PMS relief for all you ladies - MMM style

[justajane]

Some of you who don't respond to pain killers or have other reasons for not taking them might want to try Fenugreek. It works like a charm for me. With the Diva Cup in and Fenugreek capsules, I can't even tell I'm having my period.

I came upon this remedy for myself. I was trying to boost my supply while breastfeeding and my first period after birth started. No pain at all. I thought, "Huh. That's weird. Maybe it's the Fenugreek." Sure enough, I took it again next month and it worked. Turns out this is a common menstrual cramp remedy in Asia.

As far as dosage, you need to take enough to smell like maple syrup.

You can buy the capsules at most pharmacies.

[cavewoman]

Yeah,  I'm mostly responding so when i log in and go to view replies to my posts i will be reminded of this next week when I'm on. This forum has already led me to the menstrual cup (ladies of the cup,  unite! ) so I'm looking forward to the next life changing experience.

[Zaga]

I really really REALLY wanted this to work for me, but it just didn't.  Not everyone's cramps are the same, and some (like mine) are due to an underlying medical condition that just isn't treatable this way.

I've just had the source of my troubles removed, finally.  23 years of misery, pain, and nausea 2 days out of every 28 is enough for any one lifetime.

[JoRocka]

If you take birth control continuously, you have no period and no pms.  Since BC is now paid in full by insurance and you no longer have to use tampons etc, I think that's a pretty good deal.

I was on seasonque (or the generic brand) for years- LOVED IT- only had to deal with a period 3-4 times a year.

But. Unfortunately sustained use is not particularly good for you- and it will absolutely can totally tank your sex drive- and it gave me melasma- seriously- i had great skin- and I found about 2 years ago I had some patchy issues- and I thought it was just weird tanning- the more foundation I wore- the worse it looked- my face look dirty. I finally went to a dermatologist because I thought I had some sort of skin cancer.

She was like "here- have some bleaching cream" - and didn't suggest anything that it had to do with my pills so I continued taking them.   Bitch.

I learned on a forum what it was from another woman who had it https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/color-problems/melasma....

and almost immediately went off my pills. EFF.THAT.

so just be careful with it.

[RelaxedGal]

My cramps stopped when I quit eating gluten. I've tinkered a little, and it appears that if I go without for a week before my period, I get no cramps. Go figure.

Mine didn't stop completely, unfortunately, but overall I think the intensity and duration has decreased since I went gluten free.

Might try that.  For me giving up caffeine (especially coffee) does the trick.  I've started getting migraines around my period and eliminating coffee (even decaf) has done wonders.  I've been drinking tea because it doesn't seem to impact the migraines, but I've started having cramps again most likely because I forget to give it up in the week pre-period.

[Squirrel away]

I'm a dude, but learned a lot of restorative techniques in martial arts. There are two that work exceedingly well for menstrual cramps. This is going to be difficult to explain in writing without a demonstration, but I'll do my best. I've done these many, many times for my girlfriends in the past, wife, sister, mom, aunt, etc., it works extremely well:

Technique 1: Simple to do, fast (about 1 min), can be done on yourself, works almost always:

Take your first three fingers (index, middle, ring), side by side, and place them just above your inside ankle bone. You will use these three fingers as a measure. The distance of your three fingers up from the top of your ankle bone will land an inch or two above your ankle bone, on the inside of your lower leg. On that EXACT spot, apply a little pressure with your thumb, and increase the pressure slowly until it becomes painful. You want to take as much pressure as you can tolerate, then slowly release the pressure. Do this three times.

Now, you will have a 50-50 chance of having picked the right leg. If you picked the correct leg, your menstrual cramps will/should be gone. If not, you will have to try the other leg. Whichever is the correct leg will hurt much more when you press on the pressure spot, it will be very sensitive, so this is a good way to tell which is the correct leg. It will alternate each month, as your ovaries switch each month. You will also be able to tell if you are hitting the correct spot by whether or not it hurts -- if it doesn't hurt, you have not accurately located the spot.

OMFG. That worked so well! I just tried it today. I haven't needed to take any pain killers today.

I usually get the worse pains on the second day so I will see if it works tomorrow.

[carozy]

My period is a much better experience since I've become vegan - specifically, following the Dr. McDougall program (which is whole plant foods, starch based, no oil vegan).

My periods are at least a day (sometimes more) shorter than they used to be and the cramps are either very light (requiring no medicine) or not there at all (not noticeable).  The flow is much more manageable (don't need those overnight pads during the day any more).

I read about this happening to other converted vegans in a booked called Prevent and Reverse Diabetes (title was something like that) by Dr. Neal Barnard.  In the book he talks about a medical study that showed when women switched to a vegan diet their periods became lighter and cramps were either lighter or went away.  He explained in there that the hormones in dairy and meat over-increase the buildup in the uterus from what the woman's body would naturally do without those extra hormones.

