 

   1. How efficient is our body in burning calories? (Our metabolism can impact our cycle!) How is our sleep schedule? What’s our body fat percentage? Are we getting our periods regularly? Do we address our mental health in therapy or communicating with friends and family?