Pelvic Health > Menstrual Cramps
Menstrual Cramps & Period Pain
~ Why it happens, what helps, and how TCM supports long-term healing ~
Have you ever been told that your period pain is just part of the deal?
That cramps are normal? That being doubled over or needing to plan your life around your cycle is just how it is?
Period pain is so common—but it is actually not normal.
And thankfully, it doesn’t have to stay that way.
Whether your cramps are sharp and stabbing, dull and achy, or show up as pelvic heaviness and exhaustion, there’s always a reason, and it is beyond hormone levels. In both Western and Chinese medicine, menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea) is a sign that something’s out of balance—and there are real, lasting ways to work with it.
This page offers a deeper look at what menstrual cramps are, why they happen, and how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Massage Therapy can support long-term, body-honouring change.
If you're new to TCM, it might be helpful to start with the What is TCM? page, so you have context for the terms and concepts used here. Our Pelvic Health Overview page goes over what Pelvic Health is and what a healthy menstruation looks like.
Feel free to scroll down or jump to the section that feels most relevant to you today.
What Counts As “Normal” Pain?
Most people use the word “cramps” to describe the pain, but it varies greatly from person to person, and cycle to cycle. For some, it’s a mild tightness before bleeding starts. For others, it’s an intense, radiating ache in the lower belly, back, or even down the legs. Some feel sharp, electric jabs or throbbing aches; others get waves of nausea, diarrhea, or overwhelming emotions.
Whatever form it takes, it’s not something you just have to live with.
Studies show that between 50–90% of people who menstruate experience painful periods.
That’s nearly a quarter of their month—every month— impacted by something that’s treatable.
If your cycle regularly affects your ability to work, rest, think clearly, or feel like yourself… it’s worth looking into why, and gently work on it.
The Anatomy Of Period Pain
If anything in that system is inflamed, under-circulated, or malaligned (due to tension, posture, cold exposure, or scar tissue), cramping can feel much worse.
If you're a visual learner, we’ve included an image from our Pelvic Health page, Your Uterus is a Shape-Shifter section that shows the uterus at different points in the cycle. A reminder that your body is never “frozen in time”—it’s dynamic and responsive. This tells us that menstrual cramp is more than hormones.
The uterus isn’t a fixed organ. It expands, shifts, and contracts throughout the month—especially just before and during menstruation. It’s held in place by a hammock of muscle and surrounded by sensitive pelvic tissues.
Why Do Cramps Happen?
From a Western perspective, prostaglandins—inflammatory chemicals that help the uterus contract—play a big role. Too much of them can mean more intense pain. That’s one layer.
But menstrual pain can also be a symptom of other issues, including:
Endometriosis
Adenomyosis
Uterine fibroids
Ovarian cysts or PCOS
Pelvic infections or inflammation (like PID)
A tilted or malpositioned uterus
Post-surgical adhesions, scars and trauma
Emotional stress and nervous system dysregulation
So, menstrual cramps are not just about hormones.
What’s Usually Offered For Period Pain
Most people are given two options:
Painkillers like ibuprofen
Hormonal birth control to suppress the cycle altogether
Both can bring relief. It is helpful when you are in pain.
But neither address the root of why the pain is there.
Painkillers quiet the inflammation short-term, but don’t address why it’s happening.
Hormonal contraceptives shut down ovulation and suppress the real period—replacing it with a withdrawal bleed. When you stop the pill, the pain often returns. The natural flux of blood flow into the ovaries and uterus in natural cycle is diminished or reduced.
Surgical options may be offered for conditions like endometriosis or fibroids, to remove the part of or entire uterus, but this doesn't address why you developed the condition in the first place, and pain often comes back unless deeper patterns are addressed. Adhesions and scars after surgery needs treatment, also.
You’re not wrong for trying these. But you also deserve to be presented with more choices.
It is your body, you have the rights to choose the options.
A TCM View: Pain With Purpose
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), period pain is never “just hormonal” or “just mechanical.”
