Thursday, 05 February 2009
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The PMS Survival Guide
What is PMS? It's Pre-Menstrual Symptoms- Symptoms that occur up to two weeks before your period is due.
As women, we all are aware what the symptoms are- and this can range from the feeling of sudden depression, the flight of mood swings, paranoia... or even, all of them at once.
Our minds cannot function properly. Sometimes, I call it, a temporary state of hormonally-induced idiocy!
But for a man, this is a dangerous time to be around a woman. It sucks. And men will never understand it, and it is the only thing that we can have an excuse for behaving badly. Because it isn't our fault but we can control it.
There is an estimated 75% of women that suffer from PMS. While others are able to endure the symptoms, for some 15% of women, it is severe enough to interfere with work for one or more days every month.
I know this, because my sister has the worst period pains I have ever known- in her last period, she almost had to be rushed into hospital.So what causes PMS? And why exactly do we get it? Maryon Stewart, nutritionist and founder of WNAS, explains that- "one of the reasons women get PMS and period pain is because of nutrient deficiency."
"Nutrition plays a big part in our health, but other lifestyle factors - such as how we respond to stress, how much exercise we take, and our general health and energy levels - can also have a surprising affect on our delicate hormone balance."
In a research study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology in February 2000-a low-fat and vegan diet significantly reduced pain and PMS for many women.
THE PMS WEEK.
I've listed a few suggestions here in how to help yourself through PMS Week. Not only can it improve PMS, but it can also benefit your skin, health and well being. Of course, it also helps the people around you (...the boyfriend, maybe?)- MARK THE DATES.
For those who don't keep a diary, I suggest you get some sort of calendar to help you mark the date of your period every month.I usually put an asterisk on the day my period comes, so I am aware if my next period would be on time (which it never is,) or if it comes late,
and by how many days. This helps you keep a good track on your menstrual cycle, as well as preparing for it- so you don't so you have no clue when your doctor asks when your next period due.EAT WELL.
Having the right diet and nutrition is shown to relieve PMS by improving brain chemistry and hormonal balances.
Food changes hormones (and helps to improve your skin.)
A week before your period starts, make sure your diet is not heavy in salts, alchohol and caffeine- this keeps your water retention and bloating down. Alchohol can act as a depressant, and caffeine increases irratability, nervousness and insomnia.
Make sure you eat plenty of foods containing iron and vitamins. Have plenty of healthy wholefoods such as brown rice, wholemeal bread,
oats, and beans. Include vegetables, and a complex of carbohydrates such as carrots, tomatoes, brocolli, sweet potatoes etc. It has been proven women with PMS are likely to lack in most of these.Take your daily multivitamins that contain all the essential vitamins and minerals that is required to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Vitamins B Complex, D, and E have all shown to help deal with PMS, and also improves the quality of your skin.
Avoid:
- Fatty foods like dougnuts, fries, potato chips,
- Junk food such as sweets, cakes and biscuits.
Whatever you do, don't ever skip breakfast. Or you'll just feel shit.LOVE YOURSELF.
PMS is all about resentment, not feeling understood or even appreciated. Life may suck as it is, so why make it even worse? If you feel like crap then go out, have more 'me-time,' and pamper yourself. Read a book, get a pedicure.. or even better, go to a spa.
And this is also where retail therapy... can do wonders.
Buy a new pair of shoes, try out new clothes. Go on eBay and find the greatest bargains. If you're broke, it's ok. Window shop. List all the things you love and want, and you'll have some things you can aim for.When you come home, fix yourself to a warm bubble bath, light up some scented candles and sip on some decent red wine. Life, has never been better.
EXERCISE.
Regular exercise has been proven to benefit women with PMS. Now here's a good resolution: find a type of exercise that you like, and become good at it!
Swimming, walking or jogging at the park (hey, no membership required!), tennis, badminton, aerobics and even yoga can help to improve your health, hormone balance and mood- it can also increase your energy levels, tolerance of pain and even give you a good night's sleep.
And did you know? When you are exercising, your brain releases more 'beta-endorphin' hormones, which gives out good and positive thoughts. Exercising also helps to improve blood circulation throughout the body, which helps to clear up skin, as well as improving skin tone.THE SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR MEN
Your ultimate survival guide to help you get through your girlfriends, daughters, sisters, or wives during their PMS!
1. Give her a hug. The easiest thing you can do, yet the greatest affection that will mean so much.
2. Buy her chocolate! Diamonds are a girl's best friend... but when it comes to the menstrual cycle.... Ferrero Rocher..? Mmmm.
