Ladies - Period Question

[pollycupcake]

I'm 21 and my periods give me HELL. My cycle is short (usually 23-25 days) and I start suffering pre-menstral symptoms from as early as Day 16. And they're awful - severe water retention, very bad mood swings, poor concentration, uncontrollable cravings (to the point where I end up eating sugar-laden foods for about a week, even when I try supplements like chromium etc to help this), bloating, zits, fatigue....Oh the list goes on. And then when I get to the day before, I often get HORRIBLE cramps. Most months, I have to have 1-2 days off work (which adds up to 12-24+ sick days per year for periods ALONE), which is making my career suffer.

I've tried the following methods with no success:
1. Raw food and exercise - I got a reduction in symptoms, but it's not a long term solution.
2. Herbal/Homeopathetic supplements - Some remedies were not effective at all and the rest had only a minimal effect.
3. Depo Injection - HORRIBLE. I gained SO much weight and felt terrible.

Most other women can take the Pill, but as I've got a family history of breast cancer AND blood clotting, several doctors have advised me against using the Pill. I also don't want to gain weight, and the Pill does that.

I'm way too young to go through a hysterectomy -especially as I haven't decided if I want children yet or not.

What should I do?!

[stanmrak]

Try "Earthing" - grounding yourself to the earth. You can do this while you sleep or anywhere you're sitting by using simple grounding devices. Women have improved very severe PMS symptoms over time by doing this and nothing else. It takes no time or effort, why not try?

Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?
Earthing - Connect to the Earth and feel better...fast!

[Criseyde]

Is there any way you can get bloodwork to test for a vitamin deficiency? There are a few that can cause symptoms like that (off the top of my head: magnesium, B6).

Instead of the pill, you might be able to try progesterone cream. Perhaps ask about that.

Do you at least exercise regularly still?

Hmm... other than that... raspberry leaf tea helps with cramps. But it tastes like grass.

Are you under a lot of stress? How long has this been going on? I went through a period when I was 18 of similar symptoms to what you describe. It was due to stress and went away. My PMS/periods still aren't any fun, but they're not hellacious the way they were.

[emeadow]

You might look at issues around estrogen dominance. I would also recommend getting a hormone panel workup from your doc (and maybe a thyroid panel at the same time).

If estrogen is an issue, make sure you are careful to avoid any environmental estrogen influence (soy, chemicals, etc). Also make sure you are getting plenty of Omega 3's. Check into supplementing cod liver oil and evening primrose. Acupuncture has probably been the most beneficial to me in helping to regulate my cycles.

I would really recommend getting a hormone panel though....there are so many ways to help, but you need to be sure you are heading in the right direction that is for sure.

[ButterflyWoman]

Originally Posted by Criseyde

raspberry leaf tea helps with cramps. But it tastes like grass.

Seconded. Drink it daily, not just when you have your period, and you can safely drink several cups a day if you want to (and you don't mind the flavour of grass ). It's supposed to help tone the uterus (it does apparently trigger micro-contractions that can strengthen the muscles, etc.).

Other things that can help at least with the pain are heat packs (or a hot water bottle) or, if that doesn't help, ice packs, but I'd try heat first. Keep up with the exercise, because every little bit helps.

I do know someone with similar issues, and she uses a contraceptive vaginal ring (one brand name is NuvaRing) to manage her cycle (like you, she had issues with other hormonal treatments). It might be worth talking to your doctor about it.

[Bonadea]

Aside from a hormonal work-up (which is like pulling teeth to get sometimes)

Vitex can help regulate hormones.
I had a lot of luck with Evening primrose oil by itself. I think it's in Vitex too, but I needed it on it's own.

The mini-pill has that small amount of progesterone which would help, so does the Mirena IUD. I didn't think a small amount of progesterone would be an issue for that.

There are other more permanent options, but you're too young for that.

My SIL had luck with acupuncture for endo.

