Menstruation
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Keep on trucking, girls. Have some dark chocolate, take a Midol, do some yoga, go for a nice walk, and win the war against your ovaries and uterus, those b!+ches!0
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I don't have this problem anymore because of birth control but when I still had it it was hellish. Bleeding lasted 11-13 days at a time and 8 of it I couldn't walk straight properly because it hurt so bad. Normal pain meds didn't help so I had stronger ones and those made me dizzy and/or drowsy so all I did was sit and lie down as much as I could and wish it was over. I just didn't feel like going out for a walk when it felt like someone was constantly stabbing me and everything from belly to thighs and back was cramping.0
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The intense pain usually lasts 1-2 days for me, the rest of TOM can proceed as normal. An occasional rest day is a good thing. I've been looking into the EPBOT blog writer's suggestion of using a corset to apply pressure and how that can help the pain; I haven't found a corset I like that isn't wildly expensive, lol.0
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On those days I eat more than usual and I'm way more emotional than usual and I take my butt to the gym and I "leave it on the mat" (metaphorically speaking).0
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as many women on this forum have implied, thinking intuitively about what you can and cannot do is likely the way to go. I have days where there is just no way I'm doing anything, but most of the time, I go and workout. I have NEVER set a PR or showed major progress on a menstrual day, but the moving makes me feel better than not moving.
I like a few others have said here, tend to be very hungry prior to my period, and not very hungry during. I usually intentionally up my cals before my period so that I don't make shady choices because of cravings.0 -
snickerscharlie wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »I didn't not exercise during my period until my fibroid got so big that the bleeding was so heavy that it wakes me up many times at night. Asking my body to do my regular exercise program despite extreme blood loss and sleep deprivation is asking too much.
If you are experiencing "extreme blood loss" you belong in the ER.
My GYN said nothing can be done other than removing my uterus, which of course wouldn't be done in the ER. We've discussed getting IV iron after my period, but by the time I'd feel well enough to go get that, my iron has rebounded on its own. (I supplement aggressively and get my levels tested regularly.)0 -
My period generally lasts only 3 days. I tend to have increased general anxiety, tons of stomach pain, diarrhea (I'm sure you wanted to know), nausea, and lack of appetite. I figure, if I don't exercise those three days, it's probably okay.0
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I do two very specific things with my diet on those days, planning ahead to do them...
1. I avoid any and all acidic vegetables and fruits, including fruit juice, citrus, etc. For me they always, always lead to more cramps! Instead I drink more alkalising juices that also work to reduce my arthritis (you'll hate it, but it's cucumber & celery juice with ginger root - I use a masticating juicer so it copes with ginger root)
2. I soak in Epsom Salts in the bath (basically magnesium) to relax the muscles. If it's really bad I take a magnesium supplement before bed and find it stops the night cramps.
I've been doing these same 2 things for years and darned if they don't work. I then carry on
Alkalizing juice is not a thing. If you could actually change the PH of your body more than 1 from its standard, you'd die. This on top of juices being acids, and anything you digest going through an acid wash in your stomach.
Alkaline body is one of those fad theories that relies on thinking things operate on pure up down, plus minus, good bad scalars that just aren't true. Your health is not a simple result on a piece of litmus paper.0 -
Birth control actually took my pain away completely. I'm 22 now and I've been on it since high school. I remember it was so bad my mom had to take me out of school for 2 days sometimes because I just felt like dying.
My hormones are permanently out of whack though. I used to skip a few then have some really heavy ones. It was just all over the place. The doctor prescribed BC to me to regulate it. Since then I've never had any cramps or cravings.
But! Some things that might help is a heat pad, a hot bath, my sister tells me red wine helps for her.0 -
I check my IUD strings to make sure the thing is in place, and no period for me.
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Bleeding your guts out?! I'd highly recommend the ER because you're going to need a transfusion.0
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callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »like i tell my 17 year old ..... life does not stop because you have cramps.
take some motrin, suck it up, and carry on ....
