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9 Surprisingly Simple Natural Remedies for Menstrual Cramps

Written by Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC on October 3, 2025

Written by Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC on October 3, 2025 — Reviewed by Hannah Wright

• What Causes Painful Periods?|
• 9 Natural Remedies for Menstrual Cramps|

If you’ve ever had to curl up with a heating pad and wonder how you’re supposed to function through the pain, you’re not alone. Period cramps (also called dysmenorrhea) are one of the most common—and most dreaded—parts of the menstrual cycle, affecting nearly half of women of reproductive age.

Over-the-counter painkillers or birth control pills may take the edge off, but they don’t address the why behind the pain. That’s where a deeper look at root causes comes in. Understanding what’s really driving menstrual cramps can open the door to natural, long-term solutions—things like diet, lifestyle shifts, and targeted supplements that support hormonal balance.

The good news? You’re not stuck with cramps as an inevitable part of your cycle. Once you understand what’s behind them, there are practical steps you can take to calm your pain, support your hormones, and feel more in control each month.

What Causes Painful Periods?

Period pain usually starts with contractions in the uterus. These contractions are triggered by hormone-like compounds called prostaglandins, which can spike right before your period. The stronger the contractions, the more pain you’re likely to feel.

But that’s only part of the picture. Period pain can show up differently for different women, and the root causes generally fall into these three categories:

• PMS-related cramps: Mild to moderate abdominal cramps that come with premenstrual syndrome. Some women even get mild cramps—called mittelschmerz, German for “middle pain”—when they ovulate 1.
• Primary dysmenorrhea: Caused by elevated prostaglandins and hormonal imbalances, leading to stronger uterine contractions 2 3.
• Secondary dysmenorrhea: Pain linked to an underlying condition like endometriosis, uterine fibroids, adenomyosis, endometrial polyps, pelvic inflammatory disease, or sometimes an IUD 2.

Alongside cramping, you might also notice bloating, back pain, nausea, diarrhea, or fatigue. For some women, the pain can be so intense it disrupts daily life.

The good news? Many of these drivers connect back to hormone health—and by extension, gut health—meaning lifestyle-based strategies can make a real difference. 

9 Simple Natural Remedies for Menstrual Cramps

Menstrual cramps can seriously get in the way of daily life—but you don’t have to white-knuckle through them. From small shifts in diet to new therapies being studied, there are plenty of natural approaches that may help calm your pain and give your cycle a smoother rhythm. Let’s walk through eight of the best-researched and most practical options. 

The following remedies apply mainly to primary dysmenorrhea—the period cramps caused by prostaglandins and hormonal imbalances—but they may also reduce PMS-related cramps and those related to underlying conditions.

1. Replenish Calcium & Magnesium

Your muscles—including your uterus—need minerals to contract and relax smoothly. When calcium or magnesium levels run low, cramps often get worse. In fact, studies show that women with PMS tend to have lower levels of both calcium and magnesium 4.

When replenishing these minerals, food is the best place to start. 

High-calcium foods include yogurt, mozzarella, canned sardines with bones, milk, tofu, and spinach 5. Magnesium-rich foods include roasted pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, almonds, spinach, and cashews 6. If your diet periodically falls short, well-chosen calcium or magnesium supplements can help fill the gaps 7.

2. Eat Healthy Fats to Help Tame Inflammation 

Healthy fats don’t just keep you full—they’re literally the building blocks for your hormones 8. Without enough of them, your body struggles to keep estrogen and progesterone in balance, which can set the stage for stronger cramps.

Omega-3 fats can be especially powerful. A meta-analysis (study of studies) found that taking 300–1,800 mg of omega-3s daily for 2–3 months can ease period pain and reduce the need for painkillers in women with dysmenorrhea 9.

By far, the most beneficial type of omega-3s—called EPA—come from fish and seafood and play a bigger role in reducing inflammation 10. Try adding fatty fish like salmon or sardines to your diet. 

If fish isn’t your thing, flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and canola oil provide an omega-3 fat called ALA, which the body can convert into tiny amounts of EPA and another omega-3 called DHA. But vegetarians and vegans are better off using a high-quality algae oil with DHA and EPA. 

