godlessgrrl Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 Holy crap, I totally feel for you. My own cycle started when I was 11 and it was misery from day one. It only just started to calm down within the last year, after 23 fucking years of bloating, mood swings, joint pain, headaches, cramps so bad I'd curl up on the floor whimpering, and floods of clotted gore the likes of which even Shai Hulud has never seen. I also approve your choice not to mess with your hormones. I haven't had any luck with them myself. They can help some women, but they aren't the panacea people seem to think they are. (Progesterone actually made me bleed three times as often. I had 3 full-blown, 9-day periods in less than 6 weeks on the stuff.) Oddly enough, I recall learning in some class many years ago that one possible cause of PMS is androgen unmasking. The idea being that the minimal amount of androgens women produce all month is "unmasked" at the end of a woman's cycle when her female hormones drop off. I don't know if it's true, but if it is, then men sure as shit have no business whining about how hormonal women are or complaining about what a pain in the ass we are right around That Time of the Month, since it would mean our miseries are caused by MALE hormones. If it's miserable being dominated by androgens for even a day, makes me wonder how the hell men can cope with it 24/7. I actually had a boyfriend complain once about how difficult my periods were for him. I seem to recall promptly ripping off his head and spitting down his neck. I don't know why my periods have slowed down, but I'm grateful that they have. My own secrets have been copious amounts of painkillers, back massages coerced from SO's held hostage to my hormone-fueled hostility, and video games involving plenty of gratuitous violence. Oh wait - we were talking about PMS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freethinker Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 Two words: birth control As I've said before, I don't want to risk taking it. My mother died from breast cancer. How do you know that birth control causes cancer? I'm on depo provera. I've heard it can cause calcium deficiency and loss of bone mass, therefore puts one at risk for osteoporosis. Not sure how bad the risk is for that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknowing1 Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 Thanks for the info. on the herbal supplements and the mood swings. I do eat foods with high carbohydrate levels on a normal basis as well as take a multivitamin and an additional 50mg of zinc daily but I haven't tried the herbs. I'll have to look into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted November 28, 2007 Author Share Posted November 28, 2007 Two words: birth control As I've said before, I don't want to risk taking it. My mother died from breast cancer. How do you know that birth control causes cancer? I'm on depo provera. I've heard it can cause calcium deficiency and loss of bone mass, therefore puts one at risk for osteoporosis. Not sure how bad the risk is for that one. There have been studies that show some birth control types do put women at higher risk of cancer, and some of them were the ones my mother took. Put it this way. I would rather be miserable 36 days or so out of the year, then die. Because with my crappy luck, I'd get the cancer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts