WHAT HAS MADE YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE EASIER AND BETTER

Question

LaPa · Answer

This may be a me thing, but cutting dairy has changed the game for me.

Ceridwen · Answer

Rif pads forever

Julia · Answer

Doing absolutely nothing on day 1: I swear if I cancel everything on day 1 and just rest, the whole period is easier and I have no cramps. Also, if you want a baby anyway, once your period is back is tends to be a lot LOT easier.

Eugenie · Answer

Cookies but with chickpeas: Easy a, Healthy and delicious I found it on the instagram of : luna_allix

The recipe :

Ingredients :

250gr Chickpeas - 75ml Almond milk - 60gr maple sirop - 25gr oat flour - 30gr of protein powder (if you want) - 85gr peanut butter - 200gr Chocolate (to make huge chocolate chips)

1. Start by rinsing and draining the chickpeas (pre-cooked), then blend them with the almond milk until the mixture is smooth.

2. Add the maple syrup, peanut butter, and flour (and protein powder, if using) to the mixture. Mix everything together until you have a smooth, even batter.

3. Roughly chop the chocolate to keep large, indulgent chunks, and stir them into the mixture.

4. Add a pinch of fleur de sel.

5. Pour the batter into a baking pan and spread it out so that it is the same thickness throughout. Bake for 20 minutes at 170°C.

Isabella · Answer

Getting a Nexplanon implant.: Lasts 3-5 years. No more periods. Period.

Em Connors · Answer

Acupuncture & Chinese herbs (from my acupuncturist).: Hands down the best investment I’ve made.

Soph · Answer

PEA supplement for cramps/endo: Working for me. I started taking PEA about 3 weeks ago because there’s some really good research on it for period + endometriosis pain (linked). A randomized placebo-controlled study published last year actually used the form I’m taking (Levagen+) at 300mg (pictured below) and found a significant reduction in period pain during cramps, like within hours of taking it. Older endometriosis studies used higher doses, around 800mg/day.

I’m only taking 300mg once a day right now and I’ve already seen a huge improvement in my pain levels. I even went on a pretty hard hike that would normally wreck me and… I didn’t even have DOMS, y’all. WTF?! I also normally get migraines around my period and this cycle I only had headaches. I could cry about it.

Obviously this is my extremely scientific sample size of one, but PEA is something our bodies naturally make that seems to help regulate inflammation, mast cells + pain signaling, and I am VERY intrigued. I hope this helps someone the way it helped me. Am I cured? No. But anything that helps is a godsend (I’ve been struggling with this for 28 years).

Cate Pileggi · Answer

Glow by Hormone University US Bloating SOS: Nothing has helped reduced bloat quite like this has. Added bonus, it’s women-owned.

Kaylan · Answer

Pure Enrichment PureRelief Heating Pad: It is a lifesaver.

njeri · Answer

Traditional Medicinals Raspberry Leaf Tea: Reduces cramping and also seemed to shorten the heaviest flow portion. I started this a few years ago and was shocked by how effective it was for me. This and Tylenol.

Aya C · Answer

Acupuncture (especially from someone who specializes in fertility and women’s+ health): I am a 42-yo post-cancer medical menopause person who is returning to periods again (🫠🫠🫠) after 6 years of ovary/hormone suppression. I feel like my body is learning to menstruate again.

I do all the things to help. Probably a shotgun method worked but I credit acupuncture with returning me back to life in about one cycle. I went from being unable to breathe, calling out of work, fetal position while on 3 ibuprofen to being able to participate in regular life. Life-changing.

*everyone in this photo is wearing a suit??

JV · Answer

My Little Tea Pot: The hario maru single serve tea pot is my cheat code for brewing loose leaf tea. It’s not a stressful experience, the way I imagine loose-leaf tea brewing to be. You just measure the leaves directly into the strainer and steep/remove the strainer when you’re ready to pour. It holds about 500 ml or two cups max, really.

KG · Answer

The menopause manifesto (and , for me, deciding to finally embrace HRT): Jen Gunther is an “UNfluencer” and I love her love of evidence-based practice. She gives you the facts and then you decide what’s right for you. After listening to this audiobook for free (and forcing my husband to as well—he ended up thanking me),  I have a theory that it will be normal/acceptable for women to start HRT in their 30s.

Darragh · Answer

Menopause: not the four years of hot flashes you understand but all the rest of it- i.e. no periods ever again.

GK · Answer

O+ PMS Relief Gummies: These helped.

Jazmin Hernandez Arceo · Answer

Cora Organic Pads: I PROMISE, these pads (any style including tampons) will automatically make you feel lighter throughout your day. I grew up in an Always pad family and something was always off. I made the switch to CORA and these with dark chocolate/heating pad makes the world of a difference.

Sophie Consults · Answer

take cbd drops for pms: Apparently has been clinically studied and no one told me :-(((

I tried it last month and it did help with the moody judys :-)))

Lola · Answer

mefenamic acid, Tranexamic acid, getting vitamin checked: I have the worst periods ever + medical issues related to them and mefenamic acid and tranexamic acid helps with pain and heavy bleeding allot in my experience. Also getting you vitamin levels checked as that can have a big impact I take a whole bunch of them but I think the most important ones for periods are iron spray and zinc but also lying on the bathroom floor naked exept from period pants and pad lol

Willa · Answer

Magnesium, zinc and kelp (iodine): Incorporating these throughout the month almost entirely solved mood regulation for me; went from high on the misery scale to almost negligible. Helps a ton with cramps and fatigue too.

Zoe · Answer

pads only on day 1: i swear inserting anything makes cramps worse and going with the flow makes the whole thing end a bit faster. plus you feel like an earth mama goddess. i pair this with a stick-on heat patch and a packet of flipz.

Maryn · Answer

Saalt Soft & Flexible Menstrual Cup: There is life before menstrual cups and life after menstrual cups. Genuinely life-changing.

Carolyn · Answer

Vella’s Ebbtide: Ok I’m extremely biased (I’m the ceo and cofounder), but we really did make a discovery with this. We discovered for the first time that CBD and CBDA relaxes uterine contractions (aka cramps). We’ve done preclinical and clinical studies and microbiome testing. And it just launched in June. Vella is a women’s health research company that makes consumer products. We basically are like a pharma company in terms of r&d but because the women’s health research gap is so large, we can innovate in consumer goods too. This has been a game changer for a lot of my friends and I hope it can help a lot of us

Elizabeth Reese · Answer

Long Liners | The Honey Pot: When it’s that time of the month, the little things that make menstruation more bearable make a big difference. I use a disk, but these give me a little peace of mind, and I love the herbal infusion!

Paloma · Answer

the humble hot water bottle: fill it once and it's hot all night without having to be plugged in... you will forget your cramps

Jes · Answer

The Bikini Period. (The Period Company): I have endo and very heavy periods. Period underwear saved my sanity.

Samantha · Answer

Flex Reusable Menstrual Disc: Hands down no doubt about it...
I feel like there is literally nothing up THERE lol

elaine · Answer

vitex for pmdd: i take prescription meds in addition that keep me alive. this is just supplementation, but it really does reduce my symptoms— not the rage, but the uncontrollable crying— and i’m happy to talk more about what else works! i’ve been trying to figure out a regimen for 6 long years.

Carrie · Answer

An IUD.: No period, no cramps, reduced migraines. Bought white sheets and towels and never looked back. Not right for everyone, but best thing I ever did for myself!

Mary · Answer

Red Light Therapy Belt for Body: Ugh I hate recommending an Amazon product, but this has been a game changer for me. I can’t take any over the counter pain relievers right now, and this has brought me pain relief! This particular product was recommended on Wirecutter as an entry red light product to try.

Update: this helps my period cramps better than a heating pad!

Dylan · Answer

My gift to you: Ladder work out app free for 30 days!: Please enjoy! QR code for you below :)

Dylan · Answer

Ladder - Workout Plan App: thank you @Maddy Franklin for this rec!

my ageing body has been craving strength workouts but the thought of entering a gym and being perceived is not my vibe and so it's cool i can do lots of these workouts from home!

it's like having a personal trainer in your pocket & you can sync up your music too. my sleep is already better! and somehow my menstrual cycle is less debilitating??

is anyone else on this app? what team are you?

Dylan · Answer

stardust app: combines astrology and period tracking for an actually fun app & also the only period app i've continued to use. also their instagram is 10/10 post perfection

Dylan · Answer

No cold drinks or foods on your period!: Ask any Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and they'll tell you that drinking that cold beverage or eating a bowl of ice cream (as delish as that might be) is only going to make cramps worse. Replace cold and raw foods (like salad, smoothies etc) with warm and easily digestible foods (stews, soups, tea, bone broth).

"TCM views the menstrual cycles as the cycles of nature which correspond to the four seasons of Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.

The season of Winter begins on day one of your bleed and ends on the final day of your bleed. This season is a time to rest and to release. Through winter, energy moves inward and downward as Blood leaves the body.

Just like Winter in nature, this season should be listened to for the body by slowing down, keeping warm, and consuming warm and easily digestible foods."

Dylan · Answer

Traditional Chinese Medicine (specifically: acupuncture): I've been seeing a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner for 15+ years, and it has truly changed my life. Issues that regular doctors haven't been able to figure out, TCM has fixed for me (def not saying don't see a regular doctor; TCM is just a wonderful complementary support).

Some articles about TCM below <3

Acupuncture and acupressure for premenstrual syndrome

Acupuncture and women’s health: an overview of the role of acupuncture and its clinical management in women’s reproductive health

Acupuncture: A Promising Approach for Comorbid Depression and Insomnia in Perimenopause

A new approach to overcoming antibiotic-resistant bacteria: Traditional Chinese medicine therapy based on the gut microbiota

Combined traditional Chinese medicine therapy for the treatment of infertility with polycystic ovary syndrome: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Effects and treatment methods of acupuncture and herbal medicine for premenstrual syndrome/premenstrual dysphoric disorder: systematic review

Integrative Management of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: The Role of Traditional Chinese Medicine

International Clinical Practice Guidelines on Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy for Dysmenorrhea: Development Protocol

Traditional Chinese medicine on treating premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder

Treating Gynaecological Disorders with Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Review

Sealligator · Answer

a good hot water bottle: or even two - one for your feet and one for your belly or lower back

ellie jones · Answer

muse program by gabriella arbesu: at-home "spicy sculpt" classes that feel amazing and totally kick your ass!! (free 7 days here)! gabi's whole ethos is about making movement a sustainable, fulfilling, and expansive part of your lifestyle, rather than "locking in." she talks a lot about "getting feral" on your mat, tapping into your power, movement as medicine, etc.

i always leave her classes drenched in sweat, feeling so much more connected to my body, and sore as hell in the best way. her app includes various sculpt classes, vinyasa yoga, nutrition advice, diaphragmatic breathing tips, etc. at the very least, check her out on instagram, she's super real and inspiring!

you can either do a monthly subscription or a one-time purchase of her "vault" that includes a bunch of classes!