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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Toronto MU chapter.

 

I started my menstrual cycle pretty early. I was about 10-years-old when it began and it was awful. It still is, especially since I have been diagnosed with dysmenorrhea (painful cramps that occur with menstruation) and menorrhagia (excessive uterine bleeding occurring at regular intervals or prolonged uterine bleeding lasting more than seven days), which cause a ton more problems. Nonetheless, I have learned to deal with my diagnoses and actually, I have some tips to make things better when the Red Visit comes around.

NSAIDs ​

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) are medication meant to decrease inflammation which in turn can cause it to relieve other symptoms you might have. I find that naproxen works best for me since it lasts for about 10-12 hours but the new ibuprofen 12-hour pills might do some good, all you need is something to help the discomfort that can be caused by dysmenorrhea.

No Dairy

Cut it out. All of it. Chatelaine writes that certain food groups are “more inflammatory because they contain fats that are broken down into inflammatory prostaglandins,” and dairy is one of those food groups along with red meats, peanut products, anything containing vegetable oil and those high in saturated, hydrogenated or trans-fats like muffins, pastries, chips, pizza, and other processed foods. It might be best to just cut all of that out until you’re regular again.

Heating pads

Although every website gives this tip, it honestly works so well that I can’t skip it! Heating pads and hot water bottles help the uterine muscle relax and just take a minute you chill out.

Talk to your gynecologist or your general practitioner 

If you are like me, you still might need professional help to truly get better or be able to work and live with your diagnoses. I saw a few doctors until my gynecologist suggested I try birth control and so far, it has been the only method that has worked and almost resolved every issue I had with dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia. I do not suggest going for that option unless you have tried everything on this list and every list because birth control has issues of its own, and doesn’t work for everyone.

 

Zaria Cornwall

Toronto MU

Zaria Cornwall is a fourth year English student at Ryerson University. She identifies as a 'she' and uses she/her/they pronouns. She considers herself a woman of colour with varied identity minors and is interested in such topics dealing with these ideas. You will see her write articles on: queerness, racialized identity, mental health, body positivity, and school life. She also happens to love international music, so, maybe an article on that too. Follow her on twitter at @rsuzaria.