menstrualhut

I seem to be PMSing now (although I did have a funny feeling that I'm preggers, but thats very unlikely coz I have an IUD)

The funny thing about PMS is that there are so many symptoms, and everyone gets it differently. I've been a moderate to severe PMS sufferer since I started out on the menstrual road 9 years ago at the age of 13.

I have a few main symptoms:
*I get these weird mood cyles that start with me being very hyper and happy, to being irritable, then paranoid, then depressed, and then back to being hyper again.
*I'm constantly hungry, and crave carbohydrates intensley, as well as sugar, but I avoid sugar because it makes me mental hehe I tend to snack very often at this time.
*I retain water and get bloated (doesn't everyone?)
*I get headaches, sometimes migraines (not bad ones though)
*I get tired, lazy and generall unmotvated to do anything.
*sometimes my breasts hurt, but I don't get that as much as I used to, that seemed to be alleviated by going vegan a few years ago.
*Now that I have an IUD I get the odd cramp and some spotting too

It varies but this usually goes on for 5-10 days and dissapears within hours of the onset of menstruation (which is why I'm usually very happy when aunt flo arrives)

I have a few remedies that I find helpful, they are:
dong quai tablets, one a day all month- helps me feel more energised, and reduces irritabitlity at PMS time.
*St John's wort tablets, one or two a day all month (I don't have any at the mo because I'm waiting for my mail order ones to arrive) mood stabilising, reduces anxiety and irritability at PMS time.
*evening primrose oil tablets and vitamin E, one a day during pms time - prevents breast pain, releives cramps and spotting.
*A-Z multi vits one a day all month.
*Complete B-vitamin complex- one a day all month, reduces the amount of headaches I get and helps in most other aspects too.
*camomile tea- this is calming, as well as being slightly diuretic (it also works wonders for menstrual cramps!)

By the way, vitamin E also seems to slightly reduce heavy bleeding during menstruation.

Sorry for such a long post, just thought I'd share. Hopefully someone might find the info on remedies useful.