How to make it easier to get through your period. How to easily survive critical days

Most women have suffered from pain during menstruation at least several times in their lives. According to medical statistics, moderate pain during “red days” occurs in 60 - 70 percent of women of reproductive age. Approximately 10 percent of women suffer from severe pain that prevents them from living and working fully.

Painful sensations during menstruation are called algomenorrhea. Usually this is an aching or cramping pain in the lower abdomen, lower back, and upper thighs. Algomenorrhea is often accompanied by other symptoms of distress - nausea, headache (migraine), fever, upset stomach and intestines.

Usually the pain begins on the first day of the cycle or on the eve of menstruation, and disappears on the 2nd - 3rd day of bleeding. Algomenorrhea often goes away without treatment after the birth of a child, but in some women, painful sensations once a month continue until menopause.

According to doctors, there are primary and secondary forms of algomenorrhea. Primary occurs due to congenital anomalies in the formation of the female genital organs, in which the outflow of menstrual fluid from the uterus is difficult. We will not give medical details here. During the examination, the gynecologist must determine the cause of the pain and prescribe adequate treatment (sometimes surgical intervention is required). Sometimes pain occurs due to certain general diseases, individual hypersensitivity to one’s own sex hormones, or prolonged stress. Secondary algomenorrhea develops against the background of diseases of the reproductive system. To get rid of unpleasant symptoms, the underlying disease should be treated.

Sometimes menstruation is very painful due to certain mental disorders. In women with increased excitability and excessive sensitivity to stress factors, even minor discomfort during menstruation can cause depression and decreased libido. In such cases, not only a gynecological examination is required, but also the help of a psychologist or psychotherapist.


Painful periods are not just a physiological nuisance. Anticipation of monthly pain is actually constant stress, which negatively affects well-being, emotional sphere, and mental state. In some cases, treatment cannot be found immediately, and the woman feels inferior and sick. However, most often it is not difficult to cope with algomenorrhea - you just need to get examined and find a good doctor who will prescribe suitable therapy.

There are no universal ways to eliminate pain during menstruation. Taking analgesics may temporarily reduce the pathological symptoms, but these drugs will not cure the underlying cause. In addition, the body quickly gets used to painkillers and stops responding to them properly.

In the absence of pathology, you can try to cope with the problem with folk remedies. Some women find that taking a warm (but not hot) bath the day before their period starts helps. You cannot take a bath during your period! It is not advisable to use heating pads to relieve cramps - heat can reduce pain, but bleeding will increase. If premenstrual syndrome is severe, you can try a diet low in fat and fast carbohydrates, drink more water, and give up coffee, alcohol and energy drinks. You can add raspberry and mint leaves to tea. It is advisable to get plenty of rest, avoid stressful situations, and limit physical and emotional stress.

For painful menstruation, as an additional means to reduce painful sensations, you can use decoctions and infusions of medicinal herbs. Before using them, be sure to consult your gynecologist.

1. Ingredients: 1 tablespoon of St. John's wort herb, 1 tablespoon of common yarrow herb, 1 tablespoon of common juniper fruit, 1 tablespoon of chopped licorice rhizome. Mix all the ingredients, take 2 tablespoons of the resulting mixture, pour two glasses of boiling water. Place the container in a water bath, bring the mixture to a boil, and boil for half an hour. Cool to room temperature, strain. Take 0.5 cups 2-3 times during the day. This remedy is recommended for use for irregular, painful menstruation.

2. Ingredients: 1 tablespoon of peppermint herb, 1 tablespoon of stinging nettle leaves. Brew the healing raw materials with two glasses of boiling water, leave under the lid for half an hour. After the specified time has passed, strain the infusion through cheesecloth. Take 2 - 3 tablespoons several times a day. The infusion is excellent for painful menstruation accompanied by heavy bleeding.

