Menstruation: A new look

Some modern scholars tend to consider menstruation as a mechanism for the monthly cleansing of the uterus and vagina from bacteria and sperm.

Cramps and other discomfort during menstruation

Before, during and after menstruation, women can experience a lot of different discomfort. Among the most common - back pain and abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, headache, breast tenderness, irritability, mood swings Mood swings in women - bad character or a disease? . However, the menstrual period and may be accompanied by a positive feeling - a feeling of renewal, euphoria, tidal energy, increased sexual desire and more vivid orgasm.

Uterine cramping - one of the most common unpleasant symptoms of menstruation. Accepted provide two types of spasms. The first type - the so-nazyvamye spasmodic convulsions, "culprit" that often become prostaglandins, chemicals that affect the muscular tension. Some prostaglandins cause relaxation of muscles, while others, on the contrary, they stress. A balanced diet with linoleic and linolenic acids in vegetables and fish, increases the amount of prostaglandins helps to relax tense muscles.

The second type of spasms - so-called congestive, "stagnant" spasms, the result of fluid retention and salt in the body. To avoid congestive spasms, better to give up dairy products, alcohol, caffeine and sugar.

How to deal with cramps during menstruation

• Physical activity - they normalize blood flow and oxygen circulation, increase blood flow to the pelvic region.
• Try not to use tampons - many believe that they increase the risk of cramps during menstruation. Discard the IUD.
• Avoid eating red meat, sugar, milk, fatty foods.
• Eat more fresh vegetables, whole grains (especially if the period of menstruation accompanied by constipation or digestive problems), nuts, fruits.
• Avoid coffee and other drinks containing caffeine - it constricts blood vessels, increases the tension.
• Meditate often do massage.
• Drink ginger tea (especially if the period of menstruation is accompanied by constant fatigue, fainting, dizziness).
• Add cayenne pepper in food - as a vasodilator, hot pepper improves circulation.
• Finally, pay attention to lifestyle, a woman's body is very sensitive to diet and nutritional deficiencies, so PMS and uterine cramping during menstruation often become sipmtomami malnutrition.

Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS

Premenstrual syndrome - a phenomenon known for a long time. However, over the past few decades, the efforts of pharmaceutical companies have been directed mainly to the fact that women are perceived as a kind of PMS disorder (and regularly buy drugs to relieve the symptoms of PMS). In fact, premenstrual syndrome - an absolutely natural part of the menstrual cycle.

PMS - a set of symptoms or sensations experienced by women as a result of high levels of hormones for a few days before the onset of menstruation (and in some cases and during menstruation). One of the key symptoms of PMS - Irritability Irritability - you try to control my temper , mood swings. With the onset of menstruation, these emotional swings tend to become less visible. This type of PMS is associated with hormones, if dominated by the hormone estrogen, there is a feeling of anxiety, restlessness, irritability. If progesterone is dominant Progesterone - norm and pathology , PMS may be accompanied by depression.

Changing eating habits, chronic fatigue, headaches - symptoms of PMS second type, which, however, is also related to changes in hormonal levels. As a result of the increase in hormone levels before menstruation can change the reaction to insulin - which makes women almost irresistible desire to eat something sweet. Relieve the symptoms of this type of premenstrual syndrome will balanced diet with plenty of complex carbohydrates - they will provide the necessary energy and help to cope with fluctuations in blood sugar levels Blood sugar - a very important indicator .

How is plentiful monthly

Heavy periods can be individually characteristic of women and may be a manifestation of menstrual disorders. In order to know exactly what is going on in her body and how it fits the norm, a woman should see a doctor.

What can be considered heavy monthly

Monthly considered heavy if they last more than seven days. Menstruation, which lasted more than twelve days, called menorrhagia and is already considered a pathology. Menorrhagia often occurs in adolescents during the formation of the menstrual cycle. The cause of menorrhagia is usually the poor coordination between the work of the bodies responsible for the implementation of proper operation of the menstrual cycle - the cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, ovaries and uterus. The same thing happens during menopause - during this period of menorrhagia Menorrhagia (menorrhagia) - excessive blood loss   also occur very often.

Sometimes, there are plentiful monthly against various common debilitating diseases (eg, tuberculosis), tumors or polyps in the uterus (such as fibroids), inflammatory processes in the mucous membrane of the uterus, and so on.

The reason may be a violation of blood clotting, is not associated with gynecological problems.

How to proceed

Heavy periods can be regular and not accompanied by any other symptoms. In this case, if the monthly continued least twelve days while in the course of examination did not reveal any pathology, they are considered for this rule. Typically, such periods are the individual characteristics of women most often associated with heredity. The body of many women is completely adapted to the blood loss and so they do not cause the development of diseases. However, increased monthly blood loss and iron along with it can lead to severe iron deficiency anemia, so women with heavy menstruation should periodically conduct blood tests in order to avoid such complications.

If heavy periods accompanied by severe pain and the blood is released with lots of clots, it may indicate the presence of hormonal disorders such as endometriosis. Endometriosis is called sprawl areas of the mucous membrane of the uterus in other tissues. Endometriosis occurs most often in the muscle layer of the uterus, and the cause of heavy painful periods.

Heavy periods can occur in nervous, excitable women, in which case they are usually accompanied by irritability Irritability - you try to control my temper , Severe headaches (including migraines), dizziness, insomnia and other symptoms of disorders of the central nervous system.

If the cause of heavy menstrual period was inflammatory process in the uterus, they are accompanied by pains, the severity of which depends on the inflammatory process itself, and the sensitivity of the nervous system of women. Severe pain on a background of heavy menstruation can occur when polyps in the uterus, as well as a variety of tumors.

What if a very heavy month

The main thing - it's time to see a doctor and to conduct a survey. In order to identify violations of the menstrual cycle is carried out laboratory and instrumental examination. By the laboratory tests are blood tests for hormones in different phases of the menstrual cycle, a general analysis of blood and urine tests (with the exception of inflammation, including the part of the urinary tract), the study of blood clotting, the study of vaginal discharge Vaginal discharge   and cervix (detection of inflammatory processes of female genital mutilation and sexual infections).

An ultrasound, endoscopy (colposcopy - a study of the mucous membrane of the vagina and cervix, hysteroscopy - a study of the uterine cavity) and X-ray examinations. All this allows to detect virtually any pathology with high accuracy.

Treatment

If during the examination of the pathology has not been revealed, the woman may recommend medication that strengthen the walls of blood vessels - usually Ascorutinum Ascorutin - strengthen capillary walls and warn toxic effects svob . With a slight decrease in hemoglobin prescribers iron. If hemoglobin is reduced significantly, it already requires the removal of gynecological causes of heavy periods.

Inflammatory processes are treated with antibacterial drugs with the mandatory laboratory control.

Endometriosis is treated as a conservative, hormonal therapy, and with the help of surgery. It is also subject to the removal of polyps in the uterus and tumors. Today, such operations are conducted sparing methods using a special endoscopic equipment.

The woman who just sought medical help for heavy menstrual period, is almost always possible to help.

Galina Romanenko