For anyone else who doesn’t like fish, a high-quality fish oil supplement can help fill the gap 10. Pairing these fats with olive oil and avocado adds even more hormone-friendly support.

3. Eat Less Sugar and More Nutrients

Although hormones play a major role in menstrual problems, what you eat before and during your period can make your symptoms better or worse. One study looked at the diets of women with period problems, including dysmenorrhea, and compared them to those of women without these issues 11.

Women with menstrual problems in the study tended to eat less protein, certain B vitamins, vitamin K, and sodium than healthy women. These nutrients are important because they help balance hormones, reduce inflammation, and support overall reproductive health 11.

The study also found that women with menstrual problems ate more sugar—like sweets, sugary drinks, and desserts. Too much sugar can make cramps worse by disrupting hormone balance, increasing inflammation, and affecting the gut, which makes the body more sensitive to hormonal changes. Diets high in sugar and unhealthy fats can also block the absorption of important nutrients, adding to menstrual pain 11.

On the other hand, eating more fish, fruits, vegetables, and dairy has been linked to less menstrual pain 12. These foods provide protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help keep hormones steady, reduce inflammation, and support normal menstrual cycles.

To put this into practice, here are three anti-inflammatory eating patterns that may help (with links for deeper guidance):

• Mediterranean Diet: Rich in fish, olive oil, vegetables, and legumes, this diet has been widely studied for its ability to calm inflammation and support hormone balance.
• Paleo Diet: Paleo cuts out added sugars and processed foods while focusing on nutrient-dense whole foods that support steady blood sugar and reduce inflammation.
• Low FODMAP Diet: Especially useful if digestive issues worsen your cramps, this approach limits fermentable carbs that can trigger bloating and discomfort during the menstrual cycle.

Cravings for sugary foods are totally normal during points in your cycle. Letting yourself enjoy a treat once in a while won’t derail your progress. It’s the overall pattern—steady, nourishing meals most of the time—that makes the biggest difference for cramps.

4. Relieve Stress to Relieve Cramps

Stress doesn’t just affect your mood—it directly impacts your hormones. When stress runs high, your body shifts resources away from reproductive balance, which can destabilize sex hormones and intensify uterine contractions 13. That’s why cramps often feel worse if you’re juggling high daily stress, especially during the first half of your cycle 14. 

A meta-analysis showed that psychological approaches to stress—such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, relaxation exercises, and just learning about how pain works—can help reduce menstrual cramps and make them less disruptive to daily life. Women who tried these methods reported feeling less pain and being less affected by it in their day-to-day activities, both right after treatment and in follow-ups 15. 

Even simple, daily practices—yoga, meditation, journaling, or just walking outside—can help your body relax and rebalance.

5. Move Your Body for Less Pain

Movement is one of the simplest (and cheapest) ways to ease cramps. A recent meta-analysis found that exercise is a powerful way to ease menstrual cramps—sometimes working as well as, or even better than, medication 16. Here’s what stands out from the study:

• Strength training and a mix of strength, cardio, and stretching were best for cutting down pain.
• Strength training and stretching eased other menstrual symptoms.
• Core exercises and mixed routines helped shorten cramp duration.

For the best results 16:

• Strength training can work well in as little as 4–8 weeks.
• Mixed exercise or yoga can keep helping if you stick with it longer.
• Just 1–3 sessions of cardio or mixed workouts per week can make a difference, but more frequent strength, yoga, or mixed routines can give extra relief.
• Shorter strength workouts and longer cardio or mixed sessions seem most effective.

In short: Move your body in the way you enjoy most, but adding some strength training or a varied routine seems especially effective for period pain.

6. Soothe Cramps With Heat

Applying heat to your lower abdomen can reduce menstrual pain—a meta-analysis suggests it may be as effective as pain-relief drugs like ibuprofen and Tylenol 17.

Heat may help relieve menstrual cramps mainly by:

• Improving circulation: Applying heat to the lower abdomen widens blood vessels, increasing blood flow to the uterus. This eases restricted blood flow, which is a key cause of cramps.
• Relaxing muscles: Heat relaxes the uterine and surrounding abdominal muscles, reducing the intensity of painful contractions triggered by prostaglandins.
• Reducing pain signals: Heat can also calm local nerves, acting like a “counter-stimulation” that dulls the sensation of pain.

