Menstruation, a natural process that all women go through, can be difficult at times. Understanding the various symptoms and their underlying causes is essential for efficient period management and general well-being. This article seeks to interpret your period by putting light on typical menstrual symptoms and providing practical strategies to decrease discomfort and improve your monthly experience. You may navigate your period with better ease and embrace this crucial feature of femininity with confidence and empowerment by acquiring insights into your body’s signals and applying suitable procedures.

What are the Symptoms Relating to Menstruation? 

Women get through period symptoms before their actual period starts disrupting their everyday life, and it is usually termed PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome). PMS usually occurs one or two weeks before the start of the monthly cycle. During this time, women commonly go through one or more physical, emotional, or behavioral symptoms. The period-related symptoms are:

• Breast tenderness: This is one of the most common period symptoms amongst women before their actual monthly cycle starts; it is also known as cyclic mastalgia; the tenderness can either be one-sided or on both sides and is very much normal. Many fear it may be a sign of breast cancer, but it is harmless and has to do with the change of prolactin response to thyrotropin. Unless one feels lumps forming on the breast, it is likely to be related to a period.

• Bloating: Bloating associated with a period is common; most women experience it during their menstrual cycle. Usually, you get the feeling of tightness, pressure, or fullness in the stomach, this symptom stops upon reaching the monthly cycle, or it continues even during their period for some women.

• Mood swings: Another menstrual symptom in women is mood swings. There is a sudden shift of mood; a woman can go from being normal to being suddenly sad, angry, or even depressed. This mood swing might worry some, but it’s pretty normal and can be addressed as being a normal kind of mood swing.  

• Abdominal pain: Several women go through abdominal pain, also known to many as a stomach cramp; it’s a throbbing pain in the lower abdomen lasting about 1-3 days before or even during the cycle for some women.  

• Backache: Backache is also one underlying sign of menstrual symptoms caused by stomach cramps. Since the uterus is creating more prostaglandins (hormone-like chemical messengers) that cause the muscles to contract and cause pain that radiates to your back.

How to Deal with Period Symptoms?

• Exercise: Exercising or doing yoga can help ease the menstrual cramps to a certain extent as there is movement, and the muscles relax the tension from within.
• Pain Reliever: Certain women can deal with cramps without depending on medication. However, it only works for some. So, to relieve oneself from severe pain and discomfort, one can get help from pain-relieving medication specifically prescribed for cramps.  
• Apply Heat: Using a heating pad or hot water bag can be helpful to relax the muscles that cause cramps. One can also go for a hot bath to ease the pain. There is also easy availability of heating patches in the market, especially for people who live an on-the-go lifestyle.
• Drinking Hot Water: Although this may sound funny that drinking hot water may ease symptoms of a period, drinking hot water increases blood flow throughout the body and relaxes your muscles, lessening the cramps caused by uterine contractions.
• Eat Healthy: Eating healthy can be a great way to ease period symptoms and period pains. Doctors suggest certain vitamins and minerals relieve symptoms of a period; many studies indicate that foods rich in vitamin B1 and magnesium help reduce the symptoms of period-related issues.

Conclusion

Menstruation is an inevitable part of a woman’s life, and the key to managing period-related issues lies in self-awareness and finding effective ways to alleviate signs and symptoms. Adopting a healthy lifestyle and seeking guidance from a gynaecologist when necessary, can be immensely beneficial. It is also vital to choose the right kind of sanitary pads, whether it is regular pads or heavy flow pads. Embracing womanhood means being resilient and facing menstruation with open arms, regardless of the challenges it brings. So, let’s approach it with strength and positivity, ready to overcome any obstacles that come our way.