How to use a heating pad for period cramps

Does a heating pad help period cramps?

For many people it does. Period cramps come from the muscles of the uterus tightening. Warmth on the belly helps those muscles relax, which is why heat is one of the most common things people reach for on a bad day.

Heat is a comfort tool. It can take the edge off cramps, but it does not change what causes them. It sits alongside whatever your doctor recommends, not instead of it.

Where to put the heating pad

1. Low on your belly. Place the pad just above your pubic bone, below your belly button. That is where the uterus sits and where most cramps start.
2. Your lower back. Many people feel cramps in the lower back as well. Heat there can help as much as on the front. Our guide to lower back pain during your period goes into more detail.
3. Your hips. Some people feel period pain spread into the hips and the tops of the thighs. A larger pad or a wraparound pad reaches further.

If your pain sits in more than one place, you either move one pad around or use a pad that covers more of you at once. Our wearable pad, belt and patch comparison shows how much each one covers.

How long to use it

Follow the maker's instructions for your pad, because session times differ. As a rule of thumb, use heat for one session, then give your skin a break before the next.

• Check your skin each time you take the pad off. If it looks red or feels sore, stop.
• Don't fall asleep with an electric pad switched on.
• A thin layer of clothing between you and the pad makes longer sessions more comfortable.

Which setting to start on

Start on the lowest setting and turn it up slowly. Heat builds over a few minutes, so wait before deciding you need more. Hotter is not better. You want warmth you can relax into, not heat you have to grit your teeth through.

If you have reduced feeling in your skin, use a low setting only and check your skin often.

When to start using heat

Some people find heat works best if they start as the first cramps arrive, rather than waiting until the pain peaks. Keep your pad somewhere easy to reach for the first day or two of your period, when cramps are usually strongest.

Other things that help alongside heat

• Gentle movement. A short walk or some light stretching can ease cramps for some people.
• Rest. Lying on your side with your knees pulled up is comfortable for many people with cramps.
• Pain relief. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you which over the counter pain relief suits you and when to take it.

The Riley by REB Relief

I built the Riley after years of being tied to a wall outlet with a pad that kept slipping. We make it, so weigh our view with that in mind and read the reviews. It is a corded wearable heating pad that straps on and warms your lower belly, lower back and hips at once, so you don't have to move one pad from front to back. It plugs into a US wall outlet, warms up in 3 seconds, has 10 heat settings and runs sessions of up to 2 hours.

• $119, and FSA and HSA eligible
• Rated 4.7 from 227 reviews
• 90 day guarantee, so you can try it through three full cycles
• Ships from our US warehouse

See the Riley

Using heat safely

• Start low and build up slowly.
• Keep heat off broken or irritated skin.
• Never sleep with an electric pad switched on. Unplug it when you finish.
• Don't use heat on a part of your body that feels numb.
• Ask your doctor first if you are pregnant, have diabetes or reduced feeling in your skin, or have an implanted medical device.

When to see a doctor

Some period pain is normal. Pain that stops you going to work or school, wakes you at night, gets worse over time, or comes with heavy bleeding, pain during sex, or pain outside your period is worth taking to your doctor. Conditions like endometriosis and adenomyosis can cause cramps like these, and they are often missed for years. Our guide on heating pads for endometriosis pain covers heat for those flares.

Sudden severe pain, pain with a fever, or pain that could be pregnancy related needs urgent medical care.