So there is that option, which I feel is a good one, since Dr. McDougall's program also prevents and reverses heart disease.

EDIT:  I forgot to add that this is a very MMM attractive option since starches and veggies can be found much cheaper than meats, particularly if you bargain and bulk shop.  (There are a lot of eat for $3 a day threads on the Dr. McDougall forum.)

[FrugalShrew]

It works because it is full of potassium, and potassium gets rid of muscle cramps, which is why people who work out a lot eat bananas.

I have never tried either as a remedy for cramps, but upon this logic, do you think bananas would work equally well?

[Anatidae V]

My period is a much better experience since I've become vegan - specifically, following the Dr. McDougall program (which is whole plant foods, starch based, no oil vegan).

My periods are at least a day (sometimes more) shorter than they used to be and the cramps are either very light (requiring no medicine) or not there at all (not noticeable).  The flow is much more manageable (don't need those overnight pads during the day any more).

I read about this happening to other converted vegans in a booked called Prevent and Reverse Diabetes (title was something like that) by Dr. Neal Barnard.  In the book he talks about a medical study that showed when women switched to a vegan diet their periods became lighter and cramps were either lighter or went away.  He explained in there that the hormones in dairy and meat over-increase the buildup in the uterus from what the woman's body would naturally do without those extra hormones.

So there is that option, which I feel is a good one, since Dr. McDougall's program also prevents and reverses heart disease.

EDIT:  I forgot to add that this is a very MMM attractive option since starches and veggies can be found much cheaper than meats, particularly if you bargain and bulk shop.  (There are a lot of eat for $3 a day threads on the Dr. McDougall forum.)

I wonder if it works if I just search for happier meat and have less milk? Definitely something to think about. My mum found soy milk the week before helped, which was thought to be something to do with hormones as well.

[Squirrel away]

Technique 2: Takes longer (10-15 minutes), need someone else to do to you (massaging the back of the leg), works always:

Same thing, as above, you have to pick the correct leg. In this technique, you massage the back of the calf, on the outside. The "patient" should lie on their stomach. The person doing the massage will start at the ankle, and massage up the calf, rolling their thumb firmly along the calf muscle and working up the leg to the back of the knee. Start with one pass towards the middle of the calf, then work up again a little more to the outside, then again so you're on the side of the calf. There should be a little discomfort from this massage, if not then it's not being done firmly enough. Do this three times, three passes up the leg, and the cramps will be gone. Do the other leg if you've picked the wrong one. Again, one leg will be noticeably more sensitive than the other.

I just tried this one with my hubbie massaging my calf and it worked even better than the ankle one!

I bloody love discovering life hacks like this. :D

[cakie]

Thanks for the tips everyone! I'm going to try most of these! I've always had really bad period pain, mostly I use hot water bottles and naproxen...

PS. To anyone who hasn't tried using a cup, give it a go. Can take a bit of time to get used to manoeuvring it but it is great once you master it ☺ besides pain killers, i haven't had to buy any period related products for years now (I have a lunette)

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Bracken_Joy]

I will +1 a whole foods diet having made a huge difference in the length of my period and the severity of it. I didn't go vegan, I went (esentially) paleo/primal. But still- whole foods, metric tons of veggies, no processed foods or junk foods.

I will also +1 the cup. The rare times I do need to use tampons now are the only times I ever get cramps anymore.

My cramps stopped when I quit eating gluten. I've tinkered a little, and it appears that if I go without for a week before my period, I get no cramps. Go figure.

Mine didn't stop completely, unfortunately, but overall I think the intensity and duration has decreased since I went gluten free.

Might try that.  For me giving up caffeine (especially coffee) does the trick.  I've started getting migraines around my period and eliminating coffee (even decaf) has done wonders.  I've been drinking tea because it doesn't seem to impact the migraines, but I've started having cramps again most likely because I forget to give it up in the week pre-period.

Interestingly, I have the opposite situation- any time I do have cramps, caffeine really helped relieve them. Didn't seem to make a difference whether I was drinking coffee or not overall to whether I got cramps that month.

[Loretta]

Do you all find the molasses and ankle pressure point dealio also help with premenstrual breast pain?  The last couple years my breasts intensely ache before the period and nothing seems to help it.

[carozy]

My period is a much better experience since I've become vegan - specifically, following the Dr. McDougall program (which is whole plant foods, starch based, no oil vegan).

My periods are at least a day (sometimes more) shorter than they used to be and the cramps are either very light (requiring no medicine) or not there at all (not noticeable).  The flow is much more manageable (don't need those overnight pads during the day any more).

I read about this happening to other converted vegans in a booked called Prevent and Reverse Diabetes (title was something like that) by Dr. Neal Barnard.  In the book he talks about a medical study that showed when women switched to a vegan diet their periods became lighter and cramps were either lighter or went away.  He explained in there that the hormones in dairy and meat over-increase the buildup in the uterus from what the woman's body would naturally do without those extra hormones.

