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The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Women: Menstrual Problems

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Menstrual Problems

Menstrual Problems

Strike Out Monthly Misery

The good news is that you're not pregnant. The not-so-good news is that your body lets you know with symptoms like menstrual cramps, pain in your lower back and bloating. Your uterine cleanup crew has gone into gear. Leading the effort are prostaglandins, chemicals produced by the lining of your uterus that initiate uterine contractions--what you feel as cramps--to expel tissue and fluids that had built up in the event that a fertilized egg needed to make its home there. For some women menstrual fluid loss, or flow, is so heavy that anemia can result.

What Women Doctors Do

Sit-Ups Helped

Mary Lang Carney, M.D.

For Mary Lang Carney, M.D., her high school memories include what she calls "hideous periods."

"I threw up and got terrible cramps," recalls this women's health expert. Now medical director of the Center for Women's Health at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, Illinois, Dr. Carney shares her secret for putting painful periods in her distant past.

"I took aspirin, I used a heating pad and I climbed in the bathtub (sans heating pad) for a warm bath," she says. And something else: She did sit-ups before, during and after her period. "Those seemed to really make a difference for me. Maybe it was just psychological, but exercising my abdominal-wall muscles worked. Not only did they help me cope with my period, but I also developed strong muscles overall."

Dr. Carney is pleased to report that she doesn't have menstrual problems any longer--"not since I had kids." Other women doctors also report that after they had kids, menstrual cramps disappeared or lessen significantly.

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

Women bothered by menstrual pain, cramps and heavy bleeding might fantasize about somehow escaping menstruation altogether. Forget it: Menstruation is your body's way of setting the stage for eventual pregnancy, even if pregnancy isn't in your plans. So it's part of the deal. In fact, absence of periods, or irregular menstruation, may signal too much exercise; thyroid, cervical or endometrial problems; infertility or the beginning of menopause. (If these are your concerns, read about infertility on page 303 and menopause on page 359.)

Otherwise, women doctors offer this advice for getting through this time of the month.

Try a painkiller. For cramps and lower-back pain, women doctors recommend either ibuprofen (the main ingredient in pain relievers such as Midol, Advil and Motrin) or aspirin.

"Ibuprofen does an excellent job of relieving cramps by interfering with the body's production of prostaglandins," says Mary Lang Carney, M.D., medical director of the Center for Women's Health at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, Illinois. Aspirin has the same effect, she says, but acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) doesn't.

Act early. Take medication the moment that you feel cramps coming on, says Yvonne S. Thornton, M.D., visiting associate physician at the Rockefeller University Hospital in New York City and director of the perinatal diagnostic testing center at Morristown Memorial Hospital in New Jersey. "Don't wait for the cramps to build up. If you do, prostaglandins will have already been produced, and your cramps will be worse."

These painkillers will also help relieve lower-back pain, says Dr. Carney.

Warm up. Heat does wonders to relieve painful abdominal cramps and lower-back ache, says Dr. Carney. Lie down with a hot-water bottle or heating pad on your abdomen, she suggests, or beneath your lower back. Or take a warm, relaxing bath.

Cut the salt. "A lot of women crave salt around the time of their periods, but watching salt intake will help decrease the amount of bloating," says Dr. Thornton. Try alternative seasonings in your cooking and remove the saltshaker from your dinner table.

When To See A Doctor

According to women doctors, the following symptoms merit a visit to your physician.

* Menstrual cycles shorter than 21 days or more than 35 days long

* Heavy bleeding for more than a week

* Heavy soaking of tampons or pads, especially when accompanied by dizziness and fatigue (a possible indication of iron-deficiency anemia)

* Severe cramps or pain unrelieved by over-the-counter medications

By the way, passing small (the size of a quarter or smaller) clots of blood in your menstrual flow is no cause for concern. Rather, it's a sign that your body's natural coagulation system is working.

Try a little more B₆. Making sure that you get 25 to 50 milligrams of vitamin B₆ daily during your period can help relieve bloating, says Dr. Thornton. The vitamin appears to have a mild diuretic effect, she says. It's a water-soluble vitamin, so we lose it when we urinate, she explains. Don't exceed 100 milligrams a day, though.

Get moving. Women who exercise regularly have fewer problems with cramps, says Charenjeet Ray, M.D., an obstetrician/gynecologist and associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Rush Medical College of Rush University and attending physician at Illinois Masonic Hospital, both in Chicago. Walk, swim, play tennis--whatever you enjoy--when you feel cramps coming on.

Working up a sweat can also help relieve bloating, says Dr. Thornton.

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