I've been hospitalized due to cramps and bleeding heavily enough that my iron levels have dropped to dangerous levels. My mom told me the same thing and it was actually my dad that took me to the hospital. I'm on birth control to control it.
OP, assuming you're not at that level - it's still ok to take a day to yourself. I don't exercise on the worst day/ the middle of my cycle.
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I do two very specific things with my diet on those days, planning ahead to do them...
1. I avoid any and all acidic vegetables and fruits, including fruit juice, citrus, etc. For me they always, always lead to more cramps! Instead I drink more alkalising juices that also work to reduce my arthritis (you'll hate it, but it's cucumber & celery juice with ginger root - I use a masticating juicer so it copes with ginger root)
2. I soak in Epsom Salts in the bath (basically magnesium) to relax the muscles. If it's really bad I take a magnesium supplement before bed and find it stops the night cramps.
I've been doing these same 2 things for years and darned if they don't work. I then carry on
ginger is supposed to be anti-inflammatory
Alkaline juice is woo...sorry0 -
I wish healthcare would pay attention to women's hormonal health. They sort of pass it off with statements like, that's normal, or, you're just getting older, or, there's nothing wrong. Hmmmm.
I've used this site for help with female issues, I like them. They're also informative, here's a link to one of their articles on cramps, plus a supplement recommendation at the bottom of the article.
http://www.womenshealthnetwork.com/pms-and-menstruation/dysmenorrhea.aspx
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Take a bc pill and skip the sugar pills, just take it continuously so you don't have a period. That's what I do. There's no need for a period. Especially if you have issues with extreme pain, which is true for many of us. The women who say "suck it up" - I suspect they've never had dysmenorrhea, endo, rupturing cysts, fibroids, etc.0
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I say suck it up for myself, but yeah, I consider myself pretty lucky. On one of her recent cycles, my sister got really nauseous and spent an entire night vomiting. She felt awful the entire weekend and had trouble getting up.colorfulcupcakes wrote: »Take a bc pill and skip the sugar pills, just take it continuously so you don't have a period. That's what I do. There's no need for a period. Especially if you have issues with extreme pain, which is true for many of us. The women who say "suck it up" - I suspect they've never had dysmenorrhea, endo, rupturing cysts, fibroids, etc.
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Keep on trucking, girls. Have some dark chocolate, take a Midol, do some yoga, go for a nice walk, and win the war against your ovaries and uterus, those b!+ches!
LOL
Actually I don't think Midol will help with this period-- It's that bad. I did take some strong painkillers which I was prescribed for something else. They worked but now I'm drowsy as hell. May go for a short walk later.0 -
Igotthatcake wrote: »larali1980 wrote: »Sorry if this is a bit graphic for the forum... but I am wondering...
What do you ladies do on THOSE DAYS? Those really BAD days where you are in severe pain and bleeding your guts out?
I was going to exercise today but oh my god... I am having the worst period ever.
This REALLY works, I was having awful cramps and did this 3 times and the pain eased a lot, enough for me to work out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmYPhEMuYNM
My first yoga teacher was all about the props and we did these poses regularly. I don't get cramps, but if I did, I would be all over these poses.
Yoga for your period
Reclining bound angle pose
Supported child's pose
http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/997371/yoga-to-help-ease-your-menstrual-period0 -
I'm sitting here suffering from the dreadful Aunt Flo wishing I was a dude. She's so violent! Luckily some medicine helped the pain but there's no way I've been able to stop eating this week.0
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Last year I got a birth control implant that sits under the skin of my inner upper arm and I haven't had my period in about 12 months -- just the one time after the implant went in and that was a light one. The implant is good for 3 years, at which time I can get another one put right in and keep on merrily going along without having to remember to take a pill at a specific time every single day and never having my period. Research so far says it's more effective than getting my tubes tied, plus gyno's sometimes look at women in their 30's like we're crazy saying we don't want to have kids. But they're happy to have you keep paying every month for pills and pads. Or, in my case, putting in my implant.