In short, heat can ease cramps by directly addressing tight muscles and restricted blood flow, rather than changing hormone or prostaglandin levels.

7. Use Probiotics to Support Your Gut Microbiome 

Your gut and your hormones are in constant conversation. When your gut microbiome is out of balance, it may throw off your hormones and amplify cramping. For example, a genetic study suggested that gut bacteria may play a role in menstrual disorders like irregular or long cycles or heavy periods 18.

That’s where probiotics come in. In a gold-standard randomized clinical trial, women who took probiotics for three months reported better mental health and needed less pain medication than those on a placebo. More research is needed to know if probiotics can truly ease period cramps, but the early findings are encouraging 19.  

Probiotics can also ease digestive issues like abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating, and constipation, which may flare around your period 20.

8. Try Science-Backed Herbs 

If you enjoy the idea of working with plants, herbs can be a gentle—but scientifically supported—layer you add to your toolkit. Though they may not provide instant relief like a painkiller, their effects tend to build over a few cycles and can work together with diet, stress work, and movement.

Here’s what research says about some of the most promising herbs for period cramps:

• Cinnamon: A meta-analysis found that taking cinnamon supplements 3 times a day for 3 days of the period can reduce cramp intensity and even shorten the duration of pain 21.
• Ginger: A meta-analysis found that ginger supplements can reduce both the intensity and duration of menstrual pain. Ginger worked better than a placebo and was about as effective as NSAIDs or exercise for easing pain 22.
• Fennel: Beyond traditional culinary use, a meta-analysis concluded that fennel oil can relieve period cramps about as well as standard NSAIDs 23. 
• Chamomile: Not just a bedtime tea—a systematic (methodical) review of studies suggested that chamomile can reduce period pain and bleeding, mainly by blocking prostaglandins 24. 
• Chaste Tree Berry: A long-term observational study found that women using chaste tree berry (Vitex) extracts reported reductions in menstrual pain and bleeding, and better quality of life, with generally mild and reversible side effects 25.

How to Use Herbs Safely & Effectively

• Get guidance. Herbs can interact with medications (especially hormones or blood thinners), so it’s important to check with a clinician before trying a new supplement.
• Follow directions. Take only as much as the bottle (and ideally your clinician) recommends.
• Use consistently across 2–3 cycles. These aren’t typically quick fixes; herbs often need time to regulate body systems.
• Check product quality. Choose standardized extracts and trusted brands with third-party testing.
• Layer, don’t replace. Herbs are best used in combination with a nutritious diet, stress reduction practices, regular movement, and foundational support (a healthy diet, daily movement, solid sleep, healthy relationships, and stress relief practices).

9. Try Light Therapy for Extra Support

One of the newer, non-drug options being studied is low-level light therapy (LLLT). A meta-analysis found that women who used light therapy for 12 weeks had significantly less pain compared to those who used a sham (fake) device 26.

It’s still early research, but the results are promising—and light therapy may be a safe, drug-free add-on if cramps are really interfering with your life. 

Resolve Your Menstrual Cramps With Natural Remedies

Menstrual cramps don’t have to dictate your schedule—or your life. Pain is often your body’s way of signaling that your hormones, gut, or stress levels need more support.

The good news is that small, consistent changes add up. Nourishing your body with the right nutrients, balancing blood sugar, calming inflammation with probiotics and healthy fats, easing stress, moving regularly, and layering in evidence-based herbs or therapies can make your cycle feel far more manageable.

If you’re not sure where to start—or you’ve tried a few things without lasting relief—our clinic is here to help. We work with women every day to identify underlying imbalances and create personalized plans that restore comfort and balance. You don’t have to settle for dreading your period each month.

The Ruscio Institute has developed a range of high-quality formulations to help our clients and audience. If you’re interested in learning more about these products, please click here. Note that there are many other options available, and we encourage you to research which products may be right for you. The information on DrRuscio.com is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.