Are Painful Periods a Sign of Good Fertility or a Red Flag?

You've probably been told since you got your first period that cramps are just part of being a woman. PMS is normal. Heavy bleeding and feeling miserable for days? Well, that's just how it goes.

Let me be super clear with you right now - you've been lied to.

Period cramps are not normal. They're common, unfortunately really common, but they are absolutely not normal. And if you've been wondering if those painful periods are a sign of good fertility, I'm going to give you the real answer that might surprise you.

By the end of this post, you'll understand what a healthy period should actually look like and why painful periods aren't something you need to just accept. Your period is your body’s monthly report card, and it's time we started paying attention to what it's telling us about our health.

What Your Period is Actually Supposed to Feel Like

Let me paint you a picture of what an ideal period looks like because I have a feeling this might blow your mind.

You should just bleed. That's it. No PMS beforehand. No rage or anxiety the week before. No breakouts. No period poops. No cramping.

When I first learned this, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. I used to pop Midol like it was candy. I'd take the highest dose, and I'd still be throwing up on my period. I'd have to call in sick from work, which was terrible considering I was a music teacher and didn't get paid if I didn't show up. My period cramps were so intense that even with the maximum dose of pain medication, I couldn't function.

I thought that was just what periods were supposed to be like because everyone always made jokes about period cramps. My mom even told me growing up that it would prepare me for childbirth. And honestly, she wasn't wrong, it wasn't until I was six centimeters dilated with my first baby that my contractions even touched the pain level of my period cramps.

But despite that being such a common experience for women everywhere… you CAN actually have a painless period. And understanding why your period is painful is the first step to fixing it.

The Real Reason Behind Painful Periods

Women with painful period cramps actually have four times the amount of excess prostaglandins compared to women without painful periods. Let me break this down for you.

There are two types of period pain: primary dysmenorrhea and secondary dysmenorrhea.

Primary dysmenorrhea is when women have four times the excess prostaglandins causing inflammation and pain. So if you're dealing with painful periods, it's not because you're cursed or because it's just your lot in life as a woman. You can have a painless period once you address what's causing that inflammation.

Secondary dysmenorrhea is when painful periods are caused by conditions like endometriosis, copper IUD, cysts, or fibroids. These require looking deeper into what's going on in your body.

Think about prostaglandins as inflammation. Now, inflammation gets a bad reputation, but we actually need some inflammation, for example, it's how our body heals when we get cut. The problem is when we have chronic inflammation creating excess prostaglandins all the time.

The real question isn't just "how do I lower inflammation?" It's "why is my body inflamed in the first place?" Because you can hop from turmeric to curcumin to resveratrol, trying every anti-inflammatory supplement under the sun, but until you figure out what's causing the chronic inflammation, you're just putting a bandaid on the problem.

Are Painful Periods a Sign of Good Fertility?

Now let's get to the big question: are painful periods a sign of good fertility?

The short answer is no. Painful periods are not a sign of good fertility. In fact, they're often a red flag that something is off with your hormones.

Ovulation is when progesterone production really kicks in. No ovulation means no progesterone. And progesterone is the hormone that helps create healthy cycles, supports fertility, and keeps everything balanced.

When you're experiencing painful periods, it's often because of hormonal imbalances, inflammation, or conditions that can actually make it harder to conceive. The pain isn't a sign that your reproductive system is working well. It's a signal that something needs attention.

Your period is your fifth vital sign. It's your body's monthly report card telling you exactly what's going on with your hormones and overall health. Instead of ignoring the pain or just managing it with medication, we need to look at what's causing it (especially if you want to improve your fertility!).

What a Healthy Menstrual Cycle Looks Like

Let me walk you through what your cycle should look like when everything is working the way it's supposed to. And remember, your whole cycle is your menstrual cycle, not just your period. Every single phase has this ebb and flow of hormones happening.

Cycle Length and Period Duration

Your full cycle (from the start of one period to the start of the next) should be between 26 and 36 days. Under 21 days is too short, and over 36 days is too long and can indicate irregular cycles.

Your actual period should last between three and seven days. You don't want to be bleeding less than 25 milliliters or more than around 80 milliliters. And if you're wondering how on earth you're supposed to measure that, here's a helpful guide: a regular tampon or pad holds about five milliliters, while an overnight tampon or pad holds about 10 milliliters.

If your cycle is too light and you're not bleeding enough, that can be a red flag that you're not building up enough estrogen or that you might not be ovulating. Way too heavy of a period can be caused by fibroids, low progesterone, too much estrogen, or even thyroid issues.

What Your Period Blood Should Look Like

The color and consistency of your period blood can tell you a lot. You want to see that deep red cherry or wine red color with minimal to no clots.

Really light pink period blood can give you insight that your estrogen might be too low. Really dark brown period blood is old blood, which can be caused by either a tipped uterus (something a pelvic floor therapist can help with) or low testosterone.