And if I was someone who did want to have kids, from what I understand, I could have this removed at any time and get right on that without having to wait for anything to flush out of my system.
I'm not sure why more women don't do this. It's amazing not having to even think about my period anymore.
But I'm SO SORRY for all of you who do still suffer.
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Does anyone else wonder why so many women seem to have such bad cycles? I mean, that can't be normal. Seems like a more recent development.
Most months I have cramping that I can either deal with or I'll sip on raspberry leaf tea (as another poster mentioned, or another tea called Moon Cycle that has raspberry leaf and some other stuff) throughout the day to help. There are some months I'll have one day of very intense cramping that can make me very nauseous, and I can guarantee you I'm only doing what I have to do that day and then laying in bed with a heating pad. Luckily, it's usually just the one day some months.
Using a menstrual cup and cloth pads has helped decrease my cramping from what it used to be like. I also think that what I'm eating has an effect on how bad that month's cramps are. I really need to start looking closely at that. I still do some exercise, unless it's one of those bad days. It just might be less intense than I would ordinarily do, but it does help me feel better. The week before my cycle, however, I'm so exhausted that I have to be careful about my exercise or I can injure myself. There have been times the week before that I don't lift because I'm so tired there is no way I'm going to lift heavy objects that would cause major injury if I dropped them. Basically, I still exercise just at a less intense level, with the exception of the occasional really bad day. I don't feel guilty about having an occasional "lazy" day.
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KyleneSusan wrote: »Last year I got a birth control implant that sits under the skin of my inner upper arm and I haven't had my period in about 12 months -- just the one time after the implant went in and that was a light one. The implant is good for 3 years, at which time I can get another one put right in and keep on merrily going along without having to remember to take a pill at a specific time every single day and never having my period. Research so far says it's more effective than getting my tubes tied, plus gyno's sometimes look at women in their 30's like we're crazy saying we don't want to have kids. But they're happy to have you keep paying every month for pills and pads. Or, in my case, putting in my implant.
And if I was someone who did want to have kids, from what I understand, I could have this removed at any time and get right on that without having to wait for anything to flush out of my system.
I'm not sure why more women don't do this. It's amazing not having to even think about my period anymore.
But I'm SO SORRY for all of you who do still suffer.
There are a lot of women who can't use hormonal birth control. And for those who can, some forms carry increasing risks the older you get. I am one of those for whom hormonal birth control can carry serious risks, outside of the age thing. It is not worth the risks for me. Personally, I find it a little crazy that so many women don't think it's crazy to manipulate your hormones like that on a consistent and long-term basis. However, I of course completely understand the desire to control reproduction, and think more people should be more responsible. Women should each choose the path that's right for them and doesn't affect their health, or anyone/anything else's, regardless of whether we understand each other's choices.0 -
KyleneSusan wrote: »Last year I got a birth control implant that sits under the skin of my inner upper arm and I haven't had my period in about 12 months -- just the one time after the implant went in and that was a light one. The implant is good for 3 years, at which time I can get another one put right in and keep on merrily going along without having to remember to take a pill at a specific time every single day and never having my period. Research so far says it's more effective than getting my tubes tied, plus gyno's sometimes look at women in their 30's like we're crazy saying we don't want to have kids. But they're happy to have you keep paying every month for pills and pads. Or, in my case, putting in my implant.
And if I was someone who did want to have kids, from what I understand, I could have this removed at any time and get right on that without having to wait for anything to flush out of my system.
I'm not sure why more women don't do this. It's amazing not having to even think about my period anymore.
But I'm SO SORRY for all of you who do still suffer.
There are a lot of women who can't use hormonal birth control. And for those who can, some forms carry increasing risks the older you get. I am one of those for whom hormonal birth control can carry serious risks, outside of the age thing. It is not worth the risks for me. Personally, I find it a little crazy that so many women don't think it's crazy to manipulate your hormones like that on a consistent and long-term basis. However, I of course completely understand the desire to control reproduction, and think more people should be more responsible. Women should each choose the path that's right for them and doesn't affect their health, or anyone/anything else's, regardless of whether we understand each other's choices.
