Natural Alternatives to the Pill for Menstrual Problems

If you're like many women in America, you've been told The Pill or some variety of hormonal birth control will help you "regulate" your cycle or even cure severe problems with bleeding and cramping during your period.

If you're like me, you've been looking for an alternative. Whether your objection is to birth control in general, or for health reasons, you may have been frustrated that hormonal birth control is the first and only option.

Some of the health reasons for which women wish to avoid hormonal contraception are simply the side effect found listed in the birth control information, and known to be common. Things like low libido and mood swings are commonly described by many women who have experience with hormonal contraception. Additionally, other common side effects include nausea, weight gain, sore or swollen breasts, and spotting blood between periods. Less common but much more serious are chest and stomach pains, headaches, swollen legs and eye problems.¹ Side effects notwithstanding, some women simply want to avoid artificial medicine and stick to natural alternatives.

So what alternatives are there to the Pill?

First and foremost your diet and lifestyle is a great place to start. The American diet is very heavy on sugar and salt, and caffiene is consumed in large quantities by many, as is alcohol. Reducing your intake of all of these things can help with bloating and discomfort.² Anecdotally, many women find that eliminating these items from their diet helps with mood swings as well. Exercise as well is known to help with mood swings and low energy, regardless of the cause. Even the simple act of sleeping can be beneficial, provided that you get enough sleep. Any and all of these things are a good way to achieve a sort of baseline for health.

But even healthy women can experience menstrual problems. There are natural solutions available that are at minimum worth a try, if you are very motivated to avoid artificial hormones.

Two minerals are commonly suggested to support women's reproductive health. Calcium³ and magnesium⁴ are both recognized to help with common symptoms of PMS. Vitamins B-6 and E can be similarly helpful in reducing symptoms for some women.

Beyond these vitamins and minerals, there are a number of herbal remedies that many women use and appreciate. Before taking any of these, you should consult with a medical professional, to be sure that the remedy is appropriate for your individual health situation. Among the herbal remedies used for menstrual problems are Vitex/agnus castus (for PMS, cramps, and bleeding), black cohosh (menstrual irregularities), red-raspberry leaf (fertility, cramps), ginger (PMS), dandelion (hormone regulation, bloating), and evening primrose oil (breast tenderness, PMS).⁵ Effectiveness will vary from woman to woman, but most of these things can be found fairly inexpensively and so trying out varies remedies or combinations of remedies will not be cost prohibitive.

Even if you ultimately find that no alternative remedies work, if you are highly motivated to avoid traditional medicine (in the form of hormonal birth control), you do have many alternatives to try before moving on to medical options.

¹Birth Control Pills, staff, WebMD
²PMS: Lifestyle and Home Remedies, staff, Mayo Clinic
³Premenstrual Syndrome, staff, WebMD
⁴Premenstrual Syndrome: Alternative Medicine, staff, Mayo Clinic
⁵Herbs at a glance, staff, NCAAM/NIH