3. Ingredients: 3 tablespoons of meadow clover inflorescences. Brew the medicinal raw material with 1 glass of boiling water, leave covered for 2 hours. Strain through cheesecloth. Take small portions several times a day. The infusion has an analgesic effect and helps cope with heavy bleeding.

4. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of common raspberry leaves. Pour two cups of boiling water over the raspberry leaves, cool to room temperature, then strain. Drink 0.5 glasses 2 - 3 times a day. This remedy reduces the duration of bleeding and pain.

Even if you have painful periods, you don't have to spend this period lying in bed. Try to master a set of simple exercises. Active movements will help you improve blood circulation in the pelvic area and significantly reduce discomfort.

Exercise 1. Starting position - lying on your back near the wall, buttocks as close as possible to the vertical surface, feet placed on the wall (knees slightly bent). Slightly tense your feet, as if pushing them off the wall, then relax. Stay in this position for a few minutes.

Exercise 2. Starting position - as in the previous exercise. Move away from the wall, pull one leg towards your face, bending it at the knee joint, and after 2 minutes return to the original position. Repeat the same with the other leg.

Exercise 3. Starting position - standing in a knee-elbow position, the head is located between the hands. Stay in this pose for 2 - 3 minutes.

Exercise 4. Borrowed from the yoga complex - this is the “bow” asana. Lie face down on the floor, raise your legs, bending them at the knees, and clasp your ankle joints with your hands. Take a deep breath, then exhale. You can roll forward and backward while lying on your stomach.

If folk remedies do not help, and the examination does not reveal serious pathologies, try to find a good doctor. In some cases, you can get rid of pain during menstruation with the help of homeopathic remedies, dietary supplements, and hormonal drugs. But self-medication in such cases is unacceptable - only a specialist will be able to select the appropriate medicine and prescribe the correct dosage. Sometimes a very good effect is observed while taking oral contraceptives (especially if menstrual pain was associated with hormonal imbalance), but such drugs should also be prescribed by a gynecologist. In some cases, taking antispasmodics and painkillers is required.

In rare cases, algomenorrhea is not a “side symptom” of a natural physiological process. You should consult a doctor immediately if the pain does not go away after the bleeding stops. Dangerous signs also include a sharp increase in temperature, severe stomach upset, the appearance of a skin rash, and excessive blood loss.

The reproductive function of the female body is a very complex process that should be taken seriously. Therefore, do not listen to the advice of friends who “had everything exactly the same” and who were helped by herbal remedies, hormonal pills or any traditional medicine. The manifestation of symptoms of trouble may indeed be the same, but the causes of algomenorrhea are different for each woman. If you suffer from painful menstruation, be sure to consult a gynecologist, complete the examinations prescribed by your doctor and get tested. Perhaps the cause of your illness will turn out to be completely insignificant, and after a short treatment you will be able to enjoy life again any day of the month.

(Photo: Piotr Marcinski, Venus Angel, Luna Vandoorne, shutterstock.com)

“Guests in red Zhiguli cars,” “Red Day of the Calendar,” “Critical Days”—all kinds of designations women have come up with for such a phenomenon as menstruation. They are accompanied by a sharp hormonal surge, emotional and physiological changes. Not uncommon pain during menstruation.

Failure in the body: why pain occurs during menstruation

Menstruation is a monthly condition for all women of childbearing age. This is a natural and normal process, but some girls and women experience severe pain during menstruation. Their medical name is algomenorrhea, or dysmenorrhea.

Gynecologists divide them into primary (if a girl’s periods are accompanied by pain from the very beginning) and secondary. These are pains that appear after thirty years of age due to various types of inflammation of the genital organs, after surgery or due to hormonal imbalance.

Primary pain during menstruation, according to doctors, goes away after the woman gives birth to a child. After all, after this the uterus contracts less painfully. But sometimes this doesn't happen.

Primary algomenorrhea can be caused by general diseases, curvatures of the spine, varicose veins of the legs and pelvic organs, disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract, and tuberculosis.

Pain during menstruation can be caused by an imbalance of hormonal balance, nervous system or genital organs. Painful menstruation also happens when a woman has a kinked uterus or it is underdeveloped, if there are scar narrowings on the uterus, as well as tumors or cysts.

Problems with women's health can lead to a disease such as mennorrhagia - heavy periods. The causes of heavy menstruation are similar to the causes of dysmenorrhea: disturbances in the functioning of the ovaries, hormonal imbalance, polyps, adenomyosis, intrauterine pregnancy, reaction to the intrauterine device, etc.

To establish the exact cause of the problems and get rid of them, you need to seek help from a medical specialist.

Rescue Pills: Treating Pain with Medicines

If your periods are so painful that it is difficult to endure the pain, you need to use antispasmodics and painkillers. These are drugs such as No-shpa, Ketanov, Nise, Butadione, Papaverine, Spazmalgon and others.

To overcome painful periods of the primary type, the gynecologist may prescribe the use of hormonal contraceptives, such as Triziston, Ovidon, Yarina, Antiovin and others, and the use of drugs made from natural progestins, such as Duphaston.

Often, during painful periods, representatives of the fair sex also experience nervous disorders: hysteria, irritability, depression. In this case, sedatives are prescribed, such as valerian, Trioxazine, Relanium, etc.

Replenishing the body with essential vitamins and minerals: calcium, vitamins E, B can also relieve pain during menstruation. The drug Magne B6 has proven itself well.

Yoga and horsetail infusion: saving ourselves with folk remedies

Pain during menstruation can be cured not only with pills, but also with lifestyle changes, as well as various methods of traditional and alternative medicine.

Sports such as bodyflex and yoga have a very good effect on the female body. They improve blood circulation in the pelvis, help stimulate ovulation and increase the resorption of adhesions.

But such bad habits as alcohol have a very bad effect on the genitourinary system of women. They bring menopause closer, cause painful periods, and increase the risk of cancer. Therefore, if you have painful periods, you should avoid it.

You can relieve pain during menstruation by lying down and pressing your legs to your chest and placing a heating pad on your stomach. Blood flow will increase and painful spasms will decrease. But remember: you cannot lie with a heating pad for more than 20 minutes, otherwise the bleeding may become too heavy.

Doctors also advise girls and women to protect themselves from hypothermia. If you walk in cold weather in thin tights, in shoes with thin soles, or if you get your feet wet, this can cause an inflammatory process in the pelvis. Hence - painful periods and even infertility.

Also if you are suffering pain during menstruation, it is recommended to drink the following herbal infusions:

• Pour 2 tablespoons of fragrant celery into 1 cup of cold, clean water. Let it brew for 2 hours. After this, strain and drink three times a day.
• Brew 1 large spoon of horsetail in a cup of boiling water, leave for 60 minutes. Drink 50 grams every hour. When the pain subsides, the interval can be increased.
• Prepare the following herbal mixture: one part each of peppermint and valerian root and two parts of chamomile. Pour 200 ml of boiling water over one tablespoon and let it brew for 30 minutes. Drink 2 spoons 3 times a day. This will help overcome pain during menstruation.

• Prepare an infusion of strawberry leaves. You will need a glass of cold water and a large spoon of crushed plant leaves. Let it brew for 8 hours (you can pour it overnight). Then drink the infusion half a glass a day.

If you experience pain during menstruation, there is absolutely no need to suffer. Use traditional and alternative medicine methods to get rid of this problem.

Over one year old

When a disruption occurs in the menstrual cycle, a woman feels as if time has stopped. We wear this biological Rollex most of our lives, but we know almost nothing about the internal alarm clock that hormones set every month.

The woman somehow doesn’t get around to studying the issue thoroughly. Yes, and it’s awkward. And scary. And in general, this is a dirty business... What is hidden under the concepts: PMS, “hormonal imbalance”, the banal “delay”? How does it all work? And why is it so important to regularly “synchronize watches”?

