Picture this — It’s Sunday morning, and you’re in the kitchen cooking breakfast. Just when you get ready to put the biscuits on, you start to feel pain in your lower back. You start thinking back on your week and begin to wonder what could’ve caused this pain. Was it your workout? Did you sleep wrong? What could it be? Then it hits you — you take a look at the calendar and realize your period is scheduled to start in several days.
Like many women, I dread that time of the month. Bloating, mood swings and sensitive stomach are just a few symptoms that Aunt Flo sends me when she’s on her way into town. As annoying as those symptoms are, none of them compare to cramps. I like to think I have a higher pain tolerance than most people. However, menstrual pain has been the only pain that brings me to my knees. Keep in mind that I’ve had my shoulder operated on, my tonsils removed as an adult, and I’ve had stomach surgery. Period cramps are still at the top of my list of most painful experiences.
Let’s chat a little bit about what causes this pain. Have you ever worked out before and been sore the next day? Well, menstrual cramps work somewhat the same way. The uterus is a strong, pear-shaped muscle that is strong enough to hold and birth a baby. Do you know how much strength that takes? A LOT!
Imagine, this is the same muscle that sheds its own lining every month — or if you’re like me, sometimes twice a month based on when my period starts and ends. It does so by contracting throughout the days you’re on your period. The degree of pain we feel is dependent on a number of factors like the level of prostaglandins (signals from the brain telling the uterus to contract) and gynecological conditions (ex. Endometriosis, fibroids, uterine polyps, etc.). I happen to have small fibroids that seem to affect the severity of my pain and though I fully expect to experience this pain every month, there was not much I can do to prepare myself for it — until now.
Photo by Brittany Chatman/Chat With Bee, LLC
The Livia Menstrual Pain Relief Device came into my life right on time — literally. My period wasn’t due to start for another week, but it decided to grace Livia with its presence a few days early. The first day of my period is typically tolerable. However, the second and third days are the absolute worst. When my pain really peaked, I put Livia to work. Having had a similar device used on my shoulder following physical therapy, I was interested to see how it alleviated my cramps. To my surprise, the sensation from the stimulation lessened my pain greatly!
Because my nerves were busy registering the sensation from Livia, my brain didn’t have the opportunity to register the feeling of the cramps. I’m one of those people that try not to take medication often. So, being able to get through my period without an anti-inflammatory was a great benefit. Overall, Livia has turned what I used to view as a few dreadful days into a more manageable part of life. Anything that makes being a woman easier is a plus in my book — and Livia fits that description!
I’d like to give a special thanks to Livia for sending me their menstrual pain relief device to try!
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