If you're getting a lot of headaches during or after your period, that might be worth getting your iron levels tested. And just some additional food for thought, if your iron levels are consistently off and you have a hard time keeping them up, I can't encourage you enough to look into GI map testing and check for parasites. I know that sounds gross, but a lot of times there's something much deeper going on in your gut.

The Four Phases of Your Cycle

After your period, you head into the follicular phase. This is when the follicle starts developing and will eventually release an egg. When a follicle fully matures and releases an egg, that whole journey takes about 90 days. So whatever you're doing to impact your hormones right now, whether you're changing your nutrition or taking supplements, you want to commit to it for a full 90 days to see a real difference.

During the follicular phase, estrogen starts to rise and testosterone comes up a little bit. You should feel pretty good during this time with decent energy levels.

Then you hit ovulation, which is when that mature egg is released. After ovulation, you move into the luteal phase, where progesterone should become the dominant hormone. This is the phase where a lot of women experience the most symptoms because if progesterone isn't at optimal levels, things can go sideways pretty quickly.

Finally, you're back to menstruation if the egg wasn't fertilized.

How Stress Can Make Your Periods More Painful

Here's something that might help you understand why you're having so many luteal phase symptoms and painful periods. Your body makes both progesterone and cortisol from the same mother hormone called pregnenolone.

Cortisol is your fight or flight hormone, and progesterone is your calming, cycle-supporting hormone. Your body will always prioritize making cortisol over progesterone because cortisol is what keeps you alive when you're in danger.

The problem is that your body can’t tell the difference between running from a bear or if you're just stressed from chronically under-eating, not getting enough nutrients, family stress, work stress, or lifestyle stress. Your body still prioritizes cortisol over progesterone. And then poor progesterone isn't reaching its optimal potential, which leads to all those horrible symptoms during your luteal phase.

This is why you can't just supplement your way out of hormone imbalances. We need to figure out why your body is in a stressed state in the first place.

Your Common Period Questions Answered

What if I get cramps every other cycle?

If you're getting cramps every other cycle, it could be related to which ovary you're ovulating from. Most of the time you have two ovaries (unless you've had one removed), and if one side is consistently more painful, it might be a physical alignment issue.

I always encourage women to think about whether one ovary is getting enough blood flow. This is where working with someone like a pelvic floor therapist who does hypopressive breathwork can be really helpful. It's about lifting up those organs and making sure your uterus and ovaries are getting optimal blood flow. I recommend looking into Dr. Angie and The Core Recovery Method® to learn more.

Is it bad to skip my period if I'm not having a cycle?

Yes. Your period is your fifth vital sign, and it's definitely something you want to be having regularly. Everything I've talked about in this post is about a woman with a natural cycle, not someone on birth control (which is a completely different story with synthetic hormones).

If I have a period, does that almost mean I am ovulating?

No. You can actually have what's called a withdrawal bleed or an anovulatory cycle. This is why I highly encourage using temps to track your cycle so you can confirm that you're actually ovulating. If you're not ovulating, that may be a reason why you're having issues with your period.

How do I know if my symptoms are hormone-related or just normal PMS?

If there's anything that's really interfering with your mood, your energy, or your daily life, that's hormone-related. And it's fixable.

Your Cycle is Your Superpower

I think it's so cool how many tools we have available to us as women. Our cycle gives us this monthly insight into what's happening in our bodies. But we really need to stop thinking that hormones are out to get us.

When we stop looking at hormones as frustrating or something that gives us all these issues and symptoms, that's when we can really turn them into the superpower they truly are. Your hormones can give you so much more energy, vibrancy, and creativity when they're balanced.

So to answer the original question: are painful periods a sign of good fertility? Absolutely not. They're a sign that something needs attention. But the good news is that painful periods are fixable. You don't have to just accept feeling miserable every month.

You can feel amazing in your body. You can have painless periods. You can wake up with energy instead of dreading your cycle. And you can absolutely get your hormones working for you instead of against you.

Here’s what a recent client shared with me while going through the Hormone Reset Program®:

"Before working with Leah I had awful cramps every time my period would come around. For 1 and a half weeks before and the whole week during. I had lost my period for almost 3 whole months. I was always bloated and always felt moody and stressed.

Leah's program helped every one of these problems. 3 weeks into the group, I got my first period back. I only had light cramps the day before and first day of. My moods did not drastically change. I was not bloated AT ALL! I was shocked. My period was shorter then previous ones and I didn’t cramp after day one."

If your period is sucking the life out of you, there's help available.

The Hormone Reset Program® helps women literally reset their hormones so you have all the tools you need to get your energy back, have painless periods, and stop feeling like you don't know who you are the week before your period.

You can book a free consultation call to tell us about your symptoms and see if this is a good fit for you.

Your period is giving you feedback every single month. It's time to start listening to what it's telling you and giving your body what it needs to thrive!

Let’s Get Rid of Your Painful Periods!

Book your free call with my team for an inside look at the Hormone Reset Program®. She'll walk you through what it's really like to get support, answer your questions honestly, and help you see whether this is the right step for your health journey.