PHASE SHIFT
The menstrual cycle is divided into two phases, between them ovulation occurs - a significant event, for the sake of which nature, in fact, started this monthly journey through torment... that is, in a circle.
For most women, the menstrual cycle lasts 28 days - a lunar month. Although other options are possible - the hands of the menstrual “clock” make a full circle in a period of 21 to 35 days. This is also considered the norm, but is less common.
In the first half of the cycle (follicular phase), the hormone estrogen rules the roost. It is produced by special cells inside the follicle - a small sac in the ovary in which the egg matures. The larger the follicle, the more the blood is saturated with estrogen. His main task is to make a woman so irresistible and sexy that not a single normal man will pass by. Wings grow behind your back, your mood rises, wrinkles smooth out, your eyes sparkle, you are soaring in romantic clouds in anticipation of a handsome prince, but at the same time you manage to scatter a mountain of tasks as high as Everest.
When the follicle ruptures and an egg ready for fertilization comes out, the hormonal cocktail hits the head like champagne. At this dramatic moment, the buttoned-up businesswoman feels like a Parisian courtesan created for love. This is nature's trick: ovulation is the most favorable time for conception.
The second half of the cycle (luteal phase) begins as a physiological reckoning for a failed pregnancy.

Many women feel ovulation without any instruments - as vividly as the onset of menstruation. Desire intensifies, the woman feels slight discomfort in the lower abdomen, spotting appears, emotions get out of control and create a color revolution in your soul.

The body is offended: it, you see, did not sleep at night, did not spare itself, was preparing for fertilization, and again it was deceived! At the site of the burst follicle in the ovary, the so-called corpus luteum is formed - it produces the hormone progesterone to maintain pregnancy. But there is no pregnancy! Therefore, in 12–14 days, the corpus luteum dissolves, and another hormonal change occurs, to which most women react with premenstrual syndrome (PMS): the mood deteriorates, the joy of life is replaced by philosophy in the spirit of Schopenhauer, 1–2 kg are imperceptibly gained, swelling appears under the eyes, the face swells... And that's not all - gynecologists have counted about 150 symptoms of PMS! When you feel the approach of an internal typhoon according to the menstrual calendar, brew tea with mint, chamomile or motherwort (they are soothing) and a tablespoon of honey. It contains magnesium, which helps the brain maintain the required level of a biologically active substance - dopamine, which mitigates the emotional symptoms of hormonal changes.

ALL IN WHITE
If we take into account that in a modern woman, menstruation “starts” after 11 years and stops around 55, on average there are about 7 years of continuous critical days in a lifetime. And you need to live them in such a way that it doesn’t hurt. On critical days, the immune defense weakens - you can easily catch a cold (by the way, during the cold season, many women find out that their period is approaching by a sore throat). You become absent-minded, get tired quickly, cope with work worse, and constantly want to sleep. Don't test your body's strength - take a time out and give yourself a break!
Postpone your visit to the dentist and other doctors for a week - now you are acutely aware of pain and insensitive to anesthesia. Do not take tests - their results may be inaccurate. No heavy physical activity, especially on the stomach and lower back. Forget about the sauna and too warm shower for now.
Take medications unless absolutely necessary
It’s also not worth it: the body may react to them in an unusual way - it will indicate an allergy, for example.
Do not take aspirin or paracetamol under any circumstances. They prevent blood from clotting and increase blood loss - instead of menstruation, you will get uterine bleeding. Aspirin and paracetamol are included in some complex medications for flu and colds. During your period, it is wisest to use the services
herbalist.
Do not go on a diet, especially a dairy diet: the body will lack the substances necessary to stop bleeding, and menstruation will be delayed.

