Painful periods since DS - agnus castus worthwhile?

[Sooperswooper]

Since finishing bf ds just over a year ago when he was one, (even though they came back pretty sharpish after I had him -though pre Ds no problems at all) my periods have been so painful, it's like my tummy is being scraped out with a blunt instrument. I now have very heavy bleeding and lots of 5p sized clots (tmi- apologies). About a week before I bloat, boobs swell to double size and I become Jekyll/Hyde character. When it starts, it's so painful it wakes me up at night; for 5 days I live on painkillers and it's just miserable. It is only since I had Ds that it has been like this. I don't know whether it's worth seeing Dr (I'm not really too keen on the pill/implant or coil for various reasons) and thought might try agnus castus first off. Anyone any success with this (or evening primrose? Or advice in general? Thank you

[acharmofgoldfinches]

Years ago I used to work in a health food shop, and we probably sold more agnus castus than everything else put together, so it would definitely be worth a try! The important thing is to give it chance to work - it might take several months to make a noticeable difference, but if it suits you (and it works for lots of people) then it can make a huge difference.

I personally found Evening Primrose Oil helpful for the emotional symptoms of PMT, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) recommends not eating too much dairy as a way of easing cramping and clotting, so that might be worth a try too.

Another option would be homoeopathy - you'd need to see a registered homoeopath - as that can be very effective with hormonal problems. Life is definitely to short to put up with agony five days a month, so best of luck in finding something that sorts it out.