It’s that time of the month and your lower abdomen starts to ache, tighten, throb or even shoot pain. Most women can relate to this feeling as around 80% of women experience period pain at some stage in their lifetime. Around the world, 1.8 billion women menstruate and more than half of menstruating women experience pain around their period. Small amounts of discomfort can be expected, but many women experience such intense pain where they become incapacitated by their menstrual cramps. So what actually causes period pain/cramps and how do we help it? It’s been a question asked by many women and we’re here to answer it.

What causes period cramps & period pain?

The technical term for period pain is dysmenorrhoea. It derives from an ancient Greek expression which literally means ‘difficult monthly flow’. There are actually two types of period pain, primary and secondary. Primary dysmenorrhoea is pain caused by the period itself whereas secondary dysmenorrhea is period pain with a second root cause such as endometriosis. We will cover primary dysmenorrhoea in this article.

Primary dysmenorrhoea is most likely caused by an excess of prostaglandins—hormone-like compounds that are released from the uterine lining (the endometrium) as it prepares to be shed. Prostaglandins help the uterus contract and relax, so that the endometrium can detach and flow out of your body. They are a necessary part of the process, but in excess, they cause pain if the uterus contracts strongly, blood flow is reduced, and the supply of oxygen to the uterus muscle tissue decreases, causing pain.

Prostaglandins and Period Cramps

For most people with period cramps, it’s still unknown what predisposes them, and not others, to painful menstruation. There are a few common hypotheses, the most supported one being inflammation. The production of prostaglandins is related to inflammation, and inflamed tissue tends to produce more prostaglandins. It was found that people who experience more menstrual pain have also been shown to have higher levels of inflammatory markers in the blood, even after adjustment for factors related to chronic inflammation, like BMI, smoking, and alcohol consumption.

It is also found that people are more likely to have painful periods if they have heavy or long period bleeding, if they started menstruating early in life, or if their periods are irregular. Other factors that have been associated with painful periods include smoking, being thin, being younger than 30, having a pelvic infection, and being sterilized.

How to help period pain naturally

When you research how to help your period pain the most common and usually first answer is OTC pain relievers. Our society is so quick to prescribe OTC drugs for any ache and pain we may experience. Not very often do we think how we can help an issue naturally or seek out the natural remedies before reaching for that pill bottle. From our own research we have found that almost all women rely on pain relief drugs during their period.

Although OTC drugs may seem to be harmless and have been considered normal, they do have potential side effects. It has been found in multiple studies that the prolonged consumption of OTC drugs and prescription pain relievers can affect multiple organs and systems in our body. These include but are not limited to:

interrupting the way the liver functions,

causing liver and kidney damage,

leading to an elevated risk of cardiovascular adverse effects,

stomach and gastrointestinal issues, as well as creating a greater risk of developing depression.

creating a greater risk of developing depression.

So how can you help your period pain drug-free? Meet Mobility Tape For Her.

Mobility Tape For Her

The all natural, easy to use, discrete, and affordable way to deal with period cramps as well as headaches, muscle aches, strains and sprains. Mobility Tape For Her is kinesiology tape with heat activation technology built into the adhesive. It uses natural pain relief mechanisms to allow you to feel relief from period pain and cramps as well as headaches, muscle and joint pain, strains and aches.

Mobility Tape For Her maximizes natural recovery ability and corrects the balance of the human body by adjusting electromagnetic flows on the skin and indirectly stimulating muscles or organs right under the skin. Our tape promotes three effects: to normalize muscular function; to increase lymphatic and vascular flow thus decreasing inflammation; and to diminish pain. The tape’s adhesive is infused with borneol and menthol essential oils. When the tape is applied these compounds slowly release into the tissue to create an Icey Hot, soothing sensation which helps diminish pain and inflammation. The tape is 100% cotton, 99% allergen free, Health Canada approved, WADA approved, 100% water resistant and has up to 6 days of adhesive strength.

Mobility Tape For Her

The best part is Mobility Tape For Her can be applied completely by yourself. It is discrete, allowing you to wear it under any clothes and allowing you to do whatever activity with it on. Unlike the other traditional natural methods of dealing with period pain like the hot water bottle or electrical pulses, Mobility Tape For Her can be used wherever and whenever without anyone noticing.