THREE AGES OF WOMAN
20 YEARS
Premenstrual syndrome affects 80% of 20-year-old girls, painful periods - dysmenorrhea - is diagnosed in 70%, and ovarian dysfunction occurs in every third person.
If girls found time between sessions and a little courage and checked with a gynecologist every six months, they would avoid many problems. The need for an extraordinary visit arises, for example, if your period is delayed by 5–7 days. Don’t rely on “getting sick and dying,” they don’t joke with hormones. It is important to establish the exact cause: if it is pregnancy - congratulations, if it is a temporary disruption of the ovaries caused by overwork, stress, illness, climate change - try to induce menstruation using home methods.

10 days before the expected date of menstruation, start taking vitamin E (tocopherol) - 0.4 g every hour
after breakfast. It stimulates ovarian function.
Brew pennyroyal tea (1–2 teaspoons of herb per glass of boiling water) and take three glasses of infusion
per day in between meals three days before menstruation.
No effect? See a doctor immediately.

30 YEARS
At this age, the cycle is usually stable, the female body is at the peak of its capabilities, but sometimes it presents surprises.
To prevent crowds of discouraged clients from running away from your office every two weeks, biorhythm specialists - chronobiologists - advise diluting all-female teams with one or two men. The male body is also controlled by infradian biorhythms, only the cycle is shorter - 23 days. At the end of menstruation, men's mood drops and their performance decreases.




Close friends and colleagues who sit next to each other often have the same thoughts and feelings, as well as critical days. Synchronization of the so-called infradian biorhythms, which includes the menstrual cycle, is a common occurrence. This is a kind of female solidarity at the biological level. In some families, the menstrual cycle coincides in three female generations at once: mother, daughter and grandmother.
The first problem is hormonal imbalance after childbirth, which leads to cycle disruption and sudden weight gain after a woman becomes a mother. Diet and fitness cannot cope with this problem. Need help from a gynecologist-endocrinologist. He will prescribe appropriate medications - oral contraceptives with a therapeutic effect to restore hormonal balance.
The second problem is ovulatory bleeding (they make themselves felt after 30). If the discharge is scanty and lasts 2-3 days, this is considered normal; it has nothing to do with cycle disruption. During ovulation, a hormonal surge occurs, to which the uterus reacts by rejecting part of the mucous membrane - the endometrium. This process is like a miniature period: in the middle of the cycle, a small amount of blood (so-called occult blood) is released - usually so little that most women are unaware of it. If spotting does not interfere with your normal lifestyle, do not pay attention to it.
If enduring critical days twice a month is too troublesome for you, take calcium supplements, ascorbic acid, vitamin P 2-3 times a day to improve blood clotting. If it doesn’t help, call a gynecologist for help.
The third problem is pain in the lower abdomen. Pulling sensations in the abdomen in the middle of the cycle, before and during menstruation is an unpleasant condition, but not life-threatening. Every day before breakfast, a week before your period, practice physical therapy.
1. Starting position (i.p.) - lying on your back, legs together, knees bent, arms spread to the sides. Without lifting your shoulders and arms from the floor, touch it with your knees, first on the left side, then on the right.
2. I. p. - standing, feet shoulder-width apart, back straight. Bend towards your knees, spreading your elbows to the sides and pressing your palms together. Then grab your right ankle with both hands and turn as far to the right as possible. Return to i. etc., repeat the same in the other direction.
3. I. p. - sitting on the floor, legs bent at the knees. Grasp them with your palms, spread your hips to the sides and lower your knees as low as possible, helping yourself with your hands.

40 YEARS
The body gradually becomes involved in hormonal changes. All this is very reminiscent of the transition period experienced
in adolescence: you want to cry and laugh, sometimes you are too harsh and irreconcilable, your periods begin to get confused, become more scanty or protracted and abundant.

Emotional and hormonal states are controlled by the same centers of the brain - the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. They are the ones who correct the cyclical scenario of the body.

