Menstrual Disorders Cramps Can Birth Control Be a Dysmenorrhea Treatment? By Dawn Stacey, PhD, LMHC Updated on June 28, 2022 Medically reviewed by Chioma Ndubisi, MD Print Dysmenorrhea is the medical term for painful menstrual cramps that occur immediately before or during your period. The pain can be so bad that it limits your daily activities. Dysmenorrhea is the most commonly reported menstrual disorder. It can affect up to 90% of young women. Birth control pills (as well as other hormonal contraceptives) can help in the treatment of dysmenorrhea. Anna Bizon/Getty Images Cause of Dysmenorrhea Painful menstrual cramps are triggered by the release of prostaglandins. These are natural substances that are made by cells in the inner lining of the uterus and other parts of your body. Prostaglandins that are made in the uterus cause your uterine muscles to contract. This helps to shed the built-up uterine lining during your monthly period. If your uterus makes too much prostaglandin, dysmenorrhea can occur. Your Guide to The Pill Birth Control for Managing Cramps Hormonal birth control is easy to use and effective at preventing pregnancy. Certain birth control methods can provide non-contraceptive benefits as well. Some hormonal contraceptives have been shown to lower the pain associated with dysmenorrhea. The following is a list of the prescription birth control methods that have been shown to be helpful in relieving some bad menstrual cramp pain: Combination birth control pills: Containing both estrogen and progestin, these pills help relieve bad menstrual cramps by blocking prostaglandin production. NuvaRing: NuvaRing works like combination pills to ease menstrual cramps. Nexplanon: This progestin-only implant appears to reduce dysmenorrhea in most women. Mirena IUD: While there's not much data supporting it, this IUD may reduce or eliminate monthly periods for many women, which should theoretically make menstrual cramps less likely. The Patch: The contraceptive patch also works like combination birth control pills and can help to decrease menstrual pain. Skipping Your Period Since extended-cycle birth control pills can reduce or completely get rid of your period, they should also provide you relief from dysmenorrhea pain. You can also lessen painful menstrual cramps by skipping your period with the pill, using NuvaRing, or with the patch. 5 Ways to Skip Your Period A Word From Verywell The main reason to use hormonal contraception is for birth control. Women may react differently to specific birth control methods. If you have painful menstrual cramps or dysmenorrhea, ask your healthcare provider about some of these birth control methods and their possible non-contraceptive benefits. Hormonal Birth Control Options 5 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Dmitrovic R, Kunselman AR, Legro RS. Continuous compared with cyclic oral contraceptives for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2012;119(6):1143–1150. doi:10.1097/AOG.0b013e318257217a Bernardi M, Lazzeri L, Perelli F, Reis FM, Petraglia F. Dysmenorrhea and related disorders. F1000Res. 2017;6:1645. Published 2017 Sep 5. doi:10.12688/f1000research.11682.1 Carvalho N, Margatho D, Cursino K, Benetti-Pinto CL, Bahamondes L. Control of endometriosis-associated pain with etonogestrel-releasing contraceptive implant and 52-mg levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system: randomized clinical trial. Fertility and Sterility. 2018;110(6):1129-1136. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2018.07.003 Ramazanzadeh F, Tavakolianfar T, Shariat M, Purafzali Firuzabadi SJ, Hagholahi F. Levonorgestrel-releasing IUD versus copper IUD in control of dysmenorrhea, satisfaction and quality of life in women using IUD. Iran J Reprod Med. Hillard PA. Menstrual suppression: current perspectives. Int J Womens Health. 2014;6:631–637. Published 2014 Jun 23. doi:10.2147/IJWH.S46680 Additional Reading Hohmann H. Examining the efficacy, safety, and patient acceptability of the etonogestrel implantable contraceptive. Patient Prefer Adherence. Merki-Feld GS, Hund M. Clinical experience with the combined contraceptive vaginal ring in Switzerland, including a subgroup analysis of previous hormonal contraceptive use. The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care. 2010;15(6):413-422. doi:10.3109/13625187.2010.524717 National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus. Period pain. Wong CL, Farquhar C, Roberts H, Proctor M. Oral contraceptive pill for primary dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. July 2009. doi:10.1002/14651858.cd002120.pub3 By Dawn Stacey, PhD, LMHC Dawn Stacey, PhD, LMHC, is a published author, college professor, and mental health consultant with over 15 years of counseling experience. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit