Ladies only!

[Rosebud]

[quote user="jayjay"]

[quote user="Russethouse"] I reckon a Guiness (or two) might help, but in moderation. You know what they used to say 'Guiness is good for you'[/quote] 

Last week was not great for me & going through the change doesn't help.[:(] A little friend on here said to have some Guinness. So I did! I'm sure it helped, but after a couple, I didn't care![:-))]

[/quote]

 

Too right!  When I was pregnant with number two my doctor recommended Guiness to keep the iron levels up!  Now number three is on the way, I'll be doing the same thing, in moderation of course [;-)]

[ali-cat]

[quote user="Tresco"]

 Lou, you've just made my day!!!  Had been worried about getting the Pill, in France - don't know why I thought I mightn't be able to - just did!! ... Haven't had PMT for over 15 years now!!!  (Ali@ards)

Mmm, it's a fairly natural mistake to make. I mean, we do all drive around on Ox-Carts and only get bread baked in the communal oven. [:D]

PS, that's not what Mark told me, about the PMT[:D][kiss]

[/quote]

I didn't mean it like that!!!! [:P]  It's the one tablet, I was most concerned about getting - & with my luck, thought it would be the one tablet, I couldn't get!!  Mind you, could always just attack Mark with a pair of scissors, if necessary!! [blink] (& blunt ones, at that - if he spilt my PMT secrets!! [:D] ) 

[Lori]

For me it is the Pill.  No PMS EVER !!  I must be very lucky.  Husband thinks he died and went to heaven as first wife suffered terribly.

Pill also keeps me "regulated" to an exact point and the actual event is only maybe 3 days.  En plus, the Pill here is so cheap it is amazing.  I pay 6.40 for the Ludeal (minidrill generic) for 3 months supply..   You don't want to know what I had to pay in the U.S.

 

[Judith]

Twinkle - I sympathise - I could never find a solution, in spite of trying everything  - B6, evening primrose, etc helped but it never went away completely.  The thing that saved my sanity (and my husband's) was finally convincing the doctor that it was HRT time - quality of life has returned, and thank god, until I give HRT up, I am period free.  Not a time I am looking forward to, but I'm waiting until I retire, and then I can hibernate at those awful moments .......!

[Marie]

Best thing I know of is Agnus Castus (or Chasteberry) tablets, available from health food shops.  Several friends have tried it with great success, and I can testify that it really helped with  tenderness, cravings & lethargy, not to mention reducing the bread knife throwing! Have read several accounts from alternative practitioners about the benefits, and they say that after taking it for a year you should be able to stop without symptoms recurring. Not sure how widely it is available in France, nor what name it goes under there, but it is easily available in UK at health food stores, or large chemists.  Hope this helps.

Marie

[Just Katie]

Nothing beats screaming obscenities at your husband though does it?  However, two side effects - sore throat and guilt.

Mind you doesnt it feel wonderful 2 seconds later.  Fast beating heart and a weight taken off your shoulders.  Thank god for husbands.[:-))]

[Patf]

There is a herb called Lady's Mantle or alchemilla mollis which is said to be useful, not for mood changes but for excessive menstrual bleeding. Make an infusion from a handful of the whole plant. One of my favourite garden plants too, with morning dewdrops looking like jewels on the leaves. Pat.

[Philmco]

If a mere man dare comment, on Meteo.com, they regularly forecast P M T   -Storms;. Luckily the old girl stopped all that at 39!!

[Me0wp00]

Careful about taking St John's wort and the pill,  it can make the pill less effective.

I pay about 86cts for 3 months supply of the pill, mind you one the doc

wanted to give me was not reimbursed at all and was 15E per month !!

stuff that

[TWINKLE]

I'm having one of those moments girls!

[Mistral]

I tried vitamin B6 earlier this year and I've found that my secret chocolate stocks haven't gone down as fast as they usually do, so maybe it's having an effect. I also tried cutting down on the amount of wheat I ate and that seems to have an effect on bloating.

