Dysmenorrhea (Period Pain)

Does anybody have any suggestions to relieve extreme menstrual cramps?? I am simply dying right now... I've tried exercising but it only causes extreme discomfort and will even make my pain worse. I just don't see running and bouncing my uterus up and down as a good way to relieve the pain! Are there any methods of excersise I should be doing? Does birth control help (and what exactly does it do)? I normally just take 2 Ibuprofen and it normally does the job (I've had my period since I was 9 years old) but lately it just can't keep up with the pain. I'm feeling a little helpless here.

 

i used to get it really bad but then i went on the pill, and that did help a bit, my sister gets it real bad and uses these things she puts on her tummy and they help a bit. go n see a doc and tell them, they might be able to give u better painkillers, make sure its a woman one though, bloke doctors dont understand as well

 

I used to get pretty bad cramps every other month on the left side of my abdomen as I was ovulating..... and the first day of my period i'd get bad cramps...
I'm on the pill now... it helps ...not sure how...it balances estrogen and progesterone levels so there's not too much, or too little given off, maybe? Hm...

What I used to do is fill a sock 3/4 full of rice, tie it...pop it in the microwave for a minute...and lay down on my tummy resting my abdomen on it. I take Midol, Women's Tylenol or my perscribed Codiene beforehand too, though.

Yeah, my information might not be extremely helpful, but it might ease the pain a tiny bit (the sock-o-rice).


You might want to check something out about endometriosis..just in case?...

 

Ponstel (mefenamic acid, Ponstan in Canada) is a very effective prescription medication for primary dysmenorrhea. Anaprox DS is another option. Go see a doctor, male or female, they are both adequately trained to treat this.

I agree with the previous poster that a female doctor may better understand the condition, from personal experience, but this does not mean a female is MORE capable of treating you appropriately. That would be like saying a nephrologist needs to be in kidney failure to be an effective doctor, or a pediatrician should be a child!

 

Thanks for all of the replies everyone. I'm still in pain and it's spread to my lower back now. Whenever I get my period I feel very weak and frail and a lot of the time, nauseous. I've been taking Green Tea Extract which has every vitamin imaginable in each pill so that's been making me feel stronger.. but yes, I think it's time for a visit to the ol' Family Doctor. I'm not sure how many more periods I can take. They seem to get worse every time.

 

disprin forte!

i get real bad to the point where i fall on the floor
nothing herbal is gonna work for such extreme pain

 

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I've read up a lot on this stuff some more.. There's not much I can do (I also fall on the floor crying) except get some sort of birth control method going because apparently it evens the flow of tissue and makes the walls in the uterus that got old a lot thinner ... these combined make for a less intense contraction to push it all down. I guess that's the road I'll try to take.

 

You might went to go and talk to a doctor about endometriosis cause I was diagnoised with it 4 years ago...
I had horrible horrible periods, cramping so bad that i would vomit or pass out.. And it would spread to my lower back, sides and my legs...
I would at least read some info about it and then ask your gyno as well...

 

i have pretty brutal ones too... try doing crunches and the like during the month, because stronger ab. muscles will make it easier. Or at least that's what i was told, and it helped for me.

i just try and be in water as much as possible. It really helps me. Especially good for the lower back pain. I guess it takes the pressure of gravity away!

 

Wow! I went to the endo association's website and I had every single symptom. Every one of them! That's never happened to me before. I'm not sure if I should be upset or happy that I'm pretty sure I have it. It's a relief to find out some information and answers, even if the answer isn't too great.