3. Leave the house. And give her space. This time, you have an excuse to be with your homies.
4. DVD's and a tub of Ben & Jerry's.... what more can I say?
5. Go to the corner shop and buy her magazines.
6. Make her a full english breakfast = scores you big brownie points. (So you can go play football for the day)
7. A Massage. Don't know how to give a massage? It's ok, it's the thought that counts. The fact that you offered would make her frown, turn upside down!
2. HOW TO BEAT PERIOD PAINS
My period usually lasts five days and the first day is always the worst day. If I have a day off on that day (thank the lord!) I will stay at home in bed. I don't go anywhere. And, I have an excuse to make my boyfriend become my slave. I'm just joking, he's a real sweetheart.
After PMS, comes the period pain to finish it. For men, what you thought was the end... in fact gets worse.
I usually use a hot water bottle that helps to ease the pain, and I've also tried those warm patches that you can stick on your back. I would really recommend it for those who are in retail and have to stand all day! It really, really helps.
Someone told me that Asians have heavier periods. I guess this is why they make the best period pads. Last year when I went to Japan, they had invented just 2 inch period pads that had the ability to absorb a cup of water. I found it amazing stuff!
Not that my period is ever that bad, but anyway, it was just for the record.DRINK .
Drinking tea actually makes your period heavier. Instead, drink plenty of water to get rid of that bloated feeling- let it flush through and you won't feel bloated.
And not to make it too fine to the point, but during your period- you will lose some blood, which can contribute to becoming anemic. Laugh all you want, but it can happen. The symptoms include tiredness, feeling very weak, and in severe cases it can cause breathlessness and dizziness.
Red wine is a good source of iron.
EAT CHOCOLATE.
Accompanied by caffeine and a good book there's no better comfort! It is a well-known remedy in all of our good books that can help to cure
everything from break-ups to stress. For some of us, it is our best friends during times of PMS and period pains.
Chocolate contains iron that helps to combat tiredess, and magnesium that
helps to regulate moods.
SLEEP & REST.
Do what your body wants you to do. If you are getting stressed over the fact that you just want to sit down and rest- then do it. The housework can wait. If you just want to curl up in bed and cry, then go ahead! Let it all out.
Make sure you get plenty of sleep- and if you're lucky you will sleep through the worst part of the cramps and wake up feeling slightly bloated but
relatively energetic for the rest of the day. Stop fighting with your body and going beyond your limits.
RELAX.
Spend your time doing something that you want to do. Watch a romantic chick flick, or something that you've seen over a million times.
Use a hot water bottle to soothe painful cramps. Avoid making important decisions, or attending to meetings.
DRUGS.
To deal with mild period pains, especially when you are working- you can take over-the-counter painkiller drugs such as Ibuprofen and Paracetemol.
Birth control pills also help particularly heavy and/or painful periods. It also helps to reduce ovarian cysts, and is most often associated with
a reduced risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer. It is known that some birth control pills also makes a huge difference by
even improving the skin.
Are your periods really bad? How do you beat them?
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Comments (131)
i totally agree with the eat well & exercise part
when my period rolls around i tend to basically not intake any sodium unless nessecary which helps a lot. also, no matter how crappy i feel i will drap myself out for a long run, after the first or second k i start to really enjoy my run and i return home feeling fantastic and ready for whatever rolls around next.
ever since i started running i've been less pms-y.
good post.
Interesting. The beginning put me off, but the facts and suggestions are definitely good.
Good stuff. Bookmarked. My ex used to do just about all of these things. We didn't have a real hot water bottle, so I used to give her massages and just use hot tap water in a regular party balloon filled to about the size of an orange. Can heat it (for short bursts) in the microwave too. Just don't overdo it. Oh, and it's wise to have some kind of cloth barrier if you do use a water balloon. She may not even notice it burning her otherwise if it's too hot and applied directly to the skin and forgotten about. Seriously bad way to get burns. Fair warning, her skin my numb out from the heat, just be careful and don't overheat the balloon, especially in the microwave. If you can't comfortably hold it in your hands for an extended period of time, it's too hot.
Who knew eating well could be so beneficial
I don't like chocolate very much *cue gasps*
The resulting pain makes me very short with some people, so as long as I avoid people with tendencies toward annoyance, I'm pretty good as long as I keep taking Ibuprofen
I just heat a something in microwave, and try to distract my self from the pain by watching a movie or something (I can't sleep because of the pain). If I have to go to school and I'm really in pain I take pill; but I try not to. Sometimes I have a lot of pain and sometimes there is no pain. I don't get mood swings or anything else, I just don't want to do anything that requries me to be physically active. Good Post.
