Menstruation | Pms Relief

Menstruation | Pms Relief

PMS complaints come in different shapes and sizes

Every girl has to deal with them at some point, some earlier than others, but they always start when your body is ready for them: your periods. When you have your first period, then you know that your body’s fertile period started for the first time four weeks earlier. The term menstruation comes from the Latin word ‘mensis’, meaning month. The menstrual cycle can be accompanied by various physical and mental symptoms.

Build-up and breakdown of oestrogens

A woman’s cycle lasts approximately 28 days (although this can vary for different women or from month to month). After the period itself, the build-up of oestrogens in the ovaries begins again. This takes around 14 days. During this time, an egg cell matures and this is released by the ovaries roughly halfway through the cycle. Ovulation means that a woman can become pregnant if she has unprotected sex. During this cycle, the lining of the womb thickens so that if the egg is fertilised it will be able to implant securely in the lining and develop into a baby. If the egg isn’t fertilised, it doesn’t implant and oestrogen production in the ovaries will decrease again. Now the production of progesterone increases. This hormone is responsible for cleaning out the womb to start the process all over again. The time when the womb lining is shed is the first day of the woman’s period. Menstruation can continue for anything from three days to a full week, depending on the amount of womb lining that needs to be shed. During the run-up to the start of your period, you may experience various symptoms due to the build-up and breakdown of oestrogens in your body; this is known as premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and can manifest itself in a range of physical symptoms.

PMS symptoms

There are various types of PMS symptoms and the degree to which you experience them can vary a lot, too. They can really bother you sometimes and other times you don’t even notice that your period is approaching. The symptoms are caused by the reduction in oestrogen production and the rise in progesterone levels. Particularly when you first start having periods, PMS symptoms can be very severe. But you can also suffer from them more intensely later on in your life as well. For example, around the time of your first period after being pregnant or if you stop taking the contraceptive pill. You generally experience PMS a week before your period, or sometimes even two weeks before it. These symptoms differ for every woman, too. Some months you may feel very dizzy, have migraines and suffer from tiredness. At other times, you may suffer from swollen, tender breasts, nausea and acne. Other PMS symptoms include binge eating, increased appetite, weight gain, fluid retention and a painful, heavy sensation in your legs. There are different degrees of PMS. For example, a very severe form of PMS involves hormonal mood swings. It can cause you to burst into tears suddenly or even to feel very depressed. During the weeks leading up to your period, it’s a good idea to keep a note of how you feel. Are you tired? Irritable? Or are you actually feeling very cheerful? And what pain symptoms are you experiencing? If you keep a record of this, you’ll get a better understanding of your own cycle, helping you to be more prepared for what you experience the next month.

Menstrual symptoms

Although PMS symptoms are often much more pronounced, the symptoms don’t necessarily just disappear when your period starts. There are also various other symptoms that you may suffer from during your period. The main symptoms during menstruation itself are period cramps and headaches, as well as mood swings and breast tenderness. Period cramps are caused by the womb contracting in order to shed the womb lining. You feel these cramps in your lower abdomen and your lower back. A hot water bottle or a hot shower often helps to ease the pain. Another common symptom during menstruation is tiredness. This can be because your PMS symptoms have kept you awake or because you lose a lot of fluids during your period. Hormonal fluctuations can also affect your sleep cycle, making it harder for you to enter deep sleep or REM sleep.

Nutrition & menstrual symptoms

Did you know that eating healthily, drinking lots of water and taking regular exercise influence the severity of your menstrual and PMS symptoms? By eating healthily and drinking water, you help your body to stay healthy and strong. Taking exercise helps you keep your body and mind in balance. Of course snacking can make you feel good too, but given the extra risk of weight gain at times when you’re experiencing PMS it’s better not to if you can help it. To give you extra support, you can take a food supplement that helps to reduce the most severe PMS and menstrual symptoms, allowing you to keep doing all the fun things in life. Dr. Becky PMS contains various herbal ingredients that can help you to get through these times in your life more easily. The supplement contains extracts of lady’s mantle, passion flower, monk’s pepper and evening primrose oil, all of which help to keep your hormones better in balance, reduce tiredness and give you a more positive mental outlook. Magnesium not only helps to take away the tiredness you feel in your legs, it can also help you to keep your moods in check and reduce breast tenderness. That’s why you tend to crave chocolate just before or during your period - chocolate contains lots of magnesium. To control feelings of despondency, try taking a supplement containing B vitamins. Dr. Becky PMS contains vitamin B6. As well as having a positive effect on your moods, it also has cleansing properties. This can reduce your chances of getting acne due to PMS or menstruation.

More information from Dr. Becky

If you have any questions about the best supplements to help you get though PMS and your menstrual cycle more easily, don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Becky. We’ll be happy to help and advise you so that you get through your periods smoothly.