Are there contraindications for pressotherapy during menstruation? These are two questions many women ask before starting to use pressotherapy. And although it seems harmless to us, this treatment can be contraindicated in certain cases, and menstruation is no exception.
In fact, we make it clear from the start that doing pressotherapy during your period is not advisable. But don’t stop reading, because although it is not recommended during menstruation, understood as the bleeding, treating all premenstrual symptoms with pressotherapy can be very effective.
And because we have seen several articles dedicated to this subject but none really explains very well why it is not recommended to use pressotherapy during the period, we have found it appropriate to focus on this topic a little more deeply, and above all to justify the reasons why pressotherapy is not suitable during the period.
Also, we take this opportunity to give you a series of healthy tips to make those critical days of the month more bearable. So ready, set… let's begin!
Menstruation and its effects on the woman's body
Pressotherapy is a compression and decompression massage that stimulates lymphatic drainage. This is ideal for treating fluid retention and certain circulatory problems. In the days before menstruation or the period, women suffer from some water retention – fluid – caused by the significant hormonal change typical of this cycle.
It is the not-so-friendly side of progesterone and estrogens, which make the female body a real hormonal roller coaster. Fortunately, the woman's body returns to normal after the period, with retention and inflammation progressively reduced.
This retention, known as premenstrual edema, commonly occurs in the ankle and the rest of the leg and even in the abdominal area. Noticing more swollen breasts and feeling quite sharp pain in the legs, both muscular and joint, are also very frequent symptoms in the days or hours before the period. That's what it means to be a woman, but don't get upset because despite everything, the period is synonymous with youth, fertility, and life.
Having your period regularly every month, although it can be a nuisance, also indicates that your body is functioning normally and that everything is in its place and fulfilling its natural function. Next, we will see how all the discomforts associated with the period can be lessened if you know how to treat them. But first, let's briefly recall the two most common types of menstrual pain to understand why the period can sometimes be so bothersome:
- Primary Dysmenorrhea: This is how painful menstrual periods are known. Cramps in the lower abdomen and intestinal spasms that lead to frequent bathroom visits are common. The increase in prostaglandins – substances that control blood pressure and the contraction of certain muscles – in the uterus causes a series of contractions – cramps or spasms – that make the first day of the period especially unpleasant. Primary dysmenorrhea is more pronounced in youth, but with age and as menopause approaches, the pain decreases considerably.
- Secondary Dysmenorrhea: It is caused by certain conditions that affect the uterus or other reproductive organs. A clear example is endometriosis or uterine fibroids. Endometriosis is the irregular growth of the tissue that lines the uterus or endometrium in other organs such as ovaries or fallopian tubes. This tissue becomes inflamed and bleeds in the same way as the endometrium does during the menstrual cycle. Uterine fibroids are benign tumors that appear in different areas of the uterus during fertile age. They are also known as myomas and rarely develop into cancer. This pain usually worsens over time.
Menstrual pain begins at puberty with the first menstrual periods, and becomes less pronounced with age. Many women also feel less pain after giving birth. In the case of a cesarean, some feel more pain in the first months as ovarian activity reactivates and others, on the other hand, say they feel hardly any pain.
This may also be because a cesarean consists of a cut – nowadays generally transverse over the pubic line – that intercepts many nerve endings. That is, many nerves will be severed during the operation and that will greatly reduce cramps in that area. Leg pain usually persists, in a more constant and acute way just before the period.
Pressotherapy and period: are they compatible?
Knowing that pressotherapy combats fluid retention, also typical of the period, it is easy to conclude that it can be suitable, but be careful. Although you can use pressotherapy to relieve certain premenstrual symptoms, this treatment is not recommended when you are already experiencing menstrual bleeding.
So to the question of whether pressotherapy and period are compatible, the answer is that you should NOT do pressotherapy during your period once the bleeding has started.
How to take care of yourself during the menstrual cycle
Because it is important to know how to take care of yourself during the menstrual cycle, from SIZEN we give you some tips that will be very helpful in case your period is particularly bothersome or painful. But remember that pressotherapy and period only go well before the bleeding. We explain why:
Pressotherapy only before the period: Pressotherapy reduces premenstrual edema, especially concentrated in the legs. But once you have your period, PRESSOTHERAPY IS NOT RECOMMENDEDThe reason is understandable: Your endometrium is a waste product of the body. Every month and while you are of fertile age, your body prepares monthly for a possible pregnancy. But if fertilization does not occur, the lining that has coated the uterus detaches in the form of bleeding and remains of tissue and nutrients.