You are right. For me, this was the method that made the most sense for me. I failed to consider that there are reasons why people would avoid hormonal medications.
My apologies.
(BTW I love your smooshed-face lion picture!)
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KyleneSusan wrote: »KyleneSusan wrote: »Last year I got a birth control implant that sits under the skin of my inner upper arm and I haven't had my period in about 12 months -- just the one time after the implant went in and that was a light one. The implant is good for 3 years, at which time I can get another one put right in and keep on merrily going along without having to remember to take a pill at a specific time every single day and never having my period. Research so far says it's more effective than getting my tubes tied, plus gyno's sometimes look at women in their 30's like we're crazy saying we don't want to have kids. But they're happy to have you keep paying every month for pills and pads. Or, in my case, putting in my implant.
And if I was someone who did want to have kids, from what I understand, I could have this removed at any time and get right on that without having to wait for anything to flush out of my system.
I'm not sure why more women don't do this. It's amazing not having to even think about my period anymore.
But I'm SO SORRY for all of you who do still suffer.
There are a lot of women who can't use hormonal birth control. And for those who can, some forms carry increasing risks the older you get. I am one of those for whom hormonal birth control can carry serious risks, outside of the age thing. It is not worth the risks for me. Personally, I find it a little crazy that so many women don't think it's crazy to manipulate your hormones like that on a consistent and long-term basis. However, I of course completely understand the desire to control reproduction, and think more people should be more responsible. Women should each choose the path that's right for them and doesn't affect their health, or anyone/anything else's, regardless of whether we understand each other's choices.
You are right. For me, this was the method that made the most sense for me. I failed to consider that there are reasons why people would avoid hormonal medications. My apologies.
(BTW I love your smooshed-face lion picture!)
No reason to ever apologize @KyleneSusan you shared something that works for you and that could help somebody else. There are many lurkers on this site that are too afraid to post but search for answers and information. Your post could help someone and you will have never known it.
Of course there is always people who will have a different opinion , but it's still okay to share yours!0 -
I'd imagine it's not something people talked about in the 50s out of taboo.Does anyone else wonder why so many women seem to have such bad cycles? I mean, that can't be normal. Seems like a more recent development.
Most months I have cramping that I can either deal with or I'll sip on raspberry leaf tea (as another poster mentioned, or another tea called Moon Cycle that has raspberry leaf and some other stuff) throughout the day to help. There are some months I'll have one day of very intense cramping that can make me very nauseous, and I can guarantee you I'm only doing what I have to do that day and then laying in bed with a heating pad. Luckily, it's usually just the one day some months.
Using a menstrual cup and cloth pads has helped decrease my cramping from what it used to be like. I also think that what I'm eating has an effect on how bad that month's cramps are. I really need to start looking closely at that. I still do some exercise, unless it's one of those bad days. It just might be less intense than I would ordinarily do, but it does help me feel better. The week before my cycle, however, I'm so exhausted that I have to be careful about my exercise or I can injure myself. There have been times the week before that I don't lift because I'm so tired there is no way I'm going to lift heavy objects that would cause major injury if I dropped them. Basically, I still exercise just at a less intense level, with the exception of the occasional really bad day. I don't feel guilty about having an occasional "lazy" day.
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I don't want to use birth control but it's the only way for me to control my cycle at all. 11-13 days of bleeding and so bad cramping I can't do anything... I can't do anything like that. The reason my cramps and bleeding are so bad is polyps that keep growing back every two years no matter how often they cut them off in surgeries. I would rather get everything cut out so I would get rid of that bleeding but doctors seem to think I will want kids some day... Sigh. Not going to happen. If I ever manage to get that motherly instinct and love for children, I'll adopt.
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I'm going to swing the other way with this because I actually find that women tend to be more offensive with the "suck it up" comments. I always bite my tongue when I hear those comments because it's no one's right to tell you if you are in pain or not.