It’s bad when menstruation lasts longer than a week and so-called liver clots are released (usually menstrual blood does not clot) - this is an alarm signal sent by the reproductive system. If your periods pass in the form of a “stormy downpour,” it is possible that abnormal uterine bleeding is hidden under their appearance, during which the body can lose 70 or more milliliters of blood daily.
Take 2 tablets of calcium gluconate before meals and vitamins C and P after meals 3 times a day.
Brew shepherd's purse, peppermint or nettle herbs as tea, or a mixture of raspberry leaves and peppermint (1:1). Take the infusion 3 days before the expected start of your period and throughout your entire period: a herbal drink of 1/2 cup 2-3 times a day, and raspberry and mint tea as much as you like. The healing effect of herbal tea will be enhanced by 1–2 tablespoons of “live” viburnum jam, mashed with an equal amount of sugar.
Acupressure can help reduce the amount of discharge. On the eve and during menstruation, 60 times a day for 2-3 seconds, intensely press with the tip of your index finger on the point located in the middle of the hollow connecting the base of the nose with the upper lip.

PMS, he's in the Caribbean...
An indicative experiment was conducted by American gynecologists: in a village on the Caribbean Sea, local women began taking oral contraceptives at the same time. The subjects' menstrual cycles soon became synchronized. Massive PMS, which did not manifest itself so clearly in an individual woman, forced men to take the oars in their hands and for two weeks
sail out to sea.

Calendar of important dates
Each month, mark the day your period starts and connect that point to the mark of the previous month. Ideally, if your menstrual cycle is stable, after a few months you will have an almost straight line (almost - because the number of days in months is different, but in an ideal cycle they are the same). It will be strictly vertical if the cycle is 30–31 days; with "classical"
In 28 days it will be slightly tilted to the left, but if the cycle is shorter, the tilt to the left will be stronger. If the cycle lasts more than 31 days, the line will tilt to the right. A cause for concern is strong zigzags or “gaps”, when at some point your period does not come and the line is interrupted.

Who likes it more difficult?
Mark all days (not just the first) with different colors: blue for heavy periods, yellow for heavy periods. Circle the days when your period is painful. With a stable hormonal background, the blue and yellow stripes will be close to straight and parallel to each other.

WORKOUT
Each woman experiences different phases of her cycle individually,
but some general recommendations can be identified.
Most women tolerate physical activity more easily from the 4th to 12th day and from the 15th to 25th day of the cycle.

In the last 2-3 days before menstruation, it is easy to injure joints and tendons. Eliminate barbell squats and deadlifts, replace step aerobics with dancing, do stretching and yoga. Avoid any serious stress on the spine.
In the first days of menstruation, many people experience a “puffy” feeling in their lower abdomen. There's no escape from this, don't get complex.
2-3 days before and during menstruation, girls usually begin to get tired faster. Train at shorter intervals, it is better to replace endurance exercises with games.
Every month we ask ourselves the question: to pump or not to pump abs during menstruation? It all depends on the degree of your preparation and manner of training: if you do not “tear your veins” when pumping up your abs, you can continue training during your critical days.

NUTRITION
In the first half of the cycle
-The body is configured to burn fat, and it, as you know, burns in the fire of carbohydrates. The food should contain enough complex carbohydrates: rice, boiled potatoes, grain bread. Eat as expected, 3-4 g per 1 kg of weight.
- Be careful with fats and simple carbohydrates (especially sugar) - you will easily gain weight.

In the second half of the cycle
-The body is configured to accumulate. Eat enough protein: 0.8–1.2 grams per kilogram of weight.
-A week before menstruation, limit yourself to salty and spicy foods - the body stores water.
-When your appetite increases (usually 2-3 days before menstruation), limit yourself to dried fruits and a piece of chocolate.
-In the middle of the cycle, lean on foods rich in iron: seafood, pork and beef liver, buckwheat porridge.