The uterus is part of a larger system that reflects your overall health—blood flow, digestion, temperature regulation, emotions, sleep, and stress etc.. In fact, Uterus is considered an "extraordinary organ" in TCM.
In TCM, we do a detective work on WHAT is behind the pain and WHY your body invited it in it, we call it patterns, not just symptoms/pain.
Some common ones include:
Liver qi stagnation: susceptible to stress, sharp pain with PMS, mood swings, breast tenderness
Blood stasis: stabbing cramps, dark blood, big clots, better after passing clots
Cold in the uterus: pain relieved by heat, blue-tinge clots. cold abdomen and feet
Heat: burning pain, heavy bleeding, irritability, acne
Dampness: heavy, dull pain with bloating, sluggish digestion, stringy/slimy blood, foggy head
In practice, there are well over 30 different patterns that contribute to menstrual cramps and associated symptoms in TCM. Each pattern need different care approach, often through, herbs, acupuncture, lifestyle, nutrition, bodywork, and timing aligned with your cycle.
Chinese Herbal Medicine For Cramps
Herbs in TCM aren’t just chosen because they help pain. They’re chosen because they help your pattern and bring your body back in harmony.
For example, two people can have the similar pain but might need completely different herbal prescription.
One person may need warming and circulating herbs, another needs cooling and soothing. That’s the beauty of Chinese herbal medicine—it’s adaptable, dynamic, and tailored to your body’s story. And daily dose of herbs can help ease the pain and bring the whole body back in balance in more steady way.
Curious about herbs? We invite you to exlore on the Chinese Herbal Medicine page.
Acupuncture For Period Pain
Acupuncture is like OS updates for your body and mind.
Acupuncture has been used for centuries to ease menstrual discomfort. It works by improving blood flow, calming the nervous system, helping to release pain-easing substances, supporting immunity, and helping your body reset its inflammatory and hormonal imbalances.
In TCM, we often treat across the whole cycle—not just during the bleeding days. Weekly sessions help support each phase which leads to the next, so that your body has what it needs to prepare for menstruation without the usual drama. Each session targets a different phase of your cycle. Your menstrual pain care is best started throughout the month, not only when you have the pain.
You don’t need to live at the clinic forever. We’re aiming for change that sticks.
We invite you to explore more on our Acupuncture page.
Feeling ready to work with your cycle instead of fighting it?
You’re welcome to begin at your own pace. Some start with a Discovery Call to get a feel for the care, while others jump into treatment when they feel ready.
Food As Medicine
What you eat matters—but in TCM, it’s also about how and when.
For example, cold, raw foods (think smoothies, salads, iced coffee) may not seem like a big deal or rather favoured in the western society, but they can cool the uterus and hinder circulation. And it weakens the digestive system, which is the basis of all body and mind function. That’s not what we want before a big monthly event like menstruation.
Warm, cooked foods, gentle spices like ginger and cinnamon, and eating in a calm environment all help your body feel safe enough to let go.
More importantly, we want to consider the state of which you eat food. This is also the "HOW".
You don’t have to give up everything, but making proactive choices about what you invite into your body plays a significant role in helping menstrual pain. It's also about creating a clearer signal and minimizing the noise so your body can focus on healing and respond to treatment. You can read more on our TCM Diet Therapy page.
Peristeam (Vaginal Steam/Yoni Steam) for Menstrual Pain
Peristeam, also known as vaginal steam or yoni steam, is a gentle, traditional practice that involves sitting over warm herbal steam directed toward the perineum.
It may sound a bit unusual at first, especially if you’re hearing about it for the first time—but across many cultures, this was once a common form of pelvic and uterine care.
It's not always the extreme, expensive, "newer" approach that brings the result you desire.
The hint to returning to your own body can be in the wisdom within the tradition.
You might say you've heard a horrible story about burning themselves with peristeam? Such risk can come with anything. It is often no the steam itself that's harmful, it's the HOW it's done.
