Posts Tagged ‘Periods’

Menstrual Problems – Causes, Symptoms, Home Remedies and Diet and other Measures

Menstrual problems are the problem related to periods. Estrogen and progesterone are two hormones that are produced in ovaries. A girl starts releasing large quantities of estrogen at about 12 years of age. The commencement of menstruation at this time herald the reproductive phase of a woman’s life. The problems related to menstrual flow is menstrual pain and cramps, pre-menstrual tension, excessive menstruation.

CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS OF MENSTRUAL PERIOD

- Anxiety
- Stress
- Depression
- Smoking
PREMENSTRUAL TENSION AND MENSTRUAL CRAMPS
Few days before the period starts, some women face:
- nervous
- irritable
- mood swings
- depression
- headaches
- insomnia
- swelling in abdomen
- bloating
- sometimes constipation
These symptoms cease within twenty four hours of the start of the menstrual flow.
EXCESSIVE MENSTRUAL FLOW OR MENORRHAGIA
- Fibroids may cause excessive menstrual flow.
STOPPAGE OF MENSTRUAL FLOW OR AMENORRHOEA
It is natural during pregnancy and at menopause. The main causes are :
- anemia
- fright, worry or any other emotional disturbance.
- tuberculosis
- womb malformation
- womb displacement
- debility
PAINFUL MENSTRUATION OR DYSMENORRHOEA
The pain is felt two or three days before or during the flow. Sometimes the pain starts a week before. Hormonal imbalance may also be a reason behind painful menstruation.

REMEDIES FOR MENSTRUAL PROBLEMS

- Boil cinnamon in milk and drink it on a daily basis. It helps in curing cramps.
- Beet root juice is a very good remedy during menstrual problems.
- Ginger boiled in water should be taken three times a day after meals.
- Blend and drink 75 milliliters of parsley, beet, carrot, and cucumber juices to reduce cramps.
- Basil possesses a pain-killing component called caffeic acid, which can bring relief to menstrual cramping.
- Half a teaspoon of powdered sesame seeds taken with hot water twice daily reduces pain during menstruation.
- Papaya helps the contraction of the muscle fibers of the uterus and secures a proper menstrual flow.
- One banana flower eaten with one cup of curd will reduce the bleeding and increase quantity of progesterone.
- Boil about six coriander seeds in 400 ml of water and then consume it to prevent excessive flow of blood.
- 90 gm of ashoka bark boiled in 30 ml of milk and 360 ml of water is boiled and reduced to about 90 gm. Take 2-3 doses in a day. It starts from fourth day of monthly period and continued till the bleeding is checked.
- Warm water hip bath is nice way to avoid menstrual pain.

DIETARY AND OTHER MEASURES

- Adopt a well balanced diet.
- Foods and supplements that are rich in B-vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and zinc have been found to reduce the pain, bloating and other symptoms of menstrual cramps.
- Maintain a regular exercise program.
- Avoid smoking.
- White flour, sugar, confectionery, cakes, pickles should be avoided.
- Drink hot liquids like herbal tea.
- Relieve your cramps with peppermint or wintergreen, especially when added to a tea.
- Treat menstrual cramping by taking an aspirin or another product containing acetaminophen.
- Place a hot water bottle on your stomach to relieve cramps.

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Irregular Periods – a common health problem with women

Periods can sometimes be a real pain. They can make you feel sick. They can give you a headache. They can make your stomach ache. Yes, periods can be a real pain, and things can be even worse if they decide to become irregular.
Cycles between 23–35 days are very common. A woman may get her period only one to four times a year. Or she might have periods that occur two to three times in a month and involve spotting or extremely heavy flow. Alternatively, she may have heavy episodes of bleeding every two to three months. Irregular periods are simply what is irregular for you.
A wide variety of factors can be responsible for irregular periods, among them:
- Significant weight gain or loss.
- Over-exercise.
- Poor nutrition (or a diet too high in carbohydrates).
- Smoking.
- Drug use.
- Caffeine.
- Excessive alcohol use (interfering with how the liver metabolizes estrogen and progesterone).
- Eating disorders.
- Increased stress.
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome/estrogen dominance.
- Uterine abnormalities (fibroids/cysts/polyps/endometriosis).
- Hormonal imbalance related to perimenopause.
- Medications.
- Chemotherapy.
- Recent childbirth, miscarriage, or D&C.
- Breastfeeding.

Why does being stressed out cause irregular periods?

When we are under stress, our adrenal glands are designed to secrete the hormone cortisol which has a direct impact on the sex hormones estrogen, progesterone, and DHEA.
Eating disorders, dieting, drug use, and reliance on stimulants like caffeine and alcohol are also interpreted by the body as kinds of stress. Poor nutrition seems to physically change the proteins in the brain so they can no longer send the proper signals for normal ovulation.

Irregular menstrual periods in young women may be a warning sign of a hormonal shortage that could lead to osteoporosis. Premature ovarian failure occurs when the ovaries stop producing eggs and reproductive hormones well in advance of natural menopause.

Treating Irregular Periods

Depending on the cause of your irregular periods, there may or may not be much you can do about them.
- Reduce your stress levels.
- Get help for your eating disorder.
- Don’t over exercise.

Medical Treatments

There are a few medical treatments which may be helpful in regulating your period:
- Hormonal Contraceptives : These contraceptives combine estrogen and progesterone and maintain your body’s hormones at specific and balanced levels.
- Hormone Supplements: If you have a specific hormone problem, such as overproduction of testosterone, hormonal supplements may be able to help regulate your periods.