Period Cramps Aren't Cute, but These Heating Pads to Help Treat Them Are

Period cramps are the worst. If you're a person who menstruates, odds are you've experienced this monthly pain in your pelvis (fluctuations in hormones might also give you weirdly vivid dreams, according to experts). Kecia Gaither, MD, MPH, FACOG, a board-certified ob-gyn, told POPSUGAR in a previous interview that cramps occur when the tissue that lines the uterus, the endometrium, produces chemicals known as prostaglandins.

Dr. Gaither explained, "These substances cause the uterine muscle to contract and expel the uterine lining each month during menstruation, [which causes] the cramps that women feel." They can be mild or very severe, and though ibuprofen may help, so can heating pads. One POPSUGAR staffer even wrote a love letter to her trusted sidekick of a heating pad.

The uterus-shaped heating pad from Urban Outfitters, seen above, might just be the adorable lifesaver you need to get you through those dreaded menstrual cramps. It has fallopian tubes and everything! Plus, with its rosy cheeks and soft smile, it seems like it'll give your uterus (your real uterus) a great big, warm hug. You can also freeze it and use it cold if need be, states the Urban Outfitters website. And because I couldn't help but squeal when I saw it, I needed to find other cute heating pads and hot water bottles on the market. Check out where to buy them, including our friend the pink uterus, ahead.