Contents
Prevention of painful periods (dysmenorrhea)
Basic preventive measures |
Dietary recommendations to both prevent and relieve menstrual pain4,27
See also the advice of nutritionist Hélène Baribeau: Special diet: Premenstrual syndrome. Some relate to the relief of menstrual pain. Stress managementLe chronic stress would be just as harmful to the body as an unbalanced diet. This is because stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) cause the production of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins. The Mayo Clinic suggests that women who experience monthly painful periods integrate practices such as massage, yoga or meditation into their lifestyle7. You also have to understand where stress comes from and find strategies to manage it better. See also our file Stress and Anxiety.
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Omega-3, prostaglandins and pain relieving effect Some experts, including the Dre Christiane Northrup (author of the book The wisdom of menopause)27, claim that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids helps reduce menstrual pain due to their anti-inflammatory effect4,27. More precisely, the anti-inflammatory effect comes from substances produced by the tissues from ingested omega-3s, for example certain prostaglandins (see the explanatory diagram at the beginning of the Omega-3 and Omega-6 sheet). This type of diet would also reduce uterine contractions and therefore the pain they can cause.34-36 . Prostaglandins have a wide variety of powerful effects. There are about twenty types. Some, for example, stimulate uterine contractions (see the box above “How is menstrual pain explained?”). Those which have anti-inflammatory activity are mainly obtained from omega-3 (fish oils, linseed and linseed oil, nuts, etc.). Prostaglandins, which in excess can have a pro-inflammatory effect, are rather taken from omega-6 contained in animal fats. This is entirely in accordance with the proposal of other experts to return to a food providing an adequate ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 to reduce the frequency of inflammatory diseases and improve cardiovascular health1-3 . In fact, it is generally considered that the omega-6 / omega-3 ratio in the Western diet is between 10 and 30 to 1, while it should ideally be between 1 and 4 to 1. |