4 Natural Remedies for PMS and Period Cramping

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You don’t have to dread your period any more! Here are 4 natural things I use every single month to help with PMS symptoms–and especially cramping!

Oh, the woes of womanhood!

It wasn’t until I was well into adulthood that I realized I was not immune to PMS mood swings. Actually, it was my husband who pointed out that I got extremely emotional, irritable, and even downright snarky at a certain time each month!

Menstrual cramps have plagued me much longer, though. As an eight grader, I writhed in so much pain on the floor of my best friend’s bathroom, that I asked her to bring me the tampon box, so I could get the 1-800 number to call the toxic shock syndrome hotline.

“Surely,” I thought. “Period cramps shouldn’t hurt this badly. I must have TSS!”

Then there was the time at summer camp, when I lay on the floor and closed my eyes and envisioned Jesus on the cross. I told myself that if I just focused on His pain, the cramping would dim in comparison.

It was not uncommon for me to pass out from the pain of period cramps, embarrassing as it was to have to be carried to the school office as a teenager.

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After college, I was a missionary for a year in Costa Rica. While there, my cramping was so extreme that one night I passed out in my bathroom and hit my head on the tub. I was all alone, but I managed to call some other missionaries once I came to.

They took me to the emergency room, and upon my release a doctor there put me on birth control pills to help alleviate my cramping. For a while this worked for me.

I have several big qualms about birth control. Long story short, I don’t take it anymore, and don’t believe in taking it. I don’t think it’s good for your health, among other reasons.

But I still had no idea what was going on with my body.

Fast forward a few years, and I got married and we started getting pregnant. We had 3 back-to-back pregnancies.

And miraculously, my cramping disappeared.

Looking back, I think I probably had some endometriosis. I didn’t know it at the time, but pregnancy alleviates endometriosis.

I was pregnant and breastfeeding back-to-back for 6 1/2 years. However, when my youngest started weening about a year and a half ago, those awful cramps that I had as a teenager came back. 

I thought, “What in the world is going on?” I literally woke up in the middle of the night one night and the cramping was so bad I passed out just like I did when I was younger.

It was then I started looking into some more natural things I could do to alleviate the cramping. I knew that I did not want to go on birth control even though that’s what had helped me before.

The following 4 natural remedies have helped me tremendously. If you’re tired of painful periods, talk to your healthcare professional and give these a try!

4 Natural Remedies for PMS and Period Cramping

1. Chaste Berry or Vitex

My integrative doctor recommended that I take Chaste Berry, which also goes by the name Vitex. Chaste Berry works by helping to regulate your hormones.

Since weaning our youngest my PMS has really amped up; I have more anxiety, moodiness, and cramping. I can see a huge difference between when I’m taking Chaste Berry and when I’m not. When I forget to take it over the course of the month, I’ll have a really bad period the next month.

I don’t just take it during my period–I actually take it all month long. If I’m diligent about it, my cramping is not nearly as painful.

2. Female Formula from Trilight Health

The second thing I take is Female Formula from Trilight Health. This is an herbal extract that I use for menstrual cramps.

I don’t like the taste, but it really does help me. I just take a squirt right out of the bottle instead of measuring.

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3. Essential oil blend

The third thing I use is Clary Calm from doTERRA. This essential oil blend comes pre-diluted as a roll-on. I rub it on my abdomen over the area where I’m cramping. I also use it on my feet and on the back of my neck.

Plant Therapy has a  Balance Synergy, and Young Living has a similar female formula called Dragon Time.

4. Heating pad

The fourth thing I use every single month is a heating pad. The one I use is just a cheap heating pad from CVS. I keep this out when I’m actively having cramps.

Talk to your trusted medical professional about these four natural remedies for PMS and cramping relief. They have made a huge difference in my life and I love that I don’t have to rely on traditional painkillers!

How do you naturally relieve PMS symptoms?