Menstruation Pain Management

Menstruation Pain Management 

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) (also called PMT or premenstrual tension) is a collection of physical and emotional symptoms related to a woman's menstrual cycle.While most women of child-bearing age report having experienced physical symptoms related to normal ovulatory function, such as bloating or breast tenderness, medical definitions of PMS are limited to a consistent pattern of emotional and physical symptoms occurring only during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle that are of "sufficient severity to interfere with some aspects of life". In particular, emotional symptoms must be present consistently to diagnose PMS. The specific emotional and physical symptoms attributable to PMS vary from woman to woman, but each individual woman's pattern of symptoms is predictable, occurs consistently during the ten days prior to menses, and vanishes either shortly before or shortly after the start of menstrual flow.

Symptoms Associated With Premenstrual Syndrome:

- irritability

- tension, 

-dysphoria (unhappiness)

-Common emotional and non-specific symptoms include stress and anxiety

-difficulty in falling asleep (insomnia)

-headache

-fatigue

-mood swings

- increased emotional sensitivity

- changes in libido 

-bloating

- constipation

-cyclic acne, 

- joint or muscle pain

-Abdominal cramps-(There are two types of menstrual cramps: primary and secondary dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea, which usually starts within several years after your first menstrual period, involves no physical abnormality. Hormone-like substances called prostaglandins, which are produced naturally in the body, are thought to cause these menstrual cramps and be responsible for the pain and inflammation. Secondary dysmenorrhea, on the other hand, has an underlying physical cause, such as endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, uterine fibroids, or uterine polyps)

- Swelling or tenderness in the breasts. (This may be because a deficiency in essential fatty acids may stimulate a female hormone called prolactin to be stimulated, which can lead to PMS symptoms like mood changes and breast tenderness and swelling (prolactin is naturally produced during breastfeeding).

Those Will Add Pain During Menstruation: 

-High caffeine intake

-Stress may precipitate condition

-Increasing age

-History of depression

-Family history

Dietary factors

-Low levels of certain vitamins and minerals, particularly magnesium, -manganese, and vitamin E and also Vitamin D

Management Of Menstruation Pain

 -Calcium supplementation (1200 mg/d) may be useful

-Vitamin E (400 IU/d) 

- Vitamin B6

- magnesium

-manganese 

- tryptophan(an amino acid found in milk.This amino acid also believed causes sleepiness after milk intake in some people.)

-Progesterone and Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists can be useful in severe forms of PMS but have their own set of significant potential side effects. 

-Diuretics such as  Spironolactone have been used to handle water retention 

-Aerobic exercise has been found in some studies to be helpful

- flaxseeds.

-Crampbark

-Fennel

-Vitamin B1

-Reduction of caffeine, sugar, and sodium intake and increase of fiber, and adequate rest and sleep

-Clonidine 

-Chasteberry

- Foeniculum vulgare

-Massage and yoga 

-Applying a heating pad on your abdomen or lower back

- Essential fatty acids such as Omega-3 Fatty Acids

-Acupressure-a traditional healing practice that is based on the same principles as acupuncture. Instead of             applying needles to acupuncture points, pressure is applied.

-Evening primrose oil, which contains the Omega-6 EFA  Gamma-Linolenic Acid-

Evening primrose oil is the made from the oil extracted from the plant’s seeds which contain the fatty acids, linoleic acid and gamma linolenic acid (GLA). Evening primrose oil extract contains about 10% of gamma linolenic acid (GLA) and it’s this which is thought to help premenstrual syndrome.

GLA is a fatty acid found in vegetable oils which is needed for the formation of healthy cell membranes.  Inside the body, it converts into a hormone-like substance (a prostaglandin) and helps regulate women’s  reproductive system and menstrual cycles.It also help lowers cholesterol levels and helps with inflammatory and auto-immune diseases.