Nowadays I hear so often that women struggle with their menstrual cycle. I have done that myself. I always had deep pain from endometriosis, a condition that made my periods very painful. Women may often experience painful bleeding for a variety of reasons, including:
- Menstrual cramps
- Endometriosis
- Adenomyosis
- Ovarian pain
- Fibroids
- Previous uterine trauma
- And other reasons
Even when there is no pain, menstruation is often seen as an ‘inconvenience’ in a modern world that demands we ‘keep up’ – with our bodies begging us every month to ‘slow down’ as we respond to hormones that we want to become more tender, softer and slower.
Yet one of the things I’ve seen in my years of guiding women towards their bodies is that often – while many women (understandably) feel some ‘hate’ towards their bodies during their periods, because they feel like their bodies ‘let alone’. by being in so much pain – we can begin to heal and change that relationship with our cycle. And like us, our bodies will often respond with less pain; like mine did.
My worldview, gained from personal experience and that of working with many women in cycle recovery, is that much of the general pain and tenderness during our cycles (always have anything serious ruled out by a GP first) may be due to a basic problem. disconnection from our natural body rhythms, which can be healed by consciously working with our cycle – and using essential oils to remind our bodies of their natural rhythms.
As women in feminine bodies, in this chaotic modern world we can quite easily learn to disconnect from our natural cycle, to numb our bodies to keep up with the pace of life – perhaps that is due to our natural hormone patterns. to weaken with the pill, or the IUD, or simply ignore our body completely and plaster the pain with painkillers. It’s done innocently, because our cycle often calls on us to slow down – and that’s hard to do in a world where that isn’t appreciated.
But if we reconnect with our bodies, slow down and respect our cycles – and work with essential oils to support the restoration of that rhythm, so much can be changed. This work has helped me regain my menstrual cycle and really reduce my chronic pain. There’s a great book that grounds us in this research and explores how working with our cycle can actually help us heal and reconnect with our deeper purpose – it’s called Wild Power, by Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer and Alexandra Pope – if you’re interested read more .
So, what if, by working to connect with our bodies and their natural rhythms, through the use of essential oils, our bodies could reveal things to us that helped us heal our painful periods? Here are some invitations to help you begin this journey through the body, along with some therapeutic essential oils that can also help you treat pain symptoms directly.
Start by following your cycle and its natural rhythms
One of the most powerful invitations for any woman with a cycle is to start tracking the cycle. This can be as simple as noticing where you are in your cycle every day and noting how you feel physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, and noting any pain sensations. You may notice that your cycle has a certain rhythm, or that certain patterns become apparent, such as not slowing down when you bleed.
Our cycles – and our hormones – go through an (approximate) cycle that can be well explored as an ‘inner’ spring, summer, autumn and winter:
Inner winter – Days 27-5 are the time when we bleed and feel soft and tender – our progesterone drops, and estrogen is low, and we may have cramps and low energy. This is time to surrender.
Inner spring – Days 6-11 – this is the season of the follicular phase, where we start to feel more energy, our mood improves and we feel more confident – estrogen is rising, but progesterone is low. This is time to SAY YES.
Inner summer – Days 12-19 – mid-cycle, when we are ovulating and generally feel most vibrant and alive – we can feel more energetic and confident in this part of our cycle (if we have respected the winter delay) . This is a time to GLOW.
Inner autumn – Days 20-26 – this is where we transition into the luteal phase and travel back to our bleed – progesterone rises and we find ourselves with less energy, needing to meet our needs and slowing down. We may start to feel an inner ‘wild no’ to things we don’t want to deal with. This is time to SAY NO.
It’s really helpful to delve into these natural hormonal patterns and become familiar with how our bodies were born to navigate the world – and when it wasn’t just ‘go, go, go’.
We have written a previous blog about how to regulate our cycle with blends for each of the inner seasons. But for now, I want to talk specifically about dealing with the pain we can feel when we don’t respect our cycle – and especially our ‘inner winter’ – by slowing down.
Which essential oils can support us therapeutically when we experience menstrual pain?
First of all, let’s assume that you already respect the natural seasons in your cycle – and use blends from our other blog to track and support your rhythms. Because that is very important – and will probably reduce the pain, because it usually goes straight to the underlying reasons for the pain.
If you do and still have pain – and even if you don’t and experience pain, there are also therapeutic essential oils that can help directly treat menstrual cycle pain symptoms – whether that’s pain with ovulation or soreness during menstruation. your bleeding, so I would like to investigate that.
Top 10 ‘therapeutic’ essential oils for menstrual pain
In general, the floral oils are excellent for all feminine problems, but there are also analgesic, antispasmodic and relaxing oils that can be really useful:
- Rose – a rich pink oil, this is one of the first choice options for all women’s related challenges (including emotional aspects of menstrual pain) – it is very balancing for the female reproductive system and supportive in regulating the cycle.
- Geranium – with a sweet, floral aroma, this oil is relaxing and helps relieve spasms, pain and inflammation.
- Clary Sage – a musky floral oil, this oil has a ‘euphoric’ effect, which can really help pain – it is a powerful muscle relaxant, antispasmodic and aphrodisiac, helping to soften and open women.
- Lavender – a floral, calming and relaxing oil, it has analgesic properties that can help cramps and tenderness at any time of the cycle.
- Rose Geranium – a wonderfully fragrant oil, this is a wonderful hormone balancer and pain and inflammation reliever.
- Ylang Ylang – a strong, sweet scent, this oil balances and relaxes.
- Clove – a warm, spicy, woody scent. Clove is great for aches and pains – it’s warming and comforting.
- Sweet Marjoram – a woody, spicy, warm oil, this is often a great alternative to lavender. It is a great pain reliever and also has antispasmodic properties.
- Vetivert – a smoky, earthy, woody oil, this is a great pain reliever, but also a hormonal balancer, making it great for the cycle.
- Roman Chamomile – a spicy, fruity aroma, this oil is a particular favorite relaxant – and can help muscle spasms, tension, inflammation and pain – perfect for menstrual cramps.
All of these oils are great for supporting period pain – and there are two ways I would recommend you create blends; direct application during massage (in a carrier oil) and via bathing (if heat helps you relax). Here are two blends you can use to mix and match the above oils:
Female Cycle Massage Mix:
Mix up to 6 drops (in total) of up to 3 different oils – choose from the list above, selecting the oils that appeal to you most – into 15 ml of carrier oil. Mix well and apply to areas where pain and tenderness occur, gently massaging the abdomen in a clockwise direction – or anywhere else in the direction of the heart.
For example, you can use 3 drops of rose, 2 drops of clary sage and 1 drop of Roman chamomile mixed in 15 ml of grapeseed oil. Use this daily, as needed, in times of pain and tension – as therapeutic support.
Feminine cycle bath mix
Mix up to 7 drops of up to 3 different essential oils – selected from the list above – in 20 ml of bath oil and mix with the warm, running water of your bath. Close the doors and sink into some relaxation, breathing in the scents.
For example, you can use 3 drops of Geranium, 3 drops of Lavender and 1 drop of Vetivert. Use as needed in times of pain and tension – as therapeutic support.
These mixtures can both be used at any point in your cycle to ease pain and tenderness – whether your pain is usually at ovulation or during your bleeding; they have therapeutic properties that soothe anyway.
My deepest invitation is to use these while also working with the blends to remind your body of its natural ‘seasons’ as this will also help regulate your cycle – so enjoy our other article too!
Happy mixing.
Nicole Barton
Advisor Aromatherapist
Disclaimer and safety advice
Read other articles by Nicole Barton