Trust us when we say — periods can be a real pain in the bum. And we don’t mean it figuratively! If it feels like your butthole has been hit with a lightning bolt during periods, it doesn’t mean you have to suffer in silence.
Yes, there are a lot of unpleasant things that one experiences around periods — pelvic pain, severe constipation followed by projectile period poop, leg cramps from hell, nasty migraines, extreme nausea, and even a whole lot of mood swings, you may want to start using period care kits, pain relief patches, or products made specifically for period problems.. But that terrible pain in your butt during your periods can also totally throw you off balance. If it hurts to sit down during your periods, then it is a case of butt cramps, and if you’ve experienced something similar, you are not alone.
While pelvic pain during periods or period cramps are more talked about, severe cramping in the anus is also a fairly common occurrence and can be extremely annoying for people with vaginas.
Eager to find out more about this pain in the bum and what you can do about it. Read on:
Related: Understanding and managing periods with 5 P’s
What causes butt cramps during periods?
Butthole cramps during periods are a direct result of overactive prostaglandins. These hormones constrict the blood vessels in your uterus to expel the blood, causing intense cramping of the uterine muscles. This can also cause a contraction of the rectum and the muscles around the anal canal, resulting in anal cramps.
Apart from prostaglandins, there are a few other causes of period butt pain.
- Uterine fibroids: The presence of fibroids in your uterus can push it against your butt or back. Apart from causing heavy bleeding, infertility issues, and pain during sex, fibroids can also result in butt muscle cramps.
- Period poops: Progesterone and estrogen levels decrease dramatically right before your periods. These hormones can affect your digestive system and also make pooping a lot harder. This can, in turn, trigger a bout of anal cramps.
- Increased muscle tension: Gluteal muscles make up the majority of your butt muscles. Bloating and cramps during periods can increase the pressure on your gluteal muscles. Due to increased tension, these muscles might spasm and cause butthole cramps.
- Endometriosis: Endometriosis lesions (aka bits of your uterine lining) are located on the nerves all around your pelvic region. During periods, such nerves can send pain signals to the area around your anus and intensify cramps around that area.
- Heavy leg day at the gym: This may sound surprising, but leg day at the gym can turn out to be a real pain in the ass (literally!). A vast majority of people perform squats, leg lifts, and kettlebell swings incorrectly and end up contracting their pelvic floor (including their butthole) a lot more than required. Doing this on your period can worsen the condition and trigger butt cramps.
How to get rid of bum cramps on period?
Butt cramps are annoying for sure, but luckily, there are remedies available to control the pain.
- If you are experiencing cramps due to muscle tension or over-exercising your legs, a bath, massage, and gentle stretching can help. If needed, you can also take an OTC painkiller or supplements. But make sure that you speak to your doctor before you consume any medication.
- Female masturbation using sex toys is also a great way to deal with butt cramps. Dilators and butt plugs can help you to stretch out the muscles around your anus and counteract the contractions. You can also have anal sex with your partner. But if you are not up for that, some good old vaginal sex can also help.
- Lastly, constipation can worsen your anal cramps. So keep an eye on your diet and include the recommended amount of daily fiber. Trying these remedies may help you to have a simply better period.
When should you see a doctor about your butt pain during periods?
If the cramps are extremely debilitating and interfere with your day-to-day activities, relying on painkillers or home remedies may not be enough.
If you are frequently dealing with butt cramps, you could be suffering from endometriosis, fissures, hemorrhoids, or fibroids, which require medical intervention. Maintain a pain diary to be absolutely sure that these cramps get triggered around your period. Also, note down the severity of the pain so that you can correctly report your symptoms to your doctor.
What comes to your mind when you get butt cramps during an office meeting?
Tell us in the comments section below.
Also Read: 6 Weird Things We All Do During Our Periods
