The 11 Best Home Remedies for PMS & Cramps

Did you know that according to the latest statistics, there are more than 150 PMS symptoms that can strike the week before your period?

I should be happy, I guess, that I don’t get all of them.

The good news is:

Here you’ll find the 11 most effective natural home remedies for PMS symptoms (including annoying cramps).

Combine a few of them, and you can balance your hormones and finally relieve PMS – naturally and quickly.

What Causes PMS Symptoms?

No matter what the average man will claim, not all women suffer from PMS symptoms (headaches, cramps, mood swings, depression, fatigue, bloating, irritability, food cravings, nausea and vomiting, and more stuff that makes you look forward to menopause).

These symptoms can be influenced by genetics, nutrition, and stress, but hormonal imbalances largely control them.

Women who have a proper balance experience little to no discomfort before their period.

For those of us with no such luck, improving the estrogen-progesterone balance naturally is the best way to get rid of PMS – for good.

Did you know?

According to Florida Hospital, almost 85% of American women experience premenstrual syndrome in the childbearing years.

About 5% of these women are disabled by PMS due to extremely severe symptoms.

Natural Remedies for PMS and Why They Work

While researching this subject, I was glad to discover that just a few dietary and lifestyle changes can go a long way in reducing PMS symptoms. 

In this post you’ll find these tried and tested home treatments for PMS:

1. Coconut Oil
2. Avoid inflammatory foods
3. Magnesium
4. Cod Liver Oil
5. Ginger
6. Vitamin D
7. Chaste Berry
8. Maca
9. Natural Feminine Hygiene products
10. Mild exercise
11. Lifestyle changes

I can’t promise that these remedies will work for everyone but combining a few of them is almost guaranteed to make a noticeable change.

1. Foods to Eat & Avoid To Relieve PMS

1. Avoid fats like Vegetable oil, peanut oil, canola oil, soybean oil, margarine, shortening, or other chemically altered fats.

Instead, choose healthy fats like coconut oil, real butter, olive oil (don’t heat!), and animal fats (tallow, lard) from healthy sources, and eat lots of high Omega-3 fish.

2. Coconut oil is a surprising natural remedy for PMS.

It provides the necessary building blocks for hormone production and it has dozens of other benefits, such as weight loss, inflammation reduction, and even antimicrobial and antibacterial properties.

You can start with 1/8 cup of coconut oil a day. Add it to your coffee or tea, it tastes great.

 This is high-quality raw coconut oil.

3. Try to avoid inflammatory foods, such as dairy, meat, and grains – as much as you can.

I have two close friends who solved their hormonal imbalance with a grain-and-dairy-free diet.

2. Best Natural Supplements for PMS

1. Magnesium can greatly help with both PMS symptoms and menstrual cramping.

Magnesium supports hundreds of reactions in the body and often contributes to better sleep (which is essential for hormonal balance!).

Several effective forms of Magnesium are:

• Powder form with a product like Natural Calm (so you can work up your dose slowly)
• Transdermal form by using Magnesium oil applied to the skin – directly on your stomach and back.

2. Fermented Cod Liver Oil – it has many of the building blocks for hormone production and is a great source of Omega 3s and beneficial fats (see 21 incredible benefits of cod liver oil)

3. Vitamin D – The sun is the ultimate Vitamin D source, but you can always take a natural  D3 supplement.

Make sure it says “D3” because “D2” is not natural and may do more harm than good.

Also, if you take high doses (2000 units and up) you should add Vitamin K.

4. Chaste berry (Vitex agnus-castus) has gained the most traction with scientists for easing PMS-related breast pain.

This study showed that Chaste Berry, combined with St. John’s Wort, lowered levels of depression, anxiety, and food cravings. ()

5. Maca– a tuber in the radish family that has a history of boosting hormone production and libido.

Many women notice less PMS, increased fertility, and improved skin after this high-mineral-and-essential fatty-acid food.

Maca takes time to work, so give it at least 3-5 weeks before you expect results. You can find it in powder form or capsules but should be discontinued in pregnancy.

6. Ginger Capsules – many women swear by this one.

Ginger capsules can stop menstrual cramps (or any other pain).

This is not surprising, most of us already know how powerful Ginger is as a natural pain reliever.

3. Simple Yet Effective Lifestyle Changes

1. Avoid Toxins – for women with hormonal imbalance, avoiding toxins found in processed foods, pesticides, plastics, household chemicals, and even mattresses – Is extremely important.

These toxins have hormone-disrupting chemicals, which mimic hormones in the body and keep the body from producing real hormones.

Avoid cooking or microwaving in plastic (get rid of your Microwave altogether please), try to eat organic food, and use natural cleaners to reduce your indoor air pollution as much as possible.

2. Natural Feminine Hygiene options – some of us are sensitive to the chemicals in pads and tampons (there’s also a risk of toxic shock syndrome with tampons).

I’ve heard from several women that using cloth pads or the Diva Cup made the headaches and cramps completely disappear.

3. Mild exercise – intense exercise can make things worse if you have hormonal balance.

Mild exercise and stretching, walking, and swimming are best, so claim many naturopathic doctors.

Hip and back stretches increase blood flow to the abdominal and lower back muscles, easing the tension that leads to cramps.

4. Use a heating pad! Heat is a powerful natural pain relieving method. I use it with great success.

5. Last but most important – sleep. One of the best natural remedies for PMS is quality sleep. I can’t stress this enough.

To your health and happiness,

 Meital