The lymphatic massage of pressotherapy could lead these wastes towards the lymph nodes or the bloodstream. Logically, these residues must be evacuated vaginally and never through other channels that do not correspond to them. This essentially summarizes the contraindications of pressotherapy with menstruation.
To feel better both during the menstrual cycle and the rest of the month, in addition to the massage with pressotherapy, you can:
- Drink enough water. Good hydration is always key, and if you apply pressotherapy, water is good both before and after the treatment so that toxins, fats, and other metabolic wastes flow more easily through the lymphatic channels.
- Go for a walk. Do this during the days before your period starts but also during the days you have your period. Moderate physical exercise will also be good for you. Swimming or yoga can be very relaxing.
- Properly nourish your body. Like the rest of the month, maintain as healthy and nutritious a diet as possible. Reduce salt – it causes your body to retain fluid – and avoid processed foods.
- Take supplements. Magnesium or vitamin B1 are very beneficial.
- Drink herbal infusions or phytopharmaceuticals. Some infusions relieve menstrual pain: chamomile, cinnamon, ginger, lemon balm, oregano, basil, sage, or hibiscus among others, have anti-inflammatory and relaxing properties. On the other hand, phytopharmaceuticals are medicines whose active ingredients come from plants and could also work well for you. A homeopath or naturopath could give you good advice and recipes, or you can turn to countless free digital resources.
- Give yourself a DLMI (Intracavitary Manual Lymphatic Massage). This which sounds so scientific is nothing more than a manual massage you can give yourself. It consists of gently massaging the lower area of your abdomen. It can relieve pain and stimulate lymphatic drainage in that area. Do it downward, towards your vaginal canal, in a focused way. It has an analgesic effect on the pelvic floor and decongests the genital area. You can also do a circular massage with both palms over the area of your ovaries.
- Apply heat. A hot water shower on the abdomen can be soothing. There are also special heat patches or bags for menstruation available on the market. Their contents heat up upon contact with atmospheric oxygen and maintain a temperature of about 40º for several hours. Or if you prefer something more classic but also functional, use the traditional hot water rubber bag.
How pressotherapy helps you before menstruation or your period
Through moderate pressure, pressotherapy applies a gentle and relaxing yet firm massage to both your legs and abdomen, being a very effective method to combat all the symptoms typical of Premenstrual Syndrome because it helps you to:
- Ease heaviness and leg pain
- Relieve joint pain in the knees
- Redirect edema in the legs
- Soothe inflammation in the abdomen
- Reactivate your lymphatic system
- Relax the entire pelvic area
- Stimulate circulation in general
- Relax your mind by helping you sleep better
SIZEN, Pressotherapy in full force
If you are already lucky enough to have a SIZEN pressotherapy device at home, there’s little more to tell you about its many benefits and advantages. But if you are not yet part of that club of very fortunate women, then don’t worry because you can also be part of it. SIZEN makes it very easy for you, both with financing and with the use of a device that perfectly adapts to your lifestyle.
What’s more, it improves it! And precisely on those days when pampering yourself feels so good for your body, a home pressotherapy device can offer you the best and most comfortable treatment you can imagine.
So, why not go ahead and try the SIZEN 6+? For a complete premenstrual treatment, besides the pressotherapy boots, we recommend using the abdominal belt or even the shorts, which will cover that especially delicate area during those days. A great solution that will ease the pain and discomfort you feel during the premenstrual phase.
Enter our store and choose the equipment with the combination of accessories that best suits what you need. And it’s clear; besides using pressotherapy in the days before your period, you can continue using it the rest of the month whenever you want and need it.
And remember we are talking about a “three-in-one” treatment, since its effects can be noticed therapeutically, aesthetically, and athletically. A real luxury for your health and your image. And that has no date on the calendar because feeling good is a wish all year round.
Can you do pressotherapy if you have your period? Now you know that not during, but yes before having it, which is very helpful to make you feel better on those days that always annoy you a little bit each month. And what better than to reward yourself for being a woman and enduring your period and everything else that it takes like the true champion you are? SIZEN, pressotherapy in full force, to take care of you both before and after menstruation.
As we always advise, if you have doubts about the possible contraindications of pressotherapy, a medical consultation is never a bad idea.
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