Home Remedies for PMT and Pains please!

[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!

[ellie12022]

hello crowsashes, congrats on a less painful period - long may they last

I don't think excess weight can cause painful periods, but maybe it is something to do with the fat cells. If I remember right, oestregen & toxins can accumulate there so maybe losing weight helps not to be too toxic??

sounds like you have changed your diet as well, and that must be one that suits you better. (we all need different things to keep healthy).

[citizentwiglet]

That's very true Ellie, we do all need different things. I found out today from my GP that I shouldn't have that coil fitted because I have a history of mental illness - for the same reason, I can't take the mini-pill. The hormone (progesterone, is it?) can make certain existing mental health disorders far worse; so I can't risk it.

I can't take the combined pill because I have a dodgy bone-marrow (myleoproliferative disease) which makes me a thrombophiliac. I had been on the pill for years when I was younger; it was only in my 30s after failures to carry a baby full term (eptopic pregnancy followed by 3 miscarriages) led them to invesigate - and that was only because a haemologist was studying it and thought it was of interest to her research.

I'm just wondering - for you ladies who are on anything like the coil/mini-pill/combined pill - what kind of examination did your GP give you? Did the GP assess your mental health (further than asking 'do you feel OK?'). Did you get any blood-tests done to check your platelet count?

This is something that interests me greatly - it appears from my current research of friends and family that GPs do very few checks before prescribing medication that could have far-reaching effects. The thought of being able to get morning-after medication over the counter fills me with dread, to be honest. Conditions such as antiphospholipid disease, Factor V Leiden, MPD etc are still very much undiagnosed in women who are yet to have children (high miscarriage rates are usually the first sign; if they don't drop dead from a DVT or pulmonary embulism first); and it bothers me that such medication can be doled out, seemingly, without due regard for a person's individual make-up, IYSWIM.

[sleepyowl]

a drop of rosemay oil, one of geranium & one of lavender diluted in grapeseed oil massage onto the abdomen (do not use if you are pregnant, don't use rosemary if they have epileptic tendences)

[the.fee.fairy]

I've found that the cramps are worse now i've lost weight!!

There are only 2 things that help - painkillers and...ummm...a bit of 'self-love'. Apparently its to do with teh muscle spasms, you 'create your own' nice spasms and it helps to calm the cramps.

[Jessiebean]

I just thought I would pop back in and report- the Agnus Castus Vitex(chaste tree) supplements are really helping me with the horrendous PMT and pains...clary sage helps with the few pains I do get now but I have to be vigilant with yoga and taking my supplemnts... maybe belly dancing is helping too?

[JulieSherris]

I'd bite the bullet & head off to the clinic for the Mirena coil - at 49, I'm still considering it to help get over this pre-menopausal phase.

My eldest had one fitted just after she had her little girl & had 2 periods during the first 5 years... she had a new one fitted last year & has been period free ever since. Anything that does this sort of magic has got to be a good thing right? Anyway, it's something maybe you should look into, whether it's to stop pregnancy, or just to stop troublesome periods.

Hope you're feeling better each month now - but having suffered myself for years, I wish it had been available yonks ago!

[ajs88]

When I'm on I'll often have a hot bath with 4 drops lavender and 4 drops rosemary mixed with some carrier oil and add to a hot bath, I find its very good for pmt, cramps but also just general stress and stiff or sore muscles, it also leaves your skin feeling lovely Afterwards I'll rub a little of the oil mixture into my tummy and do some gentle yoga, having said all that I love Feminax and also take evening primrose oil

[Big Al]

....shoot the husband ??

[southeast-isher]

Queen Victoria is said to have used a tincture of marijuana to relieve period pains.

[boboff]

Dry Blackthorn?

[fifi folle]

Adding my tuppenceworth. I would suggest if you have excruciating period pains you have a look at http://www.endometriosis-uk.org/symptom ... naire.html. I put up with horrible pain, heavy bleeding, cysts, abdo pain for years before anyone would listen to me.
I would also recommend a wheat bag to anyone who'll listen, few drops of lavender on it helps too!