So there is that option, which I feel is a good one, since Dr. McDougall's program also prevents and reverses heart disease.

EDIT:  I forgot to add that this is a very MMM attractive option since starches and veggies can be found much cheaper than meats, particularly if you bargain and bulk shop.  (There are a lot of eat for $3 a day threads on the Dr. McDougall forum.)

I wonder if it works if I just search for happier meat and have less milk? Definitely something to think about. My mum found soy milk the week before helped, which was thought to be something to do with hormones as well.

My book is in storage or else I would have tried to find the section that talked about that.  But I did a search and found this interesting article on PCRM (Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine) which explains where menstrual pain comes from and how food choices affect it.  I'd recommend reading the article to learn more - http://www.pcrm.org/health/health-topics/using-foods-against-menstrual-pain

[Anatidae V]

My period is a much better experience since I've become vegan - specifically, following the Dr. McDougall program (which is whole plant foods, starch based, no oil vegan).

My periods are at least a day (sometimes more) shorter than they used to be and the cramps are either very light (requiring no medicine) or not there at all (not noticeable).  The flow is much more manageable (don't need those overnight pads during the day any more).

I read about this happening to other converted vegans in a booked called Prevent and Reverse Diabetes (title was something like that) by Dr. Neal Barnard.  In the book he talks about a medical study that showed when women switched to a vegan diet their periods became lighter and cramps were either lighter or went away.  He explained in there that the hormones in dairy and meat over-increase the buildup in the uterus from what the woman's body would naturally do without those extra hormones.

So there is that option, which I feel is a good one, since Dr. McDougall's program also prevents and reverses heart disease.

EDIT:  I forgot to add that this is a very MMM attractive option since starches and veggies can be found much cheaper than meats, particularly if you bargain and bulk shop.  (There are a lot of eat for $3 a day threads on the Dr. McDougall forum.)

I wonder if it works if I just search for happier meat and have less milk? Definitely something to think about. My mum found soy milk the week before helped, which was thought to be something to do with hormones as well.

My book is in storage or else I would have tried to find the section that talked about that.  But I did a search and found this interesting article on PCRM (Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine) which explains where menstrual pain comes from and how food choices affect it.  I'd recommend reading the article to learn more - http://www.pcrm.org/health/health-topics/using-foods-against-menstrual-pain

Ooh, what is your book called? In exchange, I offer this TED talk on why your medicine acts differently on men than women:
https://www.ted.com/talks/alyson_mcgregor_why_medicine_often_has_dangerous_side_effects_for_women/transcript?language=en

[carozy]

My period is a much better experience since I've become vegan - specifically, following the Dr. McDougall program (which is whole plant foods, starch based, no oil vegan).

My periods are at least a day (sometimes more) shorter than they used to be and the cramps are either very light (requiring no medicine) or not there at all (not noticeable).  The flow is much more manageable (don't need those overnight pads during the day any more).

I read about this happening to other converted vegans in a booked called Prevent and Reverse Diabetes (title was something like that) by Dr. Neal Barnard.  In the book he talks about a medical study that showed when women switched to a vegan diet their periods became lighter and cramps were either lighter or went away.  He explained in there that the hormones in dairy and meat over-increase the buildup in the uterus from what the woman's body would naturally do without those extra hormones.

So there is that option, which I feel is a good one, since Dr. McDougall's program also prevents and reverses heart disease.

EDIT:  I forgot to add that this is a very MMM attractive option since starches and veggies can be found much cheaper than meats, particularly if you bargain and bulk shop.  (There are a lot of eat for $3 a day threads on the Dr. McDougall forum.)

I wonder if it works if I just search for happier meat and have less milk? Definitely something to think about. My mum found soy milk the week before helped, which was thought to be something to do with hormones as well.

My book is in storage or else I would have tried to find the section that talked about that.  But I did a search and found this interesting article on PCRM (Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine) which explains where menstrual pain comes from and how food choices affect it.  I'd recommend reading the article to learn more - http://www.pcrm.org/health/health-topics/using-foods-against-menstrual-pain

Ooh, what is your book called? In exchange, I offer this TED talk on why your medicine acts differently on men than women:
https://www.ted.com/talks/alyson_mcgregor_why_medicine_often_has_dangerous_side_effects_for_women/transcript?language=en

This is the book I was referring to:  Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes

http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes-ebook/dp/B00CRLR4DQ/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&me=

It's actually about diabetes but he talks about the menstrual pain study in there.  But the article I linked pretty much sums up what was in the book, as I recall.  I'll check out that TED talk too - thanks!

