Q&A: Menstrual cramping

Q&A: Menstrual cramping

I have really bad cramping during my menstrual cycle, what can I take? Also, is this affecting the fact that I'm trying to get pregnant? Excessive cramping during menses (dysmenorrhea) can be related to many factors, and without seeing you it is difficult to say which are at play. However, there are a few basic categories of issues that I see in my patients with dysmenorrhea. Inflammation The first issue relates to an imbalance in eicosanoid production, locally acting hormones such as prostaglandins, thromboxanes and leukotrienes that mediate the pain and inflammation of dysmenorrhea. Cleaved from the fatty acids in the membranes of our cells, this imbalance in eicosanoid production is mostlycaused by consuming too many omega 6 fatty acids relative to omega 3s. In an attempt to maintain the yin-yang balance of homeostasis, the body utilizes omega 6 fatty acids to create pro-inflammatory eicosanoids, whereas  omega 3 fatty acids are metabolized to produce anti-inflammatory … [Read more...]