What helps you when you are on your period?

[Rainydays55]

Does anyone else just hate that time of the month?! Any top tips on what makes you feel better?!

Brandy and coke.

You poor darlings. I am post menopausal, so no longer have this, so glad I don’t! There is hope for the future for you all. I remember it all so well. Hot water bottles, paracetamol, hot baths, sympathy, but if it gets too bad do seek medical help. I think there may be more treatments now than perhaps there was in my day? (I am 66). X

Sitting in a hot bath used to help me.

The thing that really helps is swimming. But it’s often the last thing you feel like, and obviously involved tampons which I don’t enjoy!

Swearing vociferously at the annoyance of it all.

Nurofen Plus
Honour Your Flow Reusable Pads
Love Luna period knickers
Hot bath
Sleep
Being warm
Quiet & being left alone - doesn't happen!!

If you can face it, an orgasm gives instant relief. I appreciate It's a bit tricky in the office...

2 paracetamol and 2 ibuprofen at the same time

With stomach cramps: Painkillers, and also eating small light meals, apparently it’s harder to digest during periods.

With the hormone-imbalance migraine that periods have brought since age 40 🤷‍♀️ chocolate or orgasm helps more than painkiller 😬

2 Paracetamol, 2 Ibuprofen at the same time plus a hot water bottle with boiling water from the kettle. Then laying on my back with my feet together in like a froggy leg kind of pose, helps to stretch the muscle cramps out

Peppermint capsules. I get trapped wind which really hurts the first two days and this really helps.

It helps me if people go the feck away (a long way away) and leave me the feck alone
Never happens though but I can dream 😴

@TheVolturi can you buy buscopan over the counter ?? Never thought of this

Going to see a gynaecologist helped massively. It turned out I had a fibroid that was the size of a grapefruit when it was removed after 4 months of shrinking medication. Wish I’d gone in my teens I would have gained so much of my life. I do still have fibroids but things ibroprofen or x was never enough.

Perhaps unusually, I feel best out of the whole cycle when I’m on my period. The week before it I feel awful - insomnia, water retention, don’t want to exercise, tearful, irritability, short temper, all that stuff. When period starts it’s like the clouds have parted and the sunshine comes through - I feel really good. Today was the second day of period and I went and did a 5k run and felt really strong. The same run a week before would have felt like a death march. Hormones are weird.

I used to really suffer. Would plan my life around my cycle - would try to avoid business travel, important meetings etc in that week wherever possible. Have now been on Mirena for 8 years and the world is a much better place.

@GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing

The thing that really helps is swimming. But it’s often the last thing you feel like, and obviously involved tampons which I don’t enjoy!

Try a menstrual cup instead of tampons, it's a game changer in general and great for swimming.

@Snowpaw

Perhaps unusually, I feel best out of the whole cycle when I’m on my period. The week before it I feel awful - insomnia, water retention, don’t want to exercise, tearful, irritability, short temper, all that stuff. When period starts it’s like the clouds have parted and the sunshine comes through - I feel really good. Today was the second day of period and I went and did a 5k run and felt really strong. The same run a week before would have felt like a death march. Hormones are weird.

I feel the same with general symptoms being worse before rather than during period, but I suffer from endometriosis so am in pain before, during and after period and at ovulation. If I can get my pain under control whilst on my period I can achieve lots more than the week before when even with pain under control I'd rather not move off the sofa.

Starting regular ibuprofen a few days beforehand really helps with the flow.

I downloaded the "Flo" app which helped me make sense of my symptoms and as my period has always been regular, it means I always know when I'm due.

I also take tranexamic acid from the GP to help with flow - it helps my blood clot a bit more so it doesn't appear as heavy.

Heat over my stomach, gentle exercise (I couldn't run as I'd be sick but things like dog walking definitely help), sugar and sleep!

Going for a swim! Often the last thing I want to do but it helps my cramps and makes me feel better mentally too once I force myself there.
Oh and chocolate of course.

I figured out that tampons make my cramps much worse. Don't use them anymore.

@MilduraS they used to sell it for period pain here. I remember it being on the packaging here when I got my first Saturday job in a chemist (1998ish). It was also in the original feminax formula what is also now not available. We had to keep both under the counter as junkies woukdvtry to buy it to get a buzz from it. I believe that's why the sales license was changed.

Be careful with those heat patches. I got a 2nd degree chemical burn from one of them. I didn’t feel it when it was one but as I peels it off the pain was excruciating as it lifted a layer of skin off. It said it could be used directly in the skin. M
I use ibuprofen (600mg as advised my my GP), buscopan and paracetamol.