PMS and menstrual cramps

Pre-menstrual symptoms that may be experienced by women in the week before their period include bloating or tummy pain, breast tenderness, headaches, spotty skin, mood swings, feeling irritable, difficulty sleeping and tiredness. During their period, some women may experience abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting.

Tips

Caffeine

Caffeine really helps soothe my abdominal cramps during my period.  I find diet coke works best.

Eat magnesium

Adding calcium to your diet can help with menstrual cramps, but it is more important to add magnesium to get long-lasting reduction in menstrual cramps and pre-menstrual pain.  Good foods to eat include dark chocolate, kidney beans, avocados, pumpkin seeds and oats.

Eat more iron

If being pre-menstrual makes you feel tired, you could be low in iron.  Foods high in iron include red meat and green leafy vegetables, sourdough bread, breakfast cereals fortified with iron and pulses like peas, beans and lentils.  Remember that it can be hard to absorb the iron in many foods, so try these ideas:

• Try eating or drinking something high in vitamin C at the same time as you eat food high in iron, as the vitamin C helps your body to absorb the iron.  How about drinking some orange juice with your morning cereal?
• Probiotics can also help to improve your absorption of iron, so you could try eating a probiotic yoghurt with your breakfast cereal too.
• Also, avoid caffeine when eating foods high in iron.  So wait for at least 30 minutes after your morning cereal before you have a cup of coffee.
• Eating raw green leafy vegetables is better than cooked ones, as they lose vitamin C whilst being cooked.  So choose coleslaw or other raw cabbage salads.
• The exception to this is spinach, where the iron is better absorbed when cooked, so try spinach curry for tea.

Click here for recipe ideas.

Breadsticks

Breadsticks really help me to deal with tummy pain and nausea.  They worked for my morning sickness too.  Keep a packet by your bed, and eat a breadstick as soon as you wake up, or nibble one to to soothe nausea during the day.

Wild Yam Cream

This product is supposed to improve hormone-related acne.

Vaginal mucus

I know it sounds weird, but the good bacteria in vaginal mucus seem to have a calming effect on hormone-related acne.  Try smearing some on any breakouts as soon as they appear, or as a protective measure before any breakouts start.  Probably only one to try if you are happy that your vagina is generally healthy.

Sleep tips

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