Frustrated- Difficult Menstruation

[RawBabie]

One of the main reasons I went raw was to heal my painful menstruation due to fibroids. Ive been raw since the end of January and it seems to be getting worse. This month it was very heavy on day 2 as usual, less heavy on day 3 (today) but unbelievably painful this morning. Yet, I can tell that my fibroids have gotten considerably smaller, so I dont understand why my menstruation has not been impacted in any way!

I as close to 100% raw as I can, fruit in the morning and before dinner; veggies and nut-based recipes for lunch and dinner. I was having maca in order to HELP, but I decided to cut it out this month to see what would happen.

I want from 135 lb in January to 114 right now. My scale says Im 18% body fat, which seems about right to me. Back in January I was 28% body fat.

I know that fat affects estrogen production, but Ive lost so much fat and weight already that Im afraid to lose more. I think if I cut out fat altogether, it will cause more complications, maybe loss of ovulation.

I want to reduce my menstruation on the 1-2 heavy days but Im not sure how to do that. Ive though about herbal tinctures but they are not raw and contain alcohol. Even dried herbal remedies are not raw. So that would be defeating the purpose in my mind.

I need advice on how to modify my diet (maybe cutting out condiments and nuts?) and maintain my exercise program (calisthenics) so that I become more ‘clean’ yet maintain my current weight.

Any thoughts?

[sport]

Have no doubt that if you are 100% raw then your body is healing something every day. It will get around to healing your periods but it may have other priorities to deal with that you may not be aware of.
Give it more time and it will work wonders.

[rawnhealthy]

Actually, green smoothies might make your journey to healing a bit easier. I would add a nice big green smoothie to your day- morning is ideal- simply add about 60% fresh fruit and about 40% greens in your blender with some water and blend! You wouldn't believe how quick your health/mood can change with 1-2 quarts of green smoothie every day! (you can work up to this amount over time adding more greens)
Good luck and take care:)

[rawstrength]

It took me 5 months on raw to have manageable, painfree periods, and it got way worse before it got better. Hang in there! :hugs:

[Erika]

I too have uterine fibroids and I deal with very heavy menstrual cycles. I have lessened my flow a little by eating raw but I think that it will get better with time. I know that certain foods can mimic estrogen in the body and soy is one of those products so if you are eating soy, stay away from it. You don't want to cut out all of the fat, good, natural fats are healthy for you. Cutting out all fats can have an impact on your brain and your heart, so keep eating nuts, seeds, avocados and olive oil. You could try some yoga to go along with your healthy eating habits. If you are eating well then it should get better with time, other than that, I don't know what else you can do except that I have heard that you can put progesterone cream on your tummy for a few days out of the month. It's supposed to level out the estrogen because fibroids are largely related to "estrogen dominance". I have also heard of doing castor oil packs on the stomach to keep the fibroids soft. If you are on birth control pills to help make the period lighter then you should get off of those too. The pill has been found to be a large contributor to fibroids and it makes them grow larger.

Hope this helps,
Erika

[Eva]

I second the green smoothies. Difficult menstruation sometimes feels so bad because your body is basically getting depleted of huge amounts of minerals. The green smoothies every day SHOULD help you with that, big time. Our bodies are pretty complicated and sometimes have other battles to fight (that's why I say