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Quick answer
- The NHS recommends heat for period pain.
- Reviews suggest heat can ease pain, and may work about as well as some painkillers.
- Wrap it, never use boiling water, and replace old bottles.
Good news: your hot water bottle is not just a comfort blanket. The NHS recommends a heat pad or hot water bottle wrapped in a tea towel for period pain, and research backs it up.
A 2018 review found that in three small trials, heating pads relieved period pain better than painkillers. A much bigger 2025 review of 57 trials (5,359 people) found heat probably reduces pain compared with doing nothing, and may work about as well as anti-inflammatory painkillers, with fewer side effects. Heat is not a cure for everything, but it is cheap, cosy and low-risk when used safely.
Ways to use heat
- A hot water bottle wrapped in a tea towel on your tummy or lower back
- An electric heat pad on a low setting
- Stick-on heat patches under clothes
- A warm bath or shower
MythHeat makes your period heavier.
We found no good evidence that a hot water bottle or warm bath makes you bleed more. It may just help you feel better.
Sources
Written by the Splash teamSources checked
This is general information, not medical advice. Splash can’t diagnose. If you’re worried, talk to a GP, pharmacist or sexual health clinic. In an emergency call 999 (UK) or 911 (US). How we write and check articles.