What did women in the 1500's do about their menstral cycles?

They used herbs for pain control, although severe cramping is much a result of modern lifestyle. Most women back then did not use anything for pain, or need it. They used bundles of rags and also depending on their geographic area. sometimes they had bundles of absorbent plant materials they could purchase. Generally though, they used rags.

They used rags. All the way up until the 20th century, they used rags to absorb the blood.

There was no medicine to help with cramps, really, though there were "folk" remedies, like willow bark (which is what aspirin is made of).

They generally used cotton rags, also called "clouts", which had to be washed. Women in some rural communities (including Native Americans) used moss.

I doubt they had medicine for cramps.

I'm not quite sure but I can just Imagine them shoving cotton or wool up "there". Not much else would work and it would help to explain the higher death rate back then... That and none of the modern medicine and technology that we have these days....

rags and herbs

(sometimes if the bleeding was bad enough they would just lie down in the bed in old clothes until it was over.)

i am not quite sure.