More Severe Menstruation Symptoms
Lots of girls suffer from aching backs or period cramps at the start of their periods. That's par for the course. But there are other symptoms that can begin way before the menses starts. The symptoms may come days or weeks before menstruation begins. When this happens, the symptoms are often more severe and may include:
*Feeling moody, having ups and downs
*Food cravings or binge eating
*Fatigue
*Headache
*Bloating due to water retention
*Breast tenderness
None of these symptoms are very pleasant, but there are things you can do to bring some relief:
*Exercise can help trigger your body to make endorphins. These mood-improving hormones will make you feel a lot better. Having a workout can also give you relief from cramps.
*Applying heat in the form of a hot water bottle or a heating pad should help your back pain and cramps, but a bath is even more effective since it can treat both symptoms at once.
*Over-the-counter-pain killers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen work wonders for cramps and headaches. Avoid aspirin unless you're older than 16 in the U.S. or over 19 in the U.K, according to local medical guidelines.
Important Clues
If your cramps or other menstrual symptoms are so bad you can't deal with your usual daily activities and the measures listed above gave you no relief, it's a good idea to make an appointment with your doctor. Until your appointment arrives, you can begin marking down the dates on which you start your periods along with the dates on which you first experience your symptoms. Commit a description of your symptoms to paper and note when your symptoms reach their peak of severity. If you take the time to record all of these details, it's just possible your doctor can figure out the cause of your painful symptoms from these clues alone.
Immediate Relief
During your appointment, your doctor may decide to order diagnostic tests to reveal the reason for your symptoms. In any event, your doctor should be able to offer you some immediate relief for your symptoms.
For some girls, the problem with menstrual periods is that they never arrive. A significant number of girls never have a first period until they are in their late teenage years. Some never have a period at all. For still others, the menses arrives at the usual age, but then stops cold at some later time. A lack of menstruation is known in medical parlance as amenorrhea.
Amenorrhea may be caused by pregnancy, sudden changes in weight, illness, hard physical activity or sports over an extended time period, stress, or certain medications.
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