Abdominal cramps due to menstruation can be felt in the lower abdomen or pelvis. These cramps occur when the uterus contracts to expel the inner lining of the uterus called the endometrium.

Menstrual cramps feel like throbbing pain. The pain can appear a day or two before menstruation begins and reaches its peak on the first or second day of menstruation. Sometimes this menstrual pain can severely affect activities. You can practice certain yoga poses to help relieve it.

Yoga Poses to Relieve Menstrual Cramps

Breathing exercises and yoga poses can help relax the muscles of the body including the abdominal and pelvic muscles. Menstrual cramps are often caused by overcontraction of the uterine muscles. Doing yoga poses helps to reduce tension in the abdominal area while reducing the pain of menstrual cramps so that you can carry on with your normal activities.

Some yoga poses can help relieve menstrual cramps, such as:

Supta Baddha Konasana

A pose that involves a sleeping position supported with pillows on both sides and the soles of the feet and knees opening to the sides. This pose relieves tension in the pelvic and abdominal areas, which can help relieve menstrual cramps.

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (bridge pose)

The bridge pose is one of the yoga poses that involves lifting the hips on the floor to form a bridge with the body. This pose helps relieve stress, strengthens the leg and back muscles, and opens up the chest area.

Paschimottanasana

This pose is also known as Western Stretch or Forward Fold. This pose involves intensive stretching of the back, back muscles, and hamstrings. This pose can be done by sitting on the mat with both legs straight forward, then advancing the body until it rests on the legs like kissing the knees.

Viparita Karani

Viparita Karani is also known as Legs Up the Wall Pose, which is the movement of placing the legs on the wall with the body on the floor or mat. This pose helps relieve menstrual cramps by increasing blood circulation in the pelvis and providing a feeling of relaxation.

When trying yoga moves to relieve menstrual pain, you need to listen to your body and not force yourself if you don't feel comfortable.

Coping with More Severe Period Cramps

More severe menstrual cramps are called dysmenorrhea. This condition can be caused by several health problems, such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, benign tumors, pelvic inflammatory disease, cervical stenosis (narrowing of the uterus), or congenital conditions of the uterus that affect the ovaries or fallopian tubes.

More severe periods are characterized by several symptoms, such as:

• Menstrual cramps accompanied by heavy menstrual blood
• Periods longer than 7 days
• Bleeding between periods
• Digestive pain
• Pain during intercourse
• Pain during bowel movements
• Difficulty getting pregnant
• Pelvic pain

You need to get a further medical examination to find out the cause of your severe menstrual cramps. If your menstrual cramps are caused by any of the health conditions mentioned above, then you will need to seek treatment to resolve the symptoms and the underlying problem.

If you need medical advice or consultation, you can either visit a doctor or make use of the consultation features that are available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store.

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