[wildbee]

I feel lucky that I don't get much PMS but sometime the pains can be bad and I've fainted on two occasions :/ What I do now is take magnesium powder supplement in water a few days before and cut out all carbs and sugar. Like Jessiebean I found using a menstrual cup helps too.

Agnus Castus is on my list of things to try and I really like the sound of those magical massages!

[Lilyfae]

I know this is an old post but as someone who suffered with excruciating pain from when i started at age of 11, when i was 14 the gynaecologist gave in and said "its secondary dysmenorrhea put her on the pill" which is doctor speak for "stupidly painful Periods that we have no physical reason for I give up" but never taught me how to cope otherwise.
Since then I've been unhappily on & off the pill as Im concerned about the health risks and so had to learn to deal with the debilitating pain when Im off (but then ultimately I've given in for the next few years to hopefully ensure a baby arrives on my terms) and over the years I've picked up a few natural & medicated remedies to help survive

1. Evening primrose at least 2000mg when actually menstruating at least 1000 when not- this is because more to do with PMT & hormone rebalancing due to the compound GLA (borage/starflower seed oil has more in concentrate than evening primrose a lesser effect is to eat blackcurrants when in season ( also contain GLA) - you can also add borage flowers to salads/drinks

2 drink herb teas made from raspberry leaf ( gorgeous) & lady's mantle (alchemilla mollis- more effective) these were a lifesaver the last time I was off the pill. Raspberry leaf is also a labour-inducer/pain relief and I think it works the same way by helping the womb purge & relax ( after all period pains are biologically from the same action as labour pain)

3 heat treatment- tricking the muscles into relaxing from spasm through hot water bottles/wheatbag/ gentle back rubbing/ hot bath etc- I've even used those back pain heat wraps when working through terrible pain - in my early teens I think I lived in the bath 1 week every month!

4 controversial but sex/' me' time can help as climax can help relax the cervix & spasms & release pressure in the womb - although this is not ideal circumstances for most - I reluctantly tried this on the recommendation of a friend when I was at my wits end and surprisingly the cramps went away. This may be the reason why those with a mooncup find relief as the vacuum needed to stay 'in place' will have a gentle suction on the cervix again causing it to cease spasming.

5 if in doubt cocodamol all the way - paracetamol & codeine ( seems the opiates are most effective with this as I've been on every painkiller known to my doctor for my periods & it's the codeine that works.) BTW I'm not a fan of pharmaceuticals but I draw the line at not being able to do anything bar 'child pose' with a wheatbag & so I will take painkillers at the first sign of a bad one and to hell with it- today sadly if you take a day off for period pains you are labelled weak - so painkillers it is

Basically all pain relief with periods should follow one of two course of action - relaxing the reproductive system through heat/painkillers/ activity to disrupt the cycle of spasms ( like cuting hiccups in a way!!) and two is preventative by taking GLA, drinking the teas in the build up to menstruation and making sure you aren't constipated as the two systems are so close your 'period pain' may well be an upset colon that your swollen womb I'd competing with for the body's own pain relief (strange but true when I was hospitalised aged 14 after checking I wasn't pregnant (cheek) & ectopic their next action was to xray my digestive system for blockages - doctor explained this one is one of the reasons many women get dicky tummy at that time of the month - their body is trying to help reduce stress on reproductive system)

Anyway that's a few if my tricks that I've learnt that have either only been touched on or not covered hope it's somewhat useful?

[misty44]

[quote=" diet richs in omega 3 oils, cut out carbohydrates all together to regulate your blood sugars, quote]
I agree completley with this and also absolutely no alcohol in the week before you are expecting the PMT or during your period. Borrage is good and I find it helps with the PMS. Much better than EPO.

I used to have really bad cramps and heavy bleeding with lots of clotting, incredible pain as the womb lining detached etc. Not nice!
After reading about the mooncup on this forum I bought one and used it for the first time this month and it was such a different experience. No cramps, no clotting etc...
I don't know if it's because the blood can flow easily with nothing blocking the cervix entrance or because there are no chemicals or even if it's a placebo effect but all I can say is that it worked for me.
Misty