Like so many other conditions found in this modern world, menstrual cramps are a result of diet. In this case, it is easy to correct with a simple dietary addition.
The short answer…
Omega three fatty acids.
The reason
Omega three fatty acids are the body’s only natural anti-inflammatory. They come from fatty fish like salmon and tilapia. Plant sources like walnuts, flax oil and borage oil can help, but fish oils work the best, and the plant sources don’t always help.
Any time there is pain there is inflammation. That is why drugs like ibuprofen help so much, they stop inflammation. However, like all drugs, ibuprofen puts a toxic load on the liver. In too great a dose it can even be lethal. It may be good for quick relief, but you would be much better off if you take omega three fatty acids on a regular basis ending the problem naturally. Besides, they are good for many other things like preventing heart disease, helping with skin conditions and much more.
How long does it take?
It takes up to three months for fish oil to stop menstrual cramps. In many cases it only takes one month to notice a significant change. Women who experience monthly cramping are probably pretty low, so a high dose for a month or two can be a good idea. I have seen people test for as much as six of the 1,000 mg gel caps twice a day, though I wouldn’t take that high of a dose for more than six weeks as it can be hard on the gall bladder. A maintenance dose of two caps twice a day is good. Or, eat fatty fish two or three times a week.
How to avoid fishy after taste
One of the biggest complaints about fish oils is the unpleasant taste from burping them up. The solution is to get supplements with an enteric coating. This means that they open up in the small intestines instead of in the stomach. This is preferable for absorption too. You can avoid the extra cost by freezing the regular gel caps. Take them after eating and don’t eat anything else for at least an hour and a half. This works most of the time. The problem with the freezing method is that it is easy to forget to take them.
Another helper is a daily dose vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps the fish oils stay fresh on their way to doing their job. 400 IU is usually enough.
The information on this website is presented for educational purposes and is not a substitute for the advice of and treatment by a qualified professional.
Thank you for writing this for women to see. For years I suffered with BAD cramps. I would throw up yellow bile that looked like egg yolk. I was just so SICK! Not to mention the fact that I couldn’t take Anti Inflammatory drugs because I was allergic to them. I was really stuck. Thank God for Omega 3’s and thank you for sharing this!
I am so glad to hear that you were helped with Omega 3’s like this. That is just great. There are so many women who suffer needlessly, I am glad you are no longer one of them.
Kalidasa
I first started getting (bad) menstrual cramps in my late 30’s. I’m now 41 and I’ve been taking a high quality fish oil supplement for over a year however the key is to take it consistently. Since I’ve taken it consistently the cramps have gone. (I also do my best to follow an anti-inflammatory diet, which is also great for overall health.) I had problems in the past with fish oil unpleasant repeat. I finally found a brand of Omega fish oil soft gel which has a lemony flavor! So if it does repeat it’s lemony not fishy…REALLY! Look for a high quality fish oil supplement in your HEALTH FOOD STORE. Label should say: it surpasses standards for freshness and purity and contains no heavy metals, dioxins or PCB.
That is so good to hear, Francesca. There is also an orange flavored fish oil that you just eat out of a packet, tastes really good. The other trick is to use one with an enteric coating, it opens in the small intestines, not the stomach.
I like the “consistently” part too.
I was taking a high quality Omega 3/fish oil supplement to help with coming off of an antidepressant. I didn’t pay much attention to my cramps at the time. I stopped taking it when I had been off of the anti for 6 months, and my last 2 periods have been excruciating, so bad that I ended up in the ER thinking I had a cyst that ruptured. I did a search on fish oil and cramps and came across this site. I immediatly swallowed 2 fish oil caps and will begin using them religiously. Looking back, the entire time I took them, my cramps were minimal, even during the heaviest of periods. The benefits of a good fish oil supplement are amazing! I too take one that is lemon flavored, and though very pricey, they are well worth the investment!
I hope you are free from the cramps again soon. And, thanks for sharing your experience, it’s an interesting one.
I am 20 years old and only in the last 4 months have i been getting seriously horrible menstrual cramps. i would have to take naproxed 500mg everytime the pain would reoccur. although i would only have these cramps for the first two days of my period, it is such a horrible pain to experience every month. i’ll be going off to the air force basic training in about 2 weeks and im really scared this will interfere with my physical self considering my cramps stop me from doing my usual daily routine. If i start taking the fish oils now until i leave do you think i will see any relief for my next period to come? please let me know asap. and how many should i be taking?
Trisha,
It would be great if you had an extra couple of months. But, I have had people experience great relief after only a month or so of taking fish oils. The max dose that I have seen people need is 12 of the large 1000 mg capsules a day broken into at least two doses.
If you can, get the ones that are enteric coated. This causes them to open up in the small intestines instead of the stomach which is best for absorption and it prevents burping up fish oil taste.
If you have the non-coated ones, you can generally get the same effect by putting them in the freezer and taking them after a meal. The only problem with this method is forgetting to get them out to take them.
I have been suffering from terrible menstrual cramps for as long as I’ve been having my period. I am now 20 and have tried nearly every type of drugs and everything else to make them more bearable and nothing works. I can’t move for 2 days and I usually have to miss class and spent all of my high school years missing usually one day of school a month because I just couldn’t move with my cramps. I’ve been taking the fish oil for about a month, 2 capsules 2x a day and they are completely gone. I haven’t taken any advil, and I usually take 800mg every 8 hours. This is the only thing that has worked for me, and it didn’t just make the cramps more bearable, they were gone completely. I can usually tell when my period is coming because I start to get bad cramps a couple days before, but this time it completely caught me by surprise! I really wish doctors or someone would have told me about this sooner.
That’s great Tess! I’m so glad you have recovered from this all too common condition. It’s best to keep up with the fish oils, they are one of the most needed supplements for most people.
i been getting bad period pains for a while. one month i vomited 8 times in one day right now im in pain i really hope i can try this omega 3 and hope it really work im going to buy some first thing tomorrow
@Nisea, I hope it works for you too. One thing not in the article, take a little vitamin E with it, about 400 iu, it acts like an antioxidant greatly increasing the efficacy.
So walnuts and things are also a good source of omega 3? I’m a vegetarian and would prefer to NOT take fish oil, though eliminating my cramps would be amazing! Already I take ibuprofin or tylenol when really needed, but no cramps would be the best thing!
Lynn Plant based omega 3’s have to go through so many changes before they are used that they get used in other ways before they actually reduce inflammation. This makes plant based omega 3’s useless for controlling cramps. Sorry.
I have had terrible cramps since high school. Not until my adult years did I realize my painful cramps were the exception. I have a petite body frame and tend to stay away from medication, but hope the fish oils will provide a successful alternative. I will begin this journey first thing. It could truly improve my quality of life! Thank you for sharing.
I hope it helps! There are other things to try if that doesn’t do the trick. Let me know and I’ll see what I might suggest. It really should help though especially if you don’t eat much fatty fish.
It’s true, it works! So glad other people have had same experience. I had started taking high quality fish oil( pharmaceutical grade) pretty consistently for the past couple of months for other benefits. I realized that I have not been suffering with bad menstrual cramps this month , although my flow is still pretty heavy. So I decide to google it and see if maybe it was another benefit of the omega fish oil! I’ll definitely keep taking it!
@Jennifer, Congratulations! I’m really glad it worked for you. Thanks for letting us know.
I will love to take the Omega 3 because right now is no easy with. The cramp is so much. Sometimes I feel feverish before my period comes.
How much fish oil and vitamin E should I take a day? I’m 16 and I NEED to do something about these horrible cramps.