For whether or not the pill is reimbursed. it all depends on the age of the pill. The "first generation" pills were all put on the reimbursement list, but the more recent ones haven't been. So if you need a specific one or one with a lower doose, there's a good possibility that you will have to pay for it. But might not be frightening expensive even then.

[TWINKLE]

Thanks!  My problem is that I'm no good at taking tablets regularly.  I always forget and so there is never enough time for me to see if something is actually working.  I said that I would give 'l'huile d'onagre'  another go this month and still haven't got round to it. 

There is always chocolate though - but it's so fattening and I feel so guilty afterwards.

[Missy]

[quote user="TWINKLE"]

....  Are we the only 3 women on the forum who still have 'a time of the month'?

Maybe some of you are embarrassed to discuss this subject.  ..... [/quote]

 

Poor Twinks! I know not a nice time to be going through repeatedly for the best part of 30 years of one's life.....

Menstrual cycles are part of life and biology of the human so why hide it... OK with some discretion, it can be discussed in public... I think that person threw it in the conversation as a 'Here we go !...' annoyed kind of way.......

I found that being on the pill helped a lot with these dreaded pains when I was younger. Once I had my children and sometime round my 35th b'day, somehow my whole body/hormone balance changed rapidly. I tried every medecines under the sun, diets, teas etc....All to no avail.... Not much support from OH who in fact exacerbated the problem by flying off to the pub and virtually stayed there for the duration!!....In desperation my doc sent me to have a hystorectomy (on my 38th b'day!). My mother told me I was crazy to undergo such op so young. It would take me months and months if not 2 or 3 years to recover. I would never be the same.... etc.... etc.... Mothers!...

Well Mother! it took me less 6 months to recover and be able to 'function' properly and since that day (10 years now!) I have not been the same indeed! I've been full of beans, went back to studies, went out with my friends more often, found a whole new world out there being free of these dreaded pains, awful mood swings, tearful evenings in front of the TV, bingeing on chocolate and drinking myself silly!...

My doc prescribed me with HRT after the op but as it made me look like a balloon (went size 16 to 22!! in 18mths...) I quickly threw that to the bin and went on to eat wholefood, fruits and vegs galore, no dairy products, lots of fish, little bread, little meat, cooking my meals from scratch, plenty of water to drink, exercise, walks, swimming... Now down to size 18/20 and I think staying there... It's the hardest bit of it all... but has come a way of life that I don't think of it anymore as a chore.

There is really no hard and fast remedy to it, try what suits you best, maybe a slower life when it arrives. My children knew when I was in 'that' state because I would be so slow and scatty, at making their breakfast, ironing their school shirts and getting them ready for the school bus. They got so used to it, that in the end they learnt to do all these chores by themselves!... So there is a silver lining.....

I still have a glass of wine every evening after a day in the office and the occasional chocolate binge .... The girl's got to have some candy!....

Oh Twinks I do hope you find a remedy! it's not funny especially if your Man is not 'tuned' as to how much a hard time you are going through....

[Patf]

As Missyb brought up the subject of HRT I thought I'd mention my experience. I was using vagifem until some news came out that HRT wasn't without risks. My doctor at the time suggested Omega 7 capsules instead which I've been taking for a while now. I buy them from a UK company and they send them through the post. They seem to work. Pat.

[Beryl]

At least, Twinkle you can recognise that you are different for part of the month.

My mother used think the whole world had a problem once a month and could never figure out why.[:@]

Me? I just used to cower under the kitchen table and my Dad would hide all the cutlery!

[TWINKLE]

Once again, thanks girls!  It's nice to know I'm not alone.  Maybe one day soon I'll find a miracle cure.  It is getting worse each year and I really feel for my husband and daughter when they have to put up with my mood swings and irritability.

[KathyC]

[quote user="TWINKLE"]  Maybe one day soon I'll find a miracle cure. .[/quote]

The miracle cure has arrived - menopause!