Overall these are great tips! Exercising definitely helps with my cramps. I have found that birth control also helped make my cramps much more bearable than before I was taking it, which is a nice perk. Plus, my skin really does look better. :)
Chocolate is nasty. Unless it's white, of course.
PMS = putting up with men's shit
nuff said.
I thought you just said to avoid sweets and fatty foods. Being given chocolate and ice cream's not gonna help now is it?
I would mark down the dates in a calendar, but I have irregular periods ><.
Oh, and with the vitamins section, Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Evening Primrose Oil are supposedly really good for you too. They come in pills, and I take them everyday along with Vitamin E.
oh, and the anemic thing.. totally happens to me. Loss of any type of blood makes me dizzy and I tend to faint in the shower.
i used to have my period for about 2 weeks and bleed heavily for about a week. horrible i know. and resulting from that for about a week i would have the worst cramps and back aches. it got so bad to where i would leave after 1st period in school. i went on birth control and now my periods are super light and last about 4 days. and the cramps are way easier to bear and last one day instead of a week.
i just rest and chill out in bed when the cramps hit. i also take baths and make sure my back and stomach are warm.
extremely well written and thought out. i drink lots of lukewarm water, eat vegies and fruit and do my yoga and im usually ok. if not than i use heating wraps, take a hot shower and if its really bad than i take midol. it helps...sometimes. this month wasnt that bad cause i drank a lot of lukewarm water cause im sick so when it came i didnt feel any cramps so lukewarm water helps.
I've heard that bioflavonoids can help (I think it's to do with the estrogen balance), so you should eat those foods before your actual period. I tried it a few times, eating lots of citrus pith (the white stuff is full of good nutrients). It actually brought the cramping down and made the periods a bit lighter. The only hard part is remembering to eat the stuff!
Great advice. Thank you for this!
My period is completely irregular - we're talking five, six months between periods at times - so there's no way to plan around it, and when it does come, it often comes with a vengeance. I can't feel too bad for myself, though, because my sister used to experience periods that put her out of commission for the day - diarrhea, vomiting, extreme cramps. I have gotten nauseous from the cramps, but mine have never made me vomit. I usually take two Aleve - if you start at the first sign it's supposed to help calm your uterus for the later cramps. It's what my doctor has told us. When I'm in school, I go to the nurse and lay as flat as possible - you're not supposed to curl up; that makes it worse. And when I'm home, I heat up a water bottle and hold it to my abdomen, then try to go to sleep if I'm at a point where I can stop pacing around because it hurts so bad. I usually wake up feeling ten times better and ready to face the day, or what's left of it. (The only good thing about these times is that when the pain is mostly gone, you appreciate everything SO MUCH MORE.) My sister has solved her problem by taking the Pill. She knows when her period is coming and she hasn't had an episode like her old ones since she started except when she has skipped a day. (DO NOT skip a day of the Pill! You'll regret it!)
Caffeine is a stimulant, so in large doses it can actually make period pains worse.
However, they do use it in medications directed towards PMS symptoms, such as Midol and Pamprin, because it speeds the rate at which your body will absorb and make use of the painkillers. In short, a little caffeine can help, but be careful not to consume too much.
And if you're completely irregular, have ridiculous amounts of pain, or have extremely long periods - talk to your doctor. They will most likely prescribe you birth control, which can be very effective in treating these problems.
eProps, well said!
Those are pretty helpful tips. Except, you said to avoid caffeine, then you said to eat chocolate, which has caffeine. O_O
Anyway, I have seriously hardcore PMS problems which I WILL be getting under control. Now if only I could get birth control somehow..
wow very informative post. Thanks for sharing!
AND
DONT DRINK COLD STUFF
that gives u hardcore cramps
My periods aren't THAT bad anymore, but when they first started, it was a PAIN! I'm talking cramps, headaches, laziness, major bloating, and I was always getting mad during the week of. But slowly, they got better and became a little bit more comfortable. They're okay now, but I still get occasional cramps and headaches.
instead of period pains, i usually cry randomly. that's how i know my period is coming.
thank you for the tips! I heard on the radio that there's a book written to help surviving a girl's PMS recommended for both females& males! it's called the princess and the PMS!
hm, good to know
Aha!! Chocolate! Now I have a good excuse. I also take enormous amounts of magnesium citrate, specifically a product called Natural Calm. I think you can get it at healthy food stores. It relaxes everything and works wonders for me with the pain. But you should take calcium along with it or you could develop muscle aches. When I do this, I get diarrhea really bad, but I'd rather have that than the cramps. Not the perfect solution, I know, but it's the best thing I can do.