Home Remedies for PMT and Pains please!

[Helsbells]

This isnt very natural but....

Being on the pill fools the body into thinking it is pregnant, so liskeradjane, this, in theory is more natural. Although paradoxically not natural at all.
It usually means you get lighter periods which are less painful. (However I speak from experience when I say that the PMT did not improve, in fact was worse!)

The only thing I have ever found to help period pain is Ibuprofen!

Sorry, none of that sounds very natural!

[liskeardjane]

if it works for you helsbels then you need to do what you need to do! i'm a pain of a raving feminist and need to enjoy being a woman and as mad as it sounds that involves getting on with life at full tilt, whether breast feeding, pregnant, menstruating or being menopausal!

[Helsbells]

Hi again Liskeard,

Yeah it works for me at the moment, but hoping to try for a baby next year so once I come off it I fully intend on going o'naturalle from then on.

[liskeardjane]

woohoo helsbels! a teacher like me! i'm a head of english and i'm working like a slave, tutoring as well as teaching and i'm uber frugal to pay off my mortgage early. i'm moving house to a titsy cottage with a patch of a garden and will be totally debt free including the mortgage in six years and then teaching will take the back burner. It is a job! i run a dept and make it my job to ensure that my peeps are fit and happy! my lasting advice to anyone having babies (when you do)- don't even try to work! it's a bit old fashioned but cornwall council gave me the teaching job but god gave me the job as a mum and wife - now that's my vocation!!!

[Green Aura]

OK. I had fibroids which resulted in abdominal pain that went from my diaphragm to my knees, literally. I found that cramp bark helped enormously with that.

As well as the pain I had really heavy, flooding periods, often passing big clots that increased the pain at that time. I used geranium and cypress essential oils rubbed on my abdomen in a little carrier oil, with a heat pad over the top, after half an hour I felt human again.

[growingthings]

Like the sound of those GA! Will check with doc that these are fine for me to use

And as far as being pregnant goes Liskeardjane I would love love love to have another bun in the oven, but I have a genetic disorder that means (amongst other things) I have a dodgy ticker. My new meds would be REALLY bad for an unborn baby, and my heart wouldn't be able to cope with the extra stress - so no more for me I'm afraid.. But DH and I are already having the adoption conversation *excited* !

Do they improve after sterilisation does anyone know? I'm considering it when the smalls are a bit older, as don't want to run the risk of pregnancy, although DH has stepped forward and offered to get the snip so maybe that's not something I have to worry about!

Almost there with it now, should have seen it off by tomorrow I think thank God, perhaps not having a load of Christmas gifts to finish will improve the PMT situation next month

[Jessiebean]

I am on a journey with this too having started about 5 months ago ( pause briefly in that time to have a miscarriage) and there are a few things I have found work with me a bit...
A little yoga every morning seems to help- I don't have as much pain.
Using a DIVA cup for some reason makes the pain less and the length of time shorter than when I used disposable sanitary protection (no idea why, wouldn't even like to hypothisise(sp?) just stating my personal observation).
Clary sage essential oil really helps when massaged onto my lower back with a carrier oil( not too fussed on the smell but it helps)
I also take b vitamins and a magnesium supplement- fish oil when I can remember and I am just about to try agnus castus as well so that I stop being such a shouty growly monster who cries at commercials and picture books... apart from the fact I almost rattle when I walk with all these supplements in me I am holding it together...ish.
I am also indulging in fresh from the garden chammomile tea- maybe that is helping too?

[JillStephens7]

I struggled for years to come off the pill, the PMT and pains were so bad I kept giving in and just start taking the pill again. I went for ONE shiatsu massage treatment and my periods miraculously appeared at full moon every month, with far less pain and PMT.

This lasted for about 2 years, then started getting later and later and getting more and more pain & clotting, so went back for another shiatsu session and went back to full moon every month and manageable pain and PMT.

Apparantly I reacted particluarly quickly to treatment . Was about two years ago and am getting later periods and clotting again now, so counting up my christmas money to see if I can afford another treatment. THere are acu-pressure points you can use to help yourself but I tend to have angry hands when I'm in that state so self-healing is impossible!