[Ausz]

I use men's razors. Seriously, it's the same thing, only higher quality and cheaper. Women's razors are the biggest scam. "Hey, I know, let's make an inferior product and charge more for it, but it will be PINK!" I use a Gilette Mach 3, and I'm sure the cleanshaven Mustachians can come up with a cheaper solution, but because I don't go through razors very quickly it's pretty inexpensive. I probably buy a refill razor pack once a year. I also use men's shaving cream. Women's stuff is, again, the same thing, only in a pink package, and with some bullshit perfume. If I wanted my legs to smell like berries, which I don't, I'm sure I could find something a little more natural and pleasant than Skintimates Very Berry. Sheesh.

...okay, rant over :) Thanks everyone, I'll be trying these great tricks next Time Of The Month.

This is a great idea, thanks for the tip! It had never crossed my mind to comparison shop the men's section.

A few years ago I bought myself an epilator -- one of the world's greatest triumphs of feminine efficiency. I vastly prefer it to waxing (sticky, uncomfortable and expensive) and shaving (ephemeral and expensive). Its amortized cost is less than $5/year and falling.

[Lauran75]

I can't seem to find something that gives me a smooth shave. Would an epilator do that? (i.e. smooth out the skin after shaving? so there isn't stubble?)

[Zaga]

I can't seem to find something that gives me a smooth shave. Would an epilator do that? (i.e. smooth out the skin after shaving? so there isn't stubble?)

Pretty much no stubble, and my skin stays smooth for at least 2 weeks.

[Lauran75]

I can't seem to find something that gives me a smooth shave. Would an epilator do that? (i.e. smooth out the skin after shaving? so there isn't stubble?)

Pretty much no stubble, and my skin stays smooth for at least 2 weeks.

Sweet! What brand, etc?

[Zaga]

I can't seem to find something that gives me a smooth shave. Would an epilator do that? (i.e. smooth out the skin after shaving? so there isn't stubble?)

Pretty much no stubble, and my skin stays smooth for at least 2 weeks.

Sweet! What brand, etc?

I use a basic Epilady, no experience with other brands.  They might be just fine.  The first one I bought only worked for like 1 day, but they took it back and replaced it and I haven't had any trouble with the replacement in about a year.

Now, do realize that this is literally plucking out all your hair at high speed.  Anyone who claims that it doesn't hurt is full of crap.  Worth it to me though!

[Lauran75]

Thanks! I found one on Amazon for about $40 I'm going to try.

[MVal]

I take Black Cohosh capsules. Works like a charm. Often, tough cramps are a result of an overabundance of estrogen in the body (no surprise with all the estrogen-mimicking compounds in our food supply these days) and Black Cohosh helps correct that imbalance. It's not expensive at all. This is also works wonders for hot flashes!!

[Oslo_gal]

It works because it is full of potassium, and potassium gets rid of muscle cramps, which is why people who work out a lot eat bananas.

I have never tried either as a remedy for cramps, but upon this logic, do you think bananas would work equally well?

I was recommended bananas once, by a Tunisian (I don't know if that matters, but it is not standard advice in Norway where I'm from).

I used to be on the pill to lessen the cramps, but didn't like the other side effects. I wanted to do the IUD, but not copper since it's known to make cramps worse. The hormone based IUD has considerably lower levels of hormone, but works in a similar matter to pills. It did seem to help with my pigmentation spots too (WHY did my body decide to place a melanin concentration under my nose in the shape of "teenage boy beard growth"?? I take my SPF very seriously now, and am slowly recovering)

[rockstache]

Kulshan Girl, glad to hear it helped. Try holding as much pressure on the spot for a couple of seconds -- that might help it work better. Not so much pressure that you're bruising yourself or anything like that, but good strong pressure. Most women, when doing this to themselves, will be inclined not to push hard enough, because it's painful. Unfortunately it will have to hurt for a few seconds in order to work, so literally push through the pain.

You should be pressing right in the middle of the inside, lower leg. Ring finger should be resting just above the ankle bone, and where your index finger rests is the exact spot to push.

Good luck!

I cannot believe how badly this hurts or how well it works. Thank you!

[CintranGhola]

Not to be lame, but one thing I've tried over the years is to re-think my response to pain. You've perhaps heard about meditation etc. to cope with pain? I've tried to do a "mind over matter" thing when my cramps are not unbearable. Yaaaay monthly opportunities to practice.... haha.

I've been reading about meditation for stress management for about a year now!  I agree it really works for pain/period cramps, and has helped keep me focused at work if I happen to get them then.  Although to be fair, I have fairly mild cases of cramps compared to some of my friends, who have over the years had to call out of work it's so unbearable. 

[Zaga]

I think the word "cramps" can be very misleading.  Yes, many women have actual muscle spasms and cramps during their periods, but after years of misery it turned out that I had endometriosis, which is painful, but not necessarily cramps.  Internal bleeding hurts, people!