Tips for Dealing with Period Pain and Other Symptoms
Some people are lucky enough that when their period rolls around, they experience very few symptoms, can take over-the-counter medication and carry on with their day as normal. But what about the other 29% who experience severe period pain and everyone else in between?
This is a guest blog written by Emily Handstock, a young activist part of the Love Your Period Campaign.
What kind of pain is ‘normal’?
As someone with stage 4 endometriosis, I have had my fair share of painful periods. Hopefully, some of the tips and tricks below can help you manage your painful periods.
Firstly, I would like to start this blog post by saying that if your period pain stops you from going about your day-to-day, that is ‘severe period pain’. It’s not normal or something you should have to deal with on your own. Please reach out to your GP to begin some investigations!
Hot and Cold
Change in temperature can be really beneficial during your cycle, both hot and cold!
Hot water bottles are brilliant, but please use them safely! Love Your Period has a great video on hot water bottle safe usage.
But did you know a ‘cold water bottle’ can be just as effective and infinitely more comfortable in the hot weather?!
If you don’t mind spending a little bit of money, you can buy ‘menthol cooling patches’. There are various brands which use eucalyptus and menthol to provide a cooling effect. The benefits of these patches are that they are very discreet and can be applied on the go.
Alternative pain management
TENS machines are another great way to manage your pain. The market now offers portable, discreet machines as well as traditional wired ones for every budget! TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. It works by sending mild electrical impulses through the skin to stimulate nerves. This can help reduce pain signals and potentially release endorphins. Some pharmacies offer a rental scheme so you can try before you buy to see if this works for you.
Another way to manage your pain is to naturally induce endorphins. I appreciate that for some of you, even moving off the sofa or bed will seem like an impossible task when you are on your period. But if you can manage a walk or even some light yoga or pilates, this will make all the difference. Completing any form of exercise can give you a burst of serotonin and endorphins to help boost your mood and alleviate pain.
Medication
Over-the-counter medications like Paracetamol and Ibuprofen can be used to help manage your pain. If you find that the recommended dosage isn’t helping your symptoms, please reach out to your GP rather than self-medicating. You can be referred for a pain review. Your GP can provide alternatives like stronger pain medication, lidocaine patches or further advice to help you manage your symptoms.
Support from Meic
This blog has been written by Emily Handstock, a young activist part of the Love Your Period Campaign. Read more blogs from the campaign.
Meic want to amplify young people’s voices across Wales, using our platform to co-produce meaningful content that truly reflects their experiences and helps drive positive change. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Love Your Period to create our “Love Your Period” campaign.
The Love Your Period Campaign aims to end period poverty by ensuring free access to menstrual products and to combat period stigma through better education and open conversations. It strives to make periods a normal, accepted topic, ensuring everyone has dignity and support during menstruation.
Affected by anything you read about in this blog? Reach out to our friendly advisors on the Meic helpline. Meic is there for children and young people in Wales to get free information, advice, and advocacy every day from 8am to midnight. We’re someone on your side.
