Do you experience cramping discomfort around your menstrual cycle that requires the use of prescription or over-the-counter medication for pain relief?
Primary dysmenorrhea is the term used to describe aching or cramping that occurs before or during your menstrual period that is not caused by any other condition such as endometriosis.
Is there anything wrong with taking NSAIDs for your menstrual pain?
First of all, is there anything wrong with taking NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for your menstrual pain? NSAID use may actually be something to consider if you are trying to conceive, as one study reported that use of these medications for a short period of time (less than 2 weeks), impaired ovulation, and ultimately progesterone levels in some women (1).
We also know NSAIDs can be hard on the stomach. It is also worth noting that if you are taking more than 2 over-the-counter medications per period to manage your pain, you should speak with your primary care provider to assess for causes and/or better management.
Interested in a natural alternative for pain management?
A study published in 2012 compared daily ginger root capsules versus placebo for pain relief during periods, and the results showed that ginger had significant effects for relieving the intensity and duration of menstrual pain (2).
A 2016 systematic review article found similar promising results, where ginger performed equally to mefenamic acid, an NSAID, in regards to improving primary dysmenorrhea (3).
A recent meta-analysis reviewing 7 trials by Negri (2021), found that ginger “seems to be more helpful for relieving menstrual pain than a placebo, although it was found that ginger and NSAIDs were equally effective in pain severity (4).”
Ideally, as Naturopathic Doctors, we are always trying to get to the root cause of your painful periods (ie, hormonal causes, inflammation, endometriosis, etc), but in the meantime, ginger is proving to be a good option for natural pain management.
Looking for an integrative and natural way to support your menstrual cycles, including period pain? When you are ready, there are 3 ways to get started:
- Download my free guide: 5 Ways to Increase your Wild Feminine Energy here.
- Learn more about my transformational women’s health program, the Energized & Empowered Method here.
- Book your initial women’s health focused naturopathic appointment here.
Sources:
- Salman, S., Sherif, B., Al-Zohyri, A. Effects of some non steroidal anti-Inflammatory drugs on ovulation in women with mild musculoskeletal pain. British Medical Journals Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2015: 74:2. Journals, https://ard.bmj.com/content/74/Suppl_
- Rahnama P, Montazeri A, Huseini HF, Kianbakht S, Naseri M. Effect of Zingiber officinale R. rhizomes (ginger) on pain relief in primary dysmenorrhea: a placebo randomized trial. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2012;12:92. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-12-92.
- Chen, C.X., Barrett, B., Kwekkeboom, K.L. Efficacy of oral ginger (Zingiber officinale) for dysmenorrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016: 6295737. doi: 10.1155/2016/6295737. Epub 2016 May 5.
- Negri, R., Sharma, S, Gaur, R. et al. Efficacy of ginger in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea: A systemic review and meta-analysis. Cureus. 2021, 13(3): e13743.