Do you normally get symptoms around the time of the month?

[December Leaf]

What are they? How do you deal with them?

[Notorious Sailor Uranus]

Sometimes I get cramps but mostly it's bloating. Walking around my neighborhood helps but I lose alot of blood and have to go lie down and drink alot of water from it.

[hidden radiance]

I usually get bloating, some cramps, swollen breasts, the occasional breakout (acne) and lower back pain. Before it was just cramps or bloating and maybe acne but idk why I have more now. For the bloating/swollen breasts I wear a comfy bra and comfy clothing so I don't feel uncomfortable, cramps/lower back pain: pain killers if they become a nuisance, acne: just clean my face and try not to mess with it I guess.

[Tangled Puppet]

The one symptom that always comes, no matter what, is acne. It's the only time I get it. Usually the week or so right before my period (I'm breaking out now). Sometimes I'll get body aches, but this time of year (August-May) it's hard to really distinguish between period aches and just aches from work. =P Cramping is bad sometimes. I don't do anything for the ache other than let it run its course. As for the pains...just pain killers.

[Baby Neamhain]

When I did have periods (on birth control now, so no periods) I mainly only got bloated. I got cramps veryyy rarely and they were never bad. I'd get low back pain but it wasn't horrible. Usually ibuprofen helped when things got uncomfortable.

[water_spirit]

I gain weight, eat more, have back pain, and lose hope.

I deal with this with midol and candybars.

[LvMousie]

I'm on the depo now so i don't really deal with it all too much..

But i would get nausea and bloated and irritated and meh

[Alycia Jaime]

I get very sore breasts redface . I haven't found anything that helps yet cry

[cuntagion]

I break out like crazy >_< several huge, flaming zits right before that time of the month, but it seems to cool down around the second day.

[Arschgeweih]

Back aches, terrible, TERRIBLE water retention (Anywhere from 5-10 lbs), I get volcanic like pimples on my chin, I crave absolutely terrible salty foods, my breasts swell, my nipples become very sore and extremely sensitive, I'm an emotional b***h and I have this urge to strangle every single mudda fukka who crosses my path.

[catnapgood]

Well, I have an inherited disease called endometriosis. So my menstrual symptoms linger on the more severe side.

Before I went on hormones to alleviate the symptoms, I would have severe cramping starting the beginning of the cycle, I couldn't really move or function, and I have nausea from the pain. It usually took oxycodone (Stronger than Vicodin) to allow me to function through the pain for school/work. Downside is I would be high and not a reliable person.
Normally I would have diarrhea during the start of the cycle, and constipation a few days before. I would be moody and irritable, susceptible to pain.

Once I got on some hormones -- just normal birth control, my symptoms improved greatly, although going on hormones is different for each person, and determining if the side effects are better than the prior symptoms is a matter of opinion. My pain went away besides the occasional "normal" cramp. I was still moody and more prone to irritability and bouts of crying during the week.


Although being on hormones increased my breast size by about one cup I was large without them, my final size being between a E-F with a 32 waist. This was a major problem for me, and I have had a very successful breast reduction this summer. With some residual swelling post-op, I am a 32D right now, but in 4 months I should be a true C cup. Obviously, when I had the larger breasts they gave me constant back pain regardless of where I was on my cycle.

I also crave chocolate around my menstrual cycle, but it isn't too bad.

Right now I am on the hormonal implant that goes into the arm and lasts for 3 years since I just started college. So far it is working well and it is comparable to the IUD in contraceptive measures. I've just had some minor cramping the past 10 days with no discharge.

[ObiWanKendrobi]

Gas, bloating, grumpiness, cramps, I want to eat literally everything in sight, fatigue. And a lot of times I have a rather heavy flow.
For the cramps and bleeding, I eat a tablespoon of honey and that usually helps. I also keep up with exercise, but I just do light exercises like Yoga. As for the wanting to eat everything I just try my best not to shove everything that is edible in my mouth.

[Sheshira]

I have so many issues. I usually try to eat really light foods (so usually it's soups that I blend myself that has some chicken, zuchinni, pumpkin, carrots but no potatoes I don't like them and I'm slightly allergic to them or some chicken broth, if I eat eggs they're softly hardboiled but no bread or anything else, and some plain yogurt--with some salt and pepper maybe some herbs since I don't really like sweet yogurts), heat pads, and sometimes the cramps get so bad that I do think minimally

I also take chamomile with some flax seeds. I let the flax seeds dissolve a bit then I drink it. For me, chamomile helps loosen the blood flow (I get a lot of clots), and the flax seeds helps with digestion and balancing the hormones. (Since I have a short torso if I eat too much, too anything then my BM will irritate my ovaries--it's annoying to say the least).

[WitchWvlf]

I just drink a lot of water and try not to eat my whole fridge. emotion_donotwant

[GHOSTI3]

I get very bloated, eat every sweet thing in sight and my libido suddenly goes through the roof. I just try to stay hydrated and refrain from the chocolate biscuits.