PMS Help?

[Telephus44]

I just stopped taking birth control pills for the first time in 9 years, and this month I have experienced real PMS for the first time. My biggest issues are moodiness (mostly sadness and bursting into tears, not so much anger and irritability) and cramps (big time!).

I searched through this forum for advice, and all I could find was evening primrose, and I couldn't tell from the posts if it was supposed to help with cramps or not. Does anyone here have any advice, if there's anything I can take? I already gets lots of calcium and I'm taking a pre-natal multivitamin since we're trying to get pregnant.

[forestdale]

No advice, Sara. I just wanted to say I'll be thinking of you and hoping you get pregnant soon.

[SHOPGIRL]

Sara,

Yes, I can relate. This happened to me years ago. Welcome back to heavier periods, longer periods, and just plain icky periods. For cramps, I use Ibrupropin or Naproxin(like this best). Yes, I've tried some natural stuff. However, when your working you need to be 100% so I'd try the Naproxin..it really helps the cramping.

Red raspberry tea should help. Get the stuff from your natural food store or Traditional Medicinals.

If I think of more things, I'll add them.

[Hardy1]

Hi - I use evening primrose oil and also agnus castus which you should get at the health shop. It helped with sore boobs and moodiness although i get a humdinger of a mood now and again (hhmmm...every 6 months or so, so that's not bad).
W

[tbs727]

Good luck getting pregnant!

I don't have any suggestions for the moodiness, but I would suggest getting a heating pad and place it on your stomach when you have cramps. It often helps make my cramps more bareable.

[mom22grls]

I use a B-complex vitamin. Don't know why, but this helps with the mood issues.........and I get some mood issues, let me tell you! LOL!

Also, Pamprin works...it's a bit pricey & if there were an off brand, I'd try it in a heartbeat! But it works. Also, what's the other brand of PMS pain reliever? I don't recall right now, but it works, too....I just like pamprin better.....and it helps with bloating.

If that were unavailable....good ol' ibuprofin does the trick.

But, the BEST thing to alleviate PMS is getting pregnant!
Good luck to you.

[mom22grls]

I like to read what this guy has to say, maybe this is where I got the B-vitamin thing.

http://www.doctoryourself.com/pms.html

[Telephus44]

Thanks for the input. I'm going to try adding in a B complex vitamin and see if that helps. I'm also going to try using Naproxin for cramps - Ibuprophen just doesn't seem to work for me. I do use heating pads - I have one at home that I use at night, and for work I'll sometimes splurge and get the thermacare wraps, but they can be pricey (around here they're $6 for a box of 3). They don't completely get rid of it, but they do make it more comfortable.

Thanks everyone!

[Deborah_Kate]

You might also want to think about accupuncture for cramps. I've been seeing one for two months, I've gone twice and my cramps were way better last time. I didn't even have to take an advil or anything and I am someone who more often than not, will miss a day of work because I can't stand up to walk.

Deb

[AmyBoz]

Sara,
I have no PMS advice, but wanted to recommend a book for you with regards to trying to get pregnant. It took us about a year to get pregnant with Julia and the same amount of time to get pregnant with Patrick. It may be quite easy for you and you might not even need the book, but it's still fascinating reading for any woman.

The book is "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler. You might want to see if your local library has it. I found it incredibly useful.

[Telephus44]

Thanks for the advice - I just checked my library and they don't have it (well, the status is "Missing").

Actually, at least for the moment I'm trying to stay away from fertility advice - mostly because everything out there seems to be about how hard it can be, and it just makes me more scared and stressed about it. I worry that it will take me a long time to get pregnant, that I'll miscarry - just a whole lot of stressful things. And when I'm moody from PMS - wow! that sure makes everything seem worse.

The other issue is that DH and I orginally agreed to wait until May, but I talked to him about how scared I was that it would take forever to get pregnant so we agreed that I would go off the pill in December, but that we wouldn't agressively try until March (when all of the credit cards are paid off, hopefully). So every time I read stuff about "have sex on this or that day" and it doesn't happen, I just get more scared or depressed. So I've found that just avoiding the information in general helps me to not stress out so much.

[Deborah_Kate]

Taking Charge of Your Fertility is not fertility advice. It just teaches you to know your body's signs during different times during your cycle and when you are most fertile. Things you need to know anyway to become more aware of when you are most fertile. Women are only fertile for 12-24 hours, but sperm (sorry for being graphic, just trying to help) can live outside the scrotum for up to 5 days, and that includes ummmm...inside you.

Also, you cervical mucous has to be right. If you want to PM me I can tell you how to check that if you don't already know how.

Take it from someone who it took over 5 years to get pregnant with her first child, don't rush right into getting impatient. You;ll only get yourself going all that much more and then you could throw off your internal biorythyms which you don't want.

Don't go to a doctor about it unless it's been over a year since you went off the pill. They won't talk to you before then (if you feel it's necessary to go to begin with) and if you are younger, under say 27, then they make you wait longer before they will do anythingm, especially if you have no known problems with the reproductive parts.

You may hear this alot, but it's a good time to start charting your cycles, this also helps you know what's going on. And IF you need to seek medical attention for any reason, then you have your charts to give them to look at. They will ask you to do it for about 6 months anyway before beginning any treatment.

Hope that helped.

Deb

[MOMMYDEAREST]

midol works for me, and so does naproxen. good luck getting pregnant.....i'm a mom of 4 and the joy is overwhelming

[zakity]

Calcium is supposed to be good for cramps also. You are supposed to take it at night. I drink raspberry tea. I take a multi B, a multi vitamin, and evening primose everyday (okokok, when I remember).

Good luck!! PMS sucks!


PS: Look!! Look!! I finally reached 100 posts!!! Woohoo!!!!

[bamamomto4]

I take 4 motrin for cramps.Not sure how good that is but its the only thing that helps me.