[aelle]

Originally Posted by Bonadea

The mini-pill has that small amount of progesterone which would help, so does the Mirena IUD. I didn't think a small amount of progesterone would be an issue for that.

My understanding is that the mini-pill does not affect most women's cycle - its main method of action is by thickening cervical fluid so that sperms don't make it to the egg.

Other progestogen-only BC methods, like the Mirena IUD and the implant, do eliminate the periods of a significant percentage of users. The issue of course is that the procedure to insert them is a lot more heavy than taking a pill - kind of a bummer if you don't end up being among the women whose side effects include no period.

But do check the data. I recommend working with a doctor used to prescribing a variety of birth control methods. Planned Parenthood is great for that because prescribing BC is what they do day in day out. I went to them for my IUD and got exactly the service I wanted.

What kind of medical checkup have you had on the issue? Don't let any doctor send you home with a "it's just what women go through" type of brush-off. It's obviously a serious issue that is affecting your life and deserves a proper solution. It could be a symptom of an underlying condition. Uterine fibroid could be one, and that can be surgically solved without a hysterectomy in cases.
Best of luck finding a solution ; I hope you can put an end to your pain!

[Acting Like Godot]

Primrose oil

Exercise in the week before PMS is expected

Check for fibroids

Also, these issues often resolve themselves after you give birth and breastfeed. Your hormones will adjust themselves prominently thereafter.

[Bonadea]

Both the mini-pill and the Mirena give a constant small dose of progesterone. The mini-pill is generally taken throughout the cycle with no breaks for your period like a normal birth control pill.

This often either lightens periods or gets rid of them completely.

With the mini-pill you have to be very vigilant on taking it the same time every day to keep the levels constant.

[Criseyde]

Ooh, evening primrose oil made my PMS 1000x worse. Tread cautiously...

[ssandra]

Mirena IUD helped me enourmously.

If your doctor tells you he cannot give it to you because you don't have children yet, go to another doctor. It is done, just not often.

I now almost never have my period anymore and PMS only once every 3 or 4 weeks, but manageble. Cramps only very light, and sometimes (like, twice a year) a bit more heavy but only for an hour or 3, and it gets solved with pain killers.

[newkaren]

B-12 has done wonders for me. I'm 44, and started doing the whole period every 3 weeks, and horrible PMS.

I'm still getting the PMS, but nothing like it was, and my periods are now on a 4 week cycle.

good luck.

[Bonadea]

ssandra,

I thought she was saying because of the hormones/cancer risk.

(but I didn't think such a small amount of progesterone would be considered a risk)

[ssandra]

Originally Posted by Bonadea

ssandra,

I thought she was saying because of the hormones/cancer risk.

(but I didn't think such a small amount of progesterone would be considered a risk)

Actually, if I remember correctly, the mirena IUD is said to decrease risk of cancer. But don't take my word for it!! Ask your doctor!! I am not sure!!

[Bonadea]

Probably does because it counteracts the estrogen which is typically the hormone that does that.

[liamona]

Originally Posted by pollycupcake

I'm 21 and my periods give me HELL. My cycle is short (usually 23-25 days) and I start suffering pre-menstral symptoms from as early as Day 16. And they're awful - severe water retention, very bad mood swings, poor concentration, uncontrollable cravings (to the point where I end up eating sugar-laden foods for about a week, even when I try supplements like chromium etc to help this), bloating, zits, fatigue....Oh the list goes on. And then when I get to the day before, I often get HORRIBLE cramps. Most months, I have to have 1-2 days off work (which adds up to 12-24+ sick days per year for periods ALONE), which is making my career suffer.

You sound just like me when I went on a low-fat, high soy, low to no meat and dairy diet (as promoted in the old version of "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom" to cure my horrible cramps!) ended up with endometriosis and large uterine and ovarian cysts that had to be removed surgically. My surgeon then pronounced me cured, but I still had cramps.

Then I came across the Weston Price Foundation's nutrition information on eating traditional foods, and started eating huge amounts of the foods I had been denying myself for years like red meat, eggs, cream and butter. That was finally the real cure for my problems: no more cramps or PMS! Now I hardly know when my period is coming. It's so freeing!

