losangelena Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 Hello ladies of Love Shack (and the incidental dude), It's that time of the month for me, and my pms symptoms are way off the charts. I feel so exhausted, I'm bloated to the point where my pants barely fit, my legs feel like twice as big, I'm moody and I'm headachey. What fun! What are some of y'all's symptoms? How soon before your period do you get them? And what are some useful methods of alleviating them? My pms was never so bad until I started getting older and also being regularly sexually active. Don't know if that's just incidental. Link to post Share on other sites
Author losangelena Posted December 26, 2015 Author Share Posted December 26, 2015 No one else gets pms? Link to post Share on other sites
AspenBaldwin Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 Sunday Bloody Sunday... Link to post Share on other sites
Snakechammah Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 Hi sweetie, usually PMS won't last long. I'll have intense cramp for a whole day and a bit of bloatedness. My breasts will be sore as well. But that will pass very quickly in a matter of 24 hours. Drink chamomile tea, it helps! Take care now! Link to post Share on other sites
No_Go Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 I've had breast pain/swelling ovulation to the first period day, gaining weight the week before and mood swings, bloating and stomach cramps the day or two before. Then I went on hormonal birth control ... And all is cool now. I'm using the nuvaring and I have pretty much no PMS and very light bleeding as a bonus. I think hormonal birth control is probably the only way to eliminate PMS; if you don't like that, you can probably reduce the symptoms with caffeine-free, low sodium diet to decrease water retention. I'm curious what is the connection PMS - sexual activity: my first order assumption would be there shouldn't be one, but it is not what my personal experience showed... It will be interesting if someone here explains the connection. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author losangelena Posted December 26, 2015 Author Share Posted December 26, 2015 I've had breast pain/swelling ovulation to the first period day, gaining weight the week before and mood swings, bloating and stomach cramps the day or two before. Then I went on hormonal birth control ... And all is cool now. I'm using the nuvaring and I have pretty much no PMS and very light bleeding as a bonus. I think hormonal birth control is probably the only way to eliminate PMS; if you don't like that, you can probably reduce the symptoms with caffeine-free, low sodium diet to decrease water retention. I'm curious what is the connection PMS - sexual activity: my first order assumption would be there shouldn't be one, but it is not what my personal experience showed... It will be interesting if someone here explains the connection. God, we sound similar. I'm on such a regular cycle that I know this gonna last until tomorrow, but every month I am surprised at how bad it is. Yeah, I'm a late-bloomer, didn't start having sex until my 30s, and I don't ever remember symptoms being this bad in my 20s, maybe I'm just better at tracking it now? Is there some sort of hormone activation when you have regular sex? Who knows. I've thought about birth control, but I've been reading that some women's symptoms get worse on it. Maybe it's just a matter of trial and error. Link to post Share on other sites
Author losangelena Posted December 26, 2015 Author Share Posted December 26, 2015 Hi sweetie, usually PMS won't last long. I'll have intense cramp for a whole day and a bit of bloatedness. My breasts will be sore as well. But that will pass very quickly in a matter of 24 hours. Drink chamomile tea, it helps! Take care now! You're so lucky to get so few symptoms! Link to post Share on other sites
newmoon Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 i've never had symptoms, like ever. since age 15 when i got my first period. nothing. i sometimes feel really emotional and sad a day or two before, but if i didn't mark my calendar i wouldn't even know when i'd be having a period. no signs or symptoms to warn me. blueberries are supposedly good for cramps, and exercise. Link to post Share on other sites
jen1447 Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 I have lots of sex and no correlation to heightened PMS symptoms, but then again I've never really suffered much from it. I wish I could trade you a pain-free day or two. (I did have my time arrive just recently not long [enough] after some major activities had started to go down, but that was just bad timing.) Link to post Share on other sites
MuddyFootprints Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 My cycle has become more friendly as I age. Then, again, perhaps it's just become more of an understanding? I can commiserate. Link to post Share on other sites
No_Go Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 PMS-like symptoms seem to be mainly progesterone-driven. If there is a peak (pregnancy) or dip (pre-menstruation), PMS like symptoms arise. Birth control pills can keep progesterone levels constant - therefore no PMS will appear (if not picked correctly, and the progesterone is too low/high - you feel PMSy/"pregnant", but this is constant throughout the month). i couldn't find data explaining the relationship between age ie 30s and PMS and sexual activity and PMS. Certainly in the 30s hormonal changes start to occur, which lead to: releasing >1 egg per cycle and shorter luteal (post ovulation) phase. How any of these relate to PMS, i don't know, hope somebody here will join to explain. Sex and PMS: even more mysterious. I found multiple references saying sex is actually relieving PMS but they refer to sexual activity in that time, not globally. Personally, I was also a late bloomer and had notable changes after starting regular sex, like gaining weight and breast size - I thought it is just aging, but I won't be surprised if there is a hormonal change due to sexual activities... If I dig out a good source describing that, I'll post it here. God, we sound similar. I'm on such a regular cycle that I know this gonna last until tomorrow, but every month I am surprised at how bad it is. Yeah, I'm a late-bloomer, didn't start having sex until my 30s, and I don't ever remember symptoms being this bad in my 20s, maybe I'm just better at tracking it now? Is there some sort of hormone activation when you have regular sex? Who knows. I've thought about birth control, but I've been reading that some women's symptoms get worse on it. Maybe it's just a matter of trial and error. Link to post Share on other sites
