Premenstrual pain and symptoms
Premenstrual pain and symptoms
In the 5-7 days preceding the beginning of the flow, the so-called "premenstrual symptoms", or premenstrual syndrome, can occur: several discomforts, quite variable from woman to woman by type, combination and intensity, which contribute to making this monthly appointment not very pleasant.
The fact that premenstrual pains and symptoms are entirely physiological manifestations that affect most women, constantly or for prolonged periods of fertile life, certainly does not make the discomfort more bearable. However, improving the situation is possible, through some practical lifestyle changes and, if necessary, with some pharmacological support.
The characteristic premenstrual symptoms
The number of premenstrual symptoms that a woman can experience is really wide and varied and includes a series of physical and psycho-emotional disorders.
The most frequent are:
- swelling and pain in the breast;
- headache and difficulty in concentrating;
- craving for high-calorie foods and water retention;
- back and joint pain;
- intestinal swelling and transit disorders (constipation or diarrhea);
- acne and/or increased sensitivity of the skin and a worsening of its appearance (opacity, lower tone etc.);
- nerves, irritability, bad mood with crying propensity;
- sleep disorders;
- general malaise and sense of discomfort/tiredness.
Although premenstrual pains and symptoms are very common and recurrent, the exact causes that determine them are still unclear. What is known is that premenstrual symptoms are triggered by a change in the levels of female hormones, particularly by the drop in estrogen and progesterone that occurs in the days preceding the flow, which results in an increase of body's inflammatory state. Even menstrual pains that appear shortly after (called dysmenorrhea) are partly due to this increase in inflammation.
How to alleviate premenstrual symptoms
First of all, following a healthy lifestyle; eating fresh, light and nutritious foods and limiting animal fats, refined sugars and salt; drinking at least 1.5-2 liters of water per day; avoiding smoking, caffeine and alcohol; regularly practicing moderate physical activity; avoiding stress; getting enough sleep (at least 7 hours per night); passing relaxing moments with pleasant people; dedicating time to yourself and to the activities you love.
These may seem banal tips, but they represent the real key to ensure maximum balance in the female organism and to avoid those excessive hormonal oscillations underlying premenstrual pains and symptoms.
To effectively alleviate premenstrual symptoms – which however, at least in part, will appear – you can use Spididol® (ibuprofen arginine salt), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It is a drug that can be purchased in a pharmacy without a prescription, useful for relieving abdominal cramps and backache, but also for breast pain, headache and joint pains.
To get the maximum benefit from anti-inflammatory drugs against premenstrual pains and symptoms, it is important to take them from the very onset of pain, so to allow the NSAID to turn it off and prevent it from consolidating, becoming more intense and more difficult to neutralize.
Premenstrual symptoms: is the doctor needed?
If premenstrual pains and symptoms are very intense and disabling and/or are not alleviated by the aforementioned interventions, it is necessary to consult a doctor/specialist in order to investigate the situation and evaluate additional or alternative treatment options.
In this case, it may be useful to keep a diary of premenstrual pains and symptoms experienced for at least 3 months, remembering also to note down any further suspicious signals (for example, intermenstrual losses or localized breast swelling), medications taken, activities carried out etc., to allow the doctor to have a clearer picture of the situation.
In some cases, against premenstrual pains and symptoms the doctor may advise, in addition to NSAIDs or other pharmacological interventions (especially of hormonal type), also some supplement. The most used are vitamin B6, magnesium, calcium, tryptophan and polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6).
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