When peristeam is used appropriately (not too hot, and with herbs matched to your cycle, and for the duration that is needed for your body), peristeam can help:
Improve circulation in the uterus
Support the release of infection and inflammation
Ease cramps and clotting
Calm the nervous system before bleeding begins
Help with scar tissues
It’s not a magic solution on its own, but when it is offered in a customized treatment plan paired with other TCM care, it can be a powerful and deeply comforting addition to your menstrual routine.
More guidance on this is coming soon—a full Peristeam page and a Fall 2025 blog series are in the works.
Hands that heal: Pelvic/Uterine Massage (Mercier Therapy) for Period Cramps
The uterus isn’t rigidly fixed inside the pelvis. Just like your shoulder muscles, —it’s supported by soft tissue and fascia that shift with posture, stress, surgery, or injury. It needs to be moving in order for it to serve its purpose and be pain free.
However, over time, tension, adhesions, or lack of mobility can restrict blood flow and make uterine contractions feel more painful than they need to be.
Pelvic massage (sometimes called uterine massage) helps:
Restore natural mobility to the uterus
Ease scar tissue or fascial restrictions
Encourage blood and lymph circulation
Reduce chronic pelvic pain
Support healthy, pain-free menstruation
Calm down the nervous system
Help you to connect with your own body
This gentle hands-on work is gentle and slow. It’s not about forcing change—but about inviting softness and reconnection into a part of the body that’s often ignored until it hurts. At Tsumugi Healing Arts, Pelvic massage is offered as Mercier Therapy.
More details are available on our Pelvic Massage (Mercier Therapy) page.
Healing isn’t overnight—but it is possible
In TCM, the benchmark we aim for menstrual pain care is three consecutive symptom-free cycles. That means no cramps, no PMS spirals, no flooding, and no dragging fatigue. Just a cycle that comes, does its job, and moves on—with your body in flow, not in fight.
That kind of change takes time. It’s a long game.
But it’s also a deeply worthwhile one.
Through this process, you'll learn how to listen to your body and how to take care of your unique body.
Your period is a vital sign. Paying attention to the first and best thing you can do for your body.
TCM Menstrual pain treatment is an invitation to come back into your body, learn its rhythms, and build habits that support the you of today—and the you five years from now.
And if that sounds like a lot? That’s okay. You don’t have to do it alone. One step at a time. You'll be guided.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Common, yes.
Normal, no.
In TCM, pain always means something is out of balance.
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Yes.
While the cycle is suppressed, we can still support your body’s root imbalances.
Some people work with us while coming off hormonal contraceptives.
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Most people see improvement within 1–3 cycles, though deeper healing can take longer.
That’s why we treat month by month—not just the days of pain.
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You don’t have to—but we generally recommend herbs (along with lifestyle and nutrition) as part of treatment for pelvic health. When we’re trying to rebalance cycles or hormones, herbs can help us move the needle more efficiently. We’ll always take your comfort and preferences into account.
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No.
You don’t need a diagnosis or referral to come in. If something just feels “off”—whether it’s heavy periods, digestive changes, or pelvic tension—you’re welcome here. You don’t need a label to deserve care.
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Yes!
TCM shines in preventative care. If you’re approaching your 40s (or earlier) and want to support your body before symptoms appear, we can absolutely help. We’ll focus on nourishing your system and creating balance now, so your transition into (peri)menopause is as smooth as possible.
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Not at all.
You can absolutely receive treatment while on hormonal birth control. That said, it can be tricky to track menstrual changes or measure improvements while you’re not cycling naturally. If you and your prescribing doctor decide to stop it, we’ll support your body gently through that process—only when you’re ready.
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Not at all!
Our approach is integrative and collaborative. You can use both.
Menstrual pain can be debilitating. It can limit your energy, your focus, and your ability to live a full, connected life. But it doesn’t have to stay that way.
If you’re feeling ready to begin your journey toward pain-free, body-honouring cycles—we’re here to support you.
Care at Tsumugi is collaborative. We work as partners, walking with you, step by step, toward the kind of change that lasts.