Preventing PMT? Regulating af?

[Bakersman]

Hi does anyone have any good tips for avoiding PMT please? I didn't suffer until I had my first dc but now get rather and sometimes weepy. Poor dh and dc get the brunt of it.
I am taking Vitex (agnus castus?) and evening primrose oil every day as recommended at the local health food shop but it hasn't really helped. Some months are worse than others.
Also my af has become a bit more irregular in the past few months - not related to pg as youngest dc is 2 now. Any ideas how to regulate it a bit?
Thanks for any advice

No, will watch with interest though cos I seem to be gettin it recently. Bad tempered, tense, bloated, negative and down-spirited. Yuk. Never had it before.

Wathcing with interest as I am exactly the same. Been taking evening primrose oil for about 6 weeks and increased to 2 tablets a day about a week ago but made no difference at all. I suffer a lot with mood swings, low mood in general, irritability etc. In all I am a real cow to live with!

Another watching from the sides. I get bad migraines a couple of days before too. Quite irregular and definitely moody/crave sugar/choc for a week beforehand. Used to be only the day before I would be a bit stroppy, now I feel a bit crazed for the best part of a week with PMT. My poor DH deserves better than 7 days of grumpy mare each cycle!

Shameless bump as it seems this could help a few of us - and our dh's/dc's

Hi bakersman. The one thing I have found that makes a HUGE difference to me is starflower oil.

It's a lot more effective than evening primrose imo.

When I take it I have no idea when af is due, no symptoms, no anger, bloating etc. If for any reason I have been lax and forgotten then boy do I know it for about 1 1/2 weeks before af is due
I never 'forget'now.
It has really helped a friend of mine who suffered badly from pmt, now she is 'symptom free'
Hope that helps

Thanks Kittywise will try Starflower oil - never heard of it before.
If it works, big thanks from dh and dcs too

I have also heard that starflower is good. I haven't tried it because I keep forgetting its name when I get to the health food shop! My pmt seems to last most of the month at the moment, I'm a right grumpy witch!

Hi Bakersman, I used to be very similar to you. I did find that Agnus Castus worked (in the short term, as did all the rest) but the only thing that works, for me, is reflexology. I can't recommend it enough as it really works miracles!

If you're interested you can find a local one here and select the 'find a reflexologist' option on the right.

im going to try starflower too!

i take a wellwoman multi vit - i know my nails and skin look better - not sure if im less ratty though

have you checked your iron levels - if you anaemic you can feel tired and lousy which can make pmt symptoms even worse

Just to point out, I don't think you can take Agnus Castus is you're on the pill.

Ooh, Parachutes I've always fancied trying reflexology so this could be my excuse How often / when is it best to have it for PMT??

taking rather the opposite approach to my bloody awful PMT I went on the pill - marvelon. Fixed everything within one month. Am new woman!

Hi Bakersman, sorry I didn't get back to you earlier. I had it once a month for a few months and then didn't have it again for nearly a year, but I still lasted months and months before bad PMT kicked in again. I've been having it, on and off, for ages so I think that's why I don't need to have it all the time but you could give one a call and chat through it with them: they're usually pretty good about that. Hope you do have it as it's really very good for this type of thing.

Another vote for starflower oil here. It's got the same good-for-periods ingredient as evening primrose (GLA), but more of it. I take both in one (feckin huge) capsule from Holland and Barratt.

But by far the most effective thing for me over the years has been reflexology. Literally from the first period I ever had at the age of 12 I've suffered every month, and it wasn't until I tried reflex that I wasn't laid up in bed for a least a day EVERY MONTH!!! My lovely reflexologist also claims to be the reason we fell pregnant first time as I'd been having monthly 'clean outs' for about a year before TTC . I only go now if I really feel I need it, as I can't afford it every month any more. But I've been recommending it to anyone with periodic or fertility problems for years! Even if it doesn't work, it can't hurt and is an hour (or half) of utter self-indulgent bliss

Oh Sorry Parachutes!

glad someone else does that!

Bakersman - I have reflexology mid cycle, so 2 weeks before I'm due. It is just lovely. Some bits are sometimes quite uncomfortable (ie the reproductive area bits!) but it's that kind of pleasure/pain thing like when you rub a bumped head IYSWIM . My reflexologist also incorporates some accupressure points, and there's one, inside your calf where you calf muscle joins your leg at the bottom, where there's a sort of hollow. She digs her thumbs right in (v good for period stuff, and she did it for me when dd was overdue) and I nearly leap off the bed every time! Apparently it's particularly good for regulating periods.