I couldn’t tell myself: “Stop!”
Two or three days before the “X” day, you mutate into a troglodyte, spend your credit on cakes, chips, hamburgers, gummy bears - in general, on the most harmful food for your health and figure. You can't help yourself. Even after instilling in yourself the attitude: “I buy lettuce and chicken breasts,” in the store you somehow incomprehensibly pay for an ice cream bar and jam puffs. Menstrual bulimia has special, hormonal causes (this is not a nervous disorder, which ordinary bulimia cannot do without). However, it can also be brought under control.
1. Create a complete diet for the whole day. Bulimics often don’t eat during the day and “hang out” in the evening. Every morning they are convinced that they can last the whole day hungry. They can't. Especially when the body is beating in hormonal ecstasy and does not understand what it needs: strawberries or pickles. Create a diet that includes both lunch and dinner. For lunch, limit yourself to broth. Replace “bad” foods with “good” ones. Craving chips - buy French fries (ideal if you cook them yourself). Do you want something sweet? Eat dried fruits. Not just sweets, but two bars of chocolate? Choose black, with the maximum cocoa butter content.
2. Try not to overload your intestines. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates in one sitting are not the best choice. Salt and pepper your dishes less: seasonings whet your appetite. Avoid coffee, cocoa, black tea, and sweet carbonated drinks. You will feel better.
3.Find yourself support: a friend who will stop your hand halfway and prevent you from purchasing the next batch of chocolate bars.
4. Conduct auto-training:“I am the most charming and attractive. I will no longer pollute myself with waste from the food industry, I want to be healthy” - 20 times in a low voice, 3 times a day. This is a method as old as time, but it works.
5.Do exercises in the morning. Afterwards, take a contrast shower. If possible, before breakfast, take a walk in the park or at least around the house. Fresh air perfectly tones, improves metabolism, saturates the body with strength - you will come to breakfast cheerful and energetic, and not a rumpled zombie who forgot how many eggs he dumped into an omelet in his sleep.
6. Avoid stress. Avoid conflict situations. A woman during her critical days is not the best diplomat. Try to communicate with those people who inspire you with a sense of peace.

Menses. Some suffer so much that they cannot work or lead a normal lifestyle, because the pain in the lower back becomes unbearable, and their general health leaves much to be desired. How is it easier to transfer?

First, you need to keep appropriate records so that you know the approximate day of the next menstruation. This is necessary in order to prepare for it. It's no secret that bloating occurs during menstruation. In order not to aggravate this process, a week before the expected “critical days” you need to give up heavy foods that can cause intestinal fermentation - milk, legumes, cabbage, plums, etc. It is better to become a vegetarian for a while, leaning on cereals, vegetables and fruits, as well as yogurt and cottage cheese.

During menstruation, it is very important to replenish iron and protein losses, so choose products that contain these components. You can take special vitamins, including vitamin E. The latter is rightfully considered a women's vitamin. You can find it in avocados, soybeans, olives, beans and corn. Massage in the lower back and abdominal area is effective. But you can only stroke your belly clockwise! Acupressure helps some people well. Find a point on the inside of your leg, located 4 fingers above and press on it for 5 minutes. Then get down on your knees and begin to knead your thighs with pinching movements. With your elbow, press on the thigh from the outside towards the knee, and from the inside towards the pelvis.

Avoid stress, as well as nervous and physical stress. If you have the opportunity, rest for a while in the fetal position. Better yet, lie on your back at a right angle to the wall so that your buttocks touch it and your legs are bent at the knees. Press your feet firmly against the wall and remain in this position for 5 minutes. Another effective pose that can relieve the condition on the first day of menstruation: stand in a knee-elbow position with your head down. Stay like this for about 2 minutes.

Decoctions and infusions of medicinal herbs can relieve spasms and pain. Horsetail and bear's ears have a diuretic effect - they will help get rid of the feeling of heaviness in the stomach. It is recommended to drink hot tea made from raspberry branches, peppermint and catnip throughout the day. Chamomile, valerian and motherwort infusion will help soothe and relieve inflammation. As for medications, you can take a couple of No-Shpa tablets - it helps relax the smooth muscles of the uterus. Combination drugs - Baralgin, Spazgan, Sedalgin and Tempalgin - have a good analgesic effect. Talk to your gynecologist about taking oral contraceptives. This will allow you to forget about PMS, pain and poor health forever.

