Will coffee make my cramps worse on my period?

Coffee is one of the most contentious foods in the health world. Some say it's healthy if consumed in moderation, and others say to abstain from it entirely. Like most things, there is no black and white, and whether coffee is good or bad for you is entirely up to each individual. Coffee is packed with polyphenols and antioxidants and can help protect against free radicals, it helps stimulate cognitive function, and research has shown that coffee consumption can protect us from alzheimer's. Some say coffee can exacerbate period cramps, and this is mainly due to the fact that it is a vasoconstrictor, meaning it makes blood vessels in the body constrict. This can cause the vessels in your uterus to tighten and can make period cramps worse as during our period the blood supply. There are three large studies that support this. Coffee can be enjoyed with best results if cycled correctly in moderation when timed right with where we are in our menstrual phase. 1 cup of coffee (preferably with a meal to slow down absorption of caffeine and help ease a cortisol and blood sugar spike) can be enjoyied daily. However, in the 5 days leading up to your period and when the anti-inflammatory hormone progesterone begins to decline and inflammatory prostaglandins increase, switch your cup of coffee for matcha, or a caffeine free alternative like dandelion root tea (bonus this is a diuretic and will help with PMS bloat) or hot cacao. Once your period is over you can switch back to coffee.