I have endometriosis, which absolutely wreaks havoc on my body. Exercise does not help. I've pushed myself at the gym as well as do lighter workouts. I find that it's an invitation to pass out (and I have from pain before).
You know your body best. If there is a day that it's to painful to workout, then just do it the next day. But if you know it will help cramps and motivation is the problem, just keep telling yourself it will aid in the pain.0 -
I haven't been on the pill in 7 years. When I got put on it, for the first time in my life I CRAVED grease. I mean grease. I really can't explain it, it was the weirdest thing. I eventually came off of it and haven't experienced it since.0
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KyleneSusan wrote: »KyleneSusan wrote: »Last year I got a birth control implant that sits under the skin of my inner upper arm and I haven't had my period in about 12 months -- just the one time after the implant went in and that was a light one. The implant is good for 3 years, at which time I can get another one put right in and keep on merrily going along without having to remember to take a pill at a specific time every single day and never having my period. Research so far says it's more effective than getting my tubes tied, plus gyno's sometimes look at women in their 30's like we're crazy saying we don't want to have kids. But they're happy to have you keep paying every month for pills and pads. Or, in my case, putting in my implant.
And if I was someone who did want to have kids, from what I understand, I could have this removed at any time and get right on that without having to wait for anything to flush out of my system.
I'm not sure why more women don't do this. It's amazing not having to even think about my period anymore.
But I'm SO SORRY for all of you who do still suffer.
There are a lot of women who can't use hormonal birth control. And for those who can, some forms carry increasing risks the older you get. I am one of those for whom hormonal birth control can carry serious risks, outside of the age thing. It is not worth the risks for me. Personally, I find it a little crazy that so many women don't think it's crazy to manipulate your hormones like that on a consistent and long-term basis. However, I of course completely understand the desire to control reproduction, and think more people should be more responsible. Women should each choose the path that's right for them and doesn't affect their health, or anyone/anything else's, regardless of whether we understand each other's choices.
You are right. For me, this was the method that made the most sense for me. I failed to consider that there are reasons why people would avoid hormonal medications. My apologies.
(BTW I love your smooshed-face lion picture!)
No worries. I just think it's important to put that out there because I see a lot of women post similar things. I think hormonal birth control is just so common, that, in a way, people kind of don't think of it like medication that is just like any other medication - some people cannot take it. But I guess that's kind of like this whole thread, and all others like it - our menstrual cycles vary wildly and we can't expect that someone else's experience is the same as ours.
And you gotta love the smooshed-face lion!0 -
CooCooPuff wrote: »
I'd imagine it's not something people talked about in the 50s out of taboo.Does anyone else wonder why so many women seem to have such bad cycles? I mean, that can't be normal. Seems like a more recent development.
Most months I have cramping that I can either deal with or I'll sip on raspberry leaf tea (as another poster mentioned, or another tea called Moon Cycle that has raspberry leaf and some other stuff) throughout the day to help. There are some months I'll have one day of very intense cramping that can make me very nauseous, and I can guarantee you I'm only doing what I have to do that day and then laying in bed with a heating pad. Luckily, it's usually just the one day some months.
Using a menstrual cup and cloth pads has helped decrease my cramping from what it used to be like. I also think that what I'm eating has an effect on how bad that month's cramps are. I really need to start looking closely at that. I still do some exercise, unless it's one of those bad days. It just might be less intense than I would ordinarily do, but it does help me feel better. The week before my cycle, however, I'm so exhausted that I have to be careful about my exercise or I can injure myself. There have been times the week before that I don't lift because I'm so tired there is no way I'm going to lift heavy objects that would cause major injury if I dropped them. Basically, I still exercise just at a less intense level, with the exception of the occasional really bad day. I don't feel guilty about having an occasional "lazy" day.
I'm not just talking about the past 100 years. Just in human history in general. Were they always like that, but women were "allowed" (or forced) to separate (not the best word, but I'm tired over here) themselves during that time? Or have they become worse? I dunno.0
This discussion has been closed.
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