Expect a new portion of advice from professional psychologists and gynecologists every Thursday.

Preface

Let's tell you a little secret: if you have parents, mom and dad who love you, and/or grandparents who dote on you, then this is real happiness. But not everything in the world is arranged well and correctly, no matter how much you and I would like it to be. And not everyone is as lucky as you. There are about a million social orphans in Russia. These are those children whose parents have not died, but have been deprived of parental rights. When most of us hear the word “orphan,” very young children appear before our eyes. We shed tears at photos of babies left without parents, but you can become an orphan at the age of 15 and, as a rule, it is much harder for teenagers. Firstly, it is unlikely that anyone will adopt them; and secondly, they do not have children’s problems at all and there are no close people who will support them at sharp turns and help them deal with complex “adult” problems.

The Our Children Foundation supports orphaned teenagers who find themselves in difficult situations. Among the programs conducted by the foundation, there is one that we really liked. It's called "Between Us Girls." And here they talk about the most important and the most shameful.

Specialists, gynecologists and psychologists, tell girls about themselves, about their body, its physiological functions, and relationships with the opposite sex.

In general, about the very thing that you and I often chat about here. Therefore, we decided that you would also be interested in listening to smart people. And especially for you, they asked the foundation staff to tell you about something that you have always been interested in, but you were embarrassed to ask. So, let's go.

The first issue of our program “Staying Alive If You’re a Girl” - Kristina Yakusevich, psychologist of the “Our Children” charity foundation, talks about how to survive your period.

Photo Archives of press services

Why does PMS happen?

Many girls are aware of premenstrual syndrome, which affects their psychological state. When estrogen predominates in the body, anxiety and severe irritability are noted; when progesterone predominates, depression and loss of strength are observed. It can also be assumed that the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome develop on the basis of a banal fear of menstruation, which is unconscious. After all, the onset of menstruation often ruins plans and forces you to deviate from the planned scenario, for example, a planned vacation.

During such a period, it is very important to accept yourself as you are, to accept your natural rhythms, created for your benefit.

The psychological basis for changes in mood may be this: you attach some negative meaning to this period in your life, and given adolescence, you become fixated on negative experiences during menstruation.

Still too strong emotional reactions during menstruation can give rise to some unresolved, but very significant problems. And if on ordinary days they do not bother you much, then during menstruation they cause a storm of emotions and not at all positive ones.

Photo tumblr.com

How to make your life easier?

So that menstruation does not interfere with enjoying life to the fullest at such a wonderful age, it is important to create comfort rules for yourself, for example, have hygiene products with you, take water treatments in the morning and evening, do exercises in the morning for at least 15–20 minutes, which will allow you to lift your weight. mood, and will give vigor.

It will be useful to learn how to do psychological breathing exercises. Breathing is directly related to the work and state of the nervous system. This is why breathing exercises for relaxation are so common and effective. Many of them form the basis of yoga breathing practices. But you don’t need to have special knowledge to learn how to breathe correctly, getting rid of irritability and overexertion. The basis of any breathing exercises will be a strictly specified rhythm. You need to know that the effect of exercise on the body changes depending on the frequency and speed, depth of breaths, and the duration of periods of holding the breath. By starting to breathe quickly, shallowly, and inhaling small doses of oxygen, you will not achieve calm. On the contrary, the nervous system will receive a stimulus to work harder.

Any method of breathing exercises designed to help you calm down is based on deep, measured breathing. With its help, not only the absolute filling of the lungs with air occurs, but also the enrichment of all tissues and cells of the body with oxygen. This helps normalize blood pressure, relieves muscle tension, stimulates proper brain function, and helps the nervous system relax. What helps you stay in a calm emotional state and not succumb to the emotional and physiological “roller coaster”.