Relieving PMS & Period Hell, naturally?

[mari-mac1109.livejournal.com]

Avast, superstars! I come with a question.

So, my natural cycle is pretty ridiculous and though I love it very much, I'd like to ease it up if I can. The emotions, the little triggers that can set me off, the symptoms, the premenstrual and menstrual habits...

Here are a few of the symptoms that are especially blechy for me: I get very anxious, I get so emotional and supersupersuper lonely, I bloat, my teeth hurt and my gums are sensitive, I get ravenous and then Flo hits and I get exhausted for about three straight days.

The hunger and bloating I can deal with. The teeth hurting (it took me awhile to figure out that my random ouchy teeth and gums coincided with my cycle, but now I know that when my teeth start feeling 'twitchy' that I've got about five days and when they start hurting, two or three) I can deal with.

But the emotional hell is wearing me out. The PMS anxiety is starting to put a cramp in my style and I could do with out the weeping jags. Even during them, I KNOW that I'm just being a hormonal mess, but that doesn't seem to ever make me feel any better. :-/ I have dealt with clinical/major depression and general anxiety in the past and weaned off my meds (Pristiq, an SNRI, daily and Xanax as needed). I'm really happy to be off the pills and coming off them wasn't even too hellish. At this point in my life, I feel like I can manage without the medications by taking care of myself in other ways. Except for about five days to a week each month. Like clock work.

I do NOT want to use any form of hormonal birth control as a) I'm a tree-hugging, granola-eating hippie like that and b) they've done me more harm than good in the past and with the past few methods I've tried. I LIKE my body's natural cycle and want to keep it. I love being able to tell when I'm ovulating (and my body's loud about all things relating to my uterus, so it's not hard for me) and mostly I'm happy to bleed once a month since it feels kind of feels like my body's resetting itself. I just need to find a way to better deal with everything that goes along with it, without HBC.

So, are there any supplements, herbs, activities, suggestions, etc any of you lovely people know of?

For reference: 23, nulliparous, currently single, normal PAPs, STD-free, have had my copper IUD (ParaGard) for almost a year and my bleeding and cramping are actually LESS than pre-IUD (yay!!!), generally eat well and do a lot of walking, though I'm a bit heavy for my height. My cycle's about 29-30 days and I don't think I've missed a period in at least eight years, maybe even since menarche. I am almost textbook regular.

Thanks Veepsters!

Why am I bleeding?

[fathomss.livejournal.com]

I've been on YAZ for ~4 or 5 months now. Last month was my first without spotting. I thought all was well, but three days ago I didn't just start spotting... It's literally like a period. It's HEAVY and painful and I don't know why it's happening. I have 11 active pills left in my pack. I always take them on time and have never missed a pill, so I have no idea why this is happening. Is there an explanation for it?

Thank you.

Gianvi?

[meganmila.livejournal.com]

So, I got my prescription and instead of the brand name Yaz that I usually get they gave me the Generic form of it. I was kinda confused cause I thought the generic will be out next year instead of this year. Is anybody else taking this or is it new? And I guess it's the same thing it's just weird cause I'm not used to it heh.

Cramps but no period?

[herminia.livejournal.com]

My cycle varies in length from month to month, ranging between 29 and 34 days. I started having cramps and pain in my lower back (which always accompanies my period) on the 28th day of my cycle. Today is day 34 - the cramps and back pain have been constant all this time, but my period seems no closer to actually starting. I ovulated approximately on day 14-15 of this cycle. I've had opaque white discharge the past few days and I've detected a slight smell of iron... but there's no blood. I took a pregnancy test first thing in the morning on day 32 and it was a clear negative (I believe that since I expected my period as early as three days before I tested, my results would be accurate...). I'm not sure what's going on!

I've been very stressed the past two weeks because of a potential move across the country that could happen on short notice, but I had just finished ovulating at that point, so it didn't delay ovulation. That said, I am rarely even mildly stressed at all, so extreme stress may have effects.

As much as most sources say that the luteal phase is more or less fixed, I am certain mine fluctuates. I always experience ovulation signs that peak EXACTLY two weeks after the first day of my period, yet the length of time from one period to the next varies considerably, though the menstruation to ovulation appears very consistent.

BAD period pain.

[https://users.livejournal.com/pretendworld-/]

I've posted a couple of times here about recently stopping birth control. Well, I woke up at 5am this morning with my period; after not having it for 52 days...and it is terribly painful. I've barely survived on ibuprofen (it's all I have?) and it's worrying me somewhat. It's no heavier than usual...any explanation for the bad pain?

Question about BBT...

[opaloctober.livejournal.com]

We're TTC as of this month after a stillbirth and 2 losses, and I find it kinda hard to track my BBT...I do have a digital thermometer, but since I never ever get up at the same time every day, how can it be accurate? Yesterday I got up at 10AM. Today, I got up at twenty to two since I was sick and up ALL night last night. So, how do I do it? Do I just take it when I first wake and record that temp nomatter what time it is, or should I set an alarm to wake up around say, 10AM and get up to track my temp then??

The Period that will not end...

[ladyringo.livejournal.com]

Hi guys... so I am having a little bit of a problem.

Back history on me! I started having my period when I was about 12. I have never *ever* been regular, even on BC pills, though they helped a bit. Last August I had an IUD inserted (the copper one, not the hormone one) and I did not have a period for almost 4 months. After that I started having about 2 periods a month, generally pretty light. However, starting about february it got much worse. I would have heavy bleeding for 2 days, take two days off and then bleed again and now I have been having a nearly non-stop heavy bleeding period for several weeks and it was moderate before that. I had the IUD removed a few weeks ago and went back on progesterone pills.

I am still bleeding and there's clots and it's gross. I am getting occasional cramps. I am feeling weak and woozy off and on and my appetite is really hit or miss.

I have insurance, but my last visit to my doctor was a disaster and I haven't had time to research a new physician and I can't afford another medical bill, but I am really starting to get concerned.

Has anybody else had a 2 month long period?

missed last pill

[mykissmightkill.livejournal.com]

Okay so I should have taken my last hormone pill today at 10pm. But I'm at my bf's house a half hour from mine and I somehow left my pack at home and will not be able to take the pill till tomorrow night at 10.

If I take my missed pill tomorrow night at 10pm, how will that affect my protection? I have 7 days of sugar pills then I'll start my new pack. Is it worth taking the pill tomorrow? Will that not affect anything anyway? I'm a little worried that even if i take it tomorrow night that it will still be like I had 8 days of sugar pills instead. My only other idea was if I didnt take the missed pill, I could start my new pack a day earlier but I don't really want to. It's not to huge of a deal to wait till I'm fully protected again if it is affected But I'm annoyed with myself and worried (mostly probably for no reason).

Thanks for any help!! :)