Hugs to anyone suffering xx

[fruitcake]

V interesting thread - I too have thyroids and totally relate to the flooding, clots and pain comments - gave in and went to the doctor a few years ago and had a fibroid resection - not sure it really worked, also tried to work my way through a book 'how to cure fibroids naturally' didnt really work for me (at least not yet - should do more with it!) and have caved in and gone on the pill to try and get my life back, not be continuously anaemic etc. Doc has just changed the pill and reduced the oestrogen levels which may bring back really heavy bleeding - still get pain and the fuzzy spaced out feeling and take 'brufen - but at least I'm not living on painillers as i was. Will see how it goes.....

Will try shiatsu! Have had reflexology in the past - found it helped loads and gone back to acupuncture recently - for a swollen ankle (old injury but playing up big time) - which started to get puffy around the time i went on the pill - acupuncturist reckons its all 'blood' related so going for more in Jan. Ankle went back to normal almost overnight - yippee.

to all those suffering at the mo xx

[Bonniegirl]

Get a Mirena fitted, blummin great, not had a period in a year or more!! :D

[citizentwiglet]

I must say, although it is often the last thing you want to do; some brisk exercise can be just the ticket. OK, if you are feeling sick just walking about with a child then I don't think a 90 minute boxercise DVD is going to do much except actually succeed in making you sick; but when I know the pains are imminent I do find that a nice brisk walk seems to help.
(I'm lucky in a way, I get one day on BEFORE the pains hit - usually day 2 through to day 4 before it tails off to a dull ache again - so I can use day one to exercise.) For some reason, and I'm not sure why, a good long walk where there are plenty of hills seems to help more than just walking on the flat. I also find housework helps - on two levels, it helps the pain AND it stops me turning into a banshee because the house looks like a midden. Even if I can only clean one room, I clean my bedroom and make it into a wee retreat - some candles, some nice music and a good book and an early night. When the pain gets bad, 5 drops each of frankincense and geranium (both relaxing and emotionally uplifting) in a hot bath is lovely - more candles in the bathroom; maybe even a facepack or some cucumber slices on the eyes - I use it as a time to do a bit of pampering - it's a good excuse for some me time, and helps my mood no end.

Failing that, a bottle of wine and the biggest bar of chocolate I can find usually helps.

I never got bad period pains until after I had the children. Everyone told me your periods got less painful after childbirth. How wrong they were! My periods are currently all over the shop, invariably between 5 and 10 days late (leading to panic - I'm another one who can't risk any more children because I have a dodgy bone marrow and I practically fell apart whilst pregnant with Fin); but the wee man is 13 months now, I'd have thought they would have sorted themselves out by now. Unless this is the start of the menopause.....I'm 37, my grandmother started the menopause at 39, so I guess it might be.....

[Jandra]

I second the Mirena option. Just got my second one (after 5 years). Each to her own, but I am so glad to be able to live 4 weeks out of 4 instead of 3 weeks out of 4. For me it works wonders.

It may not be natural, but neither is bleeding. Truly! Women are supposed to get pregnant when they become fertile, then breast feed for a good long time then get pregnant again and so the cycle continues. That's natural and just by not becoming pregnant women are already being rather 'unnatural'. Women are NOT designed to bleed so much and it can cause severe health problems. At least, I've heard medical doctors explain it this way and it seemed to make sense to me.

Well, I could't care less be it natural or no, I just feel blessed not to have to to suffer. And mirena kees the hormones concentrated where they are needed in stead of moving all through the body as with the pill.

Jandra

[ellie12022]

for me, I found that excess oestregen was making me sick.

I found this website really helpful for me - it talks about the role of the liver and lists foods & herbs that are oestregenic. Since limiting these i am much less bloated & period pain is much less too. www.sensiblehealth.com

A period after 5 years sounds pretty drastic!

[JillStephens7]

oh, interesting. Will take a look. Have taken milk thistle in the past and was surprised to see it came labelled as a liver detox as I didn't know whah that had to do with period pains.

Looks like this link might tell me, so thanks for including it

[crowsashes]

ive finally found something that works for me! been taking the evening primrose oil for a while now, and ive give up most hi fat foods and noticed things are getting better.

is being over weight a cause of awful PMT? just wondered because it causes all kinds of other illnesses.

and since ive started to shed a few pounds ( just a couple!) this last period was much less severe and im not the only one to notice this!