But if you're uncomfortable with eating meat, at least try to incorporate saturated fats and protein with every meal. And start taking a high-quality magnesium supplement (not the mag. oxides).

If you eat soy, you may want to stop that as well. I think some people are sensitive to the phytoestrogens they contain. This is tough for me as I love soy! But it's worth it.

I also do poorly on BC pills. They eliminate the cramping, but instead I get severe nausea and weight gain. A poor trade-off!

[Winter Goddess]

Are you consuming enough fat through your diet?

[CoolBee]

I was very ill with various a couple of times. My second year at Uni (age 19/20), I spent 3 weeks of every month crawling from lavatory to lavatory bleeding heavily. Had similar problems in my 40s.

Do get yourself a thorough exam to make sure you've not got polyps or whatever and do persist if your medical examiner tries to fob you off. Fortunately, I was able to (i) wave a doctorhood title at my GP and (ii) afford the $1000 a private exam cost otherwise I would be dead thanks to my 'it's your age dearie' GP.

As others have mentioned, what works for one may be totally wrong for you so you may need to experiment somewhat. (One potential solution offered above almost killed me - so do be careful!)

What I do recommend - especially for heavy periods - and wish I had discovered way back in my past are 'mooncups'. Save you a fortune on protection AND the environment!

UK Mooncup site

US Mooncup site

There are a couple of other similar things around I believe though I don't know the names.

[aelle]

Originally Posted by liamona

You sound just like me when I went on a low-fat, high soy, low to no meat and dairy diet (as promoted in the old version of "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom" to cure my horrible cramps!) ended up with endometriosis and large uterine and ovarian cysts that had to be removed surgically. My surgeon then pronounced me cured, but I still had cramps.

Then I came across the Weston Price Foundation's nutrition information on eating traditional foods, and started eating huge amounts of the foods I had been denying myself for years like red meat, eggs, cream and butter. That was finally the real cure for my problems: no more cramps or PMS! Now I hardly know when my period is coming. It's so freeing!

But if you're uncomfortable with eating meat, at least try to incorporate saturated fats and protein with every meal. And start taking a high-quality magnesium supplement (not the mag. oxides).

If you eat soy, you may want to stop that as well. I think some people are sensitive to the phytoestrogens they contain. This is tough for me as I love soy! But it's worth it.

I also do poorly on BC pills. They eliminate the cramping, but instead I get severe nausea and weight gain. A poor trade-off!

This makes sense, as vitamins B have been shown to improve PMS and period cramps in some people, and offal and other animal products are rich in vitamin B. You could also just supplement with a vitamin B complex.

[Acting Like Godot]

By the way, ladies, this is a digression ... and yet maybe not.

My wife had bad menstrual cramps too. Medical check-up revealed a large fibroid. Doctor said that it would have to be surgically removed.

One of our ... unusual ... friends (I have plenty of those ) recommended a Tibetan mantra to remove it naturally instead. My wife used it, together with the Silva Method.

Anyway, three months later, my wife went back for another check-up and the doctor discovered that the fibroid was missing. He was very surprised and suspected that the x-rays were mixed up with another patient's, but it was confirmed that they were not.

We did not mention mantras or the Silva Method to the doctor. As we like to be perceived as sane, rational people.

[liamona]

Originally Posted by Criseyde

Ooh, evening primrose oil made my PMS 1000x worse. Tread cautiously...

It had ZERO effect for me, which was disappointing.

Originally Posted by CoolBee

What I do recommend - especially for heavy periods - and wish I had discovered way back in my past are 'mooncups'. Save you a fortune on protection AND the environment!

Those things sure are great!

But heavy menstrual bleeding, which I also used to get, can be a sign of a vitamin A deficiency. And if you have thyroid issues your body may convert very little or no beta-carotene to vitamin A so taking retinol (like 100,000 i.u. temporarily) or eating animal foods containing it will be very important.

See "Vitamin A influences thyroid function" by Dr. by Stephen Langer:

"One of the lesser known facts about vitamin A is that it contributes to the development of sperm cells in males and eggs in women. You and I wouldn't have been born if it weren't for vitamin A, as well as other key vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin A occurs in two forms: retinol and beta-carotene. Retinol comes from meat, animal products, poultry and fish. Beta-carotene comes from vegetables and fruit and was given its name because it was first isolated from carrots, one of the richest sources of this substance.

Beta-carotene, which may treat and prevent certain forms of cancer, is actually a vitamin A precursor, which is not always transformed into vitamin A. This phenomenon has been well demonstrated in a biochemistry classic, Vitamins in Endocrine Metabolism, by Isobel Jennings of University College, University of Cambridge, England.

Individuals with low thyroid function (hypothyroidism) have a reduced ability to change beta-carotene into true vitamin A."

Vitamin A in the treatment of menorrhagia

Abstract

Hypovitaminosis A was found to be an important cause of menorrhagia, and a statistically significant difference between the fasting serum vitamin A values of healthy controls and patients with menorrhagia was noted.

Vitamin A is a co-factor of 3 beta-dehydrogenase in steroidogenesis and deficiencies of this vitamin may result in impaired enzyme activity. The level of endogenous 17 beta-oestradiol appears to be elevated with vitamin A therapy, and menorrhagia was alleviated in more than 92% of patients.

Originally Posted by aelle

This makes sense, as vitamins B have been shown to improve PMS and period cramps in some people, and offal and other animal products are rich in vitamin B. You could also just supplement with a vitamin B complex.

Yes, that's true. Most people do fine on just a whole food diet. But I was taking a B Complex with other supplements, and none of it did very much good. It may be because I was under a lot of stress in addition to eating a crappy (for me) diet.

Originally Posted by ZephyrusX

@ at OP - Endometriosis came to my mind as I get insanely horrible cramps and bleed a lot. Do you lose a lot of blood during your periods? My doctor told me that I might have this, but wtf, he never told me that it causes infertility.

I was diagnosed with it, as the ovarian cyst I had surgically removed had endometrial tissue that was secreting blood every month and so the cyst was filled with old blood (this is called a "chocolate" cyst *barf*).

But now I have virtually no symptoms, and I was eventually able to get pregnant and have a child.

Endometriosis.org : the Global Forum on Endometriosis

That site has some good information, but be warned that it only recommends using artificial hormones to treat endometriosis.

[JamesKnochel]

Originally Posted by emeadow

You might look at issues around estrogen dominance. I would also recommend getting a hormone panel workup from your doc (and maybe a thyroid panel at the same time).

If estrogen is an issue, make sure you are careful to avoid any environmental estrogen influence (soy, chemicals, etc). Also make sure you are getting plenty of Omega 3's. Check into supplementing cod liver oil and evening primrose. Acupuncture has probably been the most beneficial to me in helping to regulate my cycles.

I would really recommend getting a hormone panel though....there are so many ways to help, but you need to be sure you are heading in the right direction that is for sure.

Omega 3's are "ESTROGENIC", which means they have effects similar to estrogen. Not recommended.

Also, there's a huge difference between the progestins in birth control and the Progesterone made by the body and incorporated into Natural Progesterone creams.

The best book about difficult periods is Dr. Lee's book on Menopause. Look it up.

-James

[Razia]

I do suffer the same and i think most of womans may have this problem,its due to often change in hormones in body that means body is not stable at all and this problems arises.

[stanmrak]

I'm going to say it again... Earthing.

Read the responses by people who have tried it:
Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?

Earthing takes ZERO effort and ZERO time. You can make yourself an earthing device for less than $10.
Earthing Products Let You Ground Yourself Almost Anywhere

[ButterflyWoman]

This thread has been split. Follow the Menstrual Cup discussion here:

http://www.stevepavlina.com/forums/h...rual-cups.html