seekingpeaceinlove Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 I get horrible cravings for carbs, extreme bloat (6 lbs water weight), really painful cramps and terrible mood swings. My PMS has gotten worse as I entered my 30s and I suspect it might have to do with never having children. I've been sexually active since I was 18. Link to post Share on other sites
dobielover Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 If you have sex on your period, your symptoms are less. BC helps with all of them, doesn't make them worse. When not on BC, the emotions hit 4 days before until the day of. Bloating is the same. Cramps the day before until two days in. On BC, I barely notice anything, and my period itself is about 80% lighter. Link to post Share on other sites
mavis_6 Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 (edited) i'm a bit late to this conversation...i've had bad periods since i was a teenager...mood swings and severe cramps, sometimes to the point of throwing up. and i don't even know about the sex connection because i'm actually a virgin (at 33, so you're not the only "late bloomer" out there). i'm on a low dose of antidepressants now, and that, combined with naproxen (aleve) and a heating pad works wonders for me. if i have to work, i bring portable heat wraps (robax makes them) and that saves me from missing a shift. the one downside of the antidepressants, although they help a lot is that they have additional side-effects. i've heard the same about birth control (good outcomes vs. varying side effects). i usually start to feel slight cramping and moodiness a few days before my period, and then the real cramps start about a day into it. not sure what to do about the exhaustion - in my case, the medications actually cause even more drowsiness so i try to sleep a lot. i also heard that vitamin B (B6 or B12 I believe) can help with PMS and energy levels and I plan to try it soon. Edited January 3, 2016 by mavis_6 Link to post Share on other sites
five2nine Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 I don't really get symptoms... I do get tender breasts like a week or some days before. I also just want to EAT and eat but I try not to overdo it, or limit it to one day Link to post Share on other sites
Buddhist Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 Hello ladies of Love Shack (and the incidental dude), It's that time of the month for me, and my pms symptoms are way off the charts. I feel so exhausted, I'm bloated to the point where my pants barely fit, my legs feel like twice as big, I'm moody and I'm headachey. What fun! What are some of y'all's symptoms? How soon before your period do you get them? And what are some useful methods of alleviating them? My pms was never so bad until I started getting older and also being regularly sexually active. Don't know if that's just incidental. I haven't had bad PMS nor any kind of cramping for a decade. But way back in the day when I did I discovered two things. Eating wheat products made my cramping ten times worse. My ovaries would constantly ache for days and it was hell. Since I gave up wheat completely I never experience these sensations. If you do experience cramping there is an easy fix. A nip of brandy (not any other spirit) completely relieves the pain better than any pain killer. This was taught to me by my boyfriends father of all people. And he was right. Brandy is the only spirit (I think) that dilates blood vessels which seems to relieve period pain. Go figure. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Quiet Storm Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 (edited) I can't sleep good. I get hot and cold all night, throwing the covers off and on, driving my husband crazy. I get tender boobs. And I get really hungry, craving greasy and salty foods like Big Macs and Utz chips. I also cry very easily, especially at movies or touching/ sad commercials and internet stories about dogs (like sad shelter dogs getting adopted with their happy faces and waggy tails). . Edited January 16, 2016 by Quiet Storm Link to post Share on other sites
SpiralOut Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 I get terrible lower back pain and I feel more fatigued than usual. I take a painkiller and get extra sleep if I'm able to. My symptoms are less severe if I'm getting regular exercise. I haven't noticed any relationship between amount of sex and my PMS symptoms. Link to post Share on other sites
mrs rubble Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 I have PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). My symptoms are extreme some months. I'm just getting over a particularly bad month, I've slept about 10 hours in the last 4 days. I contemplated suicide most of the day yesterday, I've cried and cried over irrational things. I get bloating, vommiting, headaches and I lose my appetite. The emotional symptoms are the worst though. Diet and exercise does reduce symptoms for me, if I exercise, avoid alcohol and sugar I feel alot better. Link to post Share on other sites
Emilia Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 I get anxious easily for a couple of days, I have to remind myself that it's just hormones. Muscle relaxants work pefectly for me Link to post Share on other sites
truthtripper Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 I have severe endometriosis and disabling pms. But since starting Chinese herbal medicine, my symptoms have reduced dramatically. Go to a practitioner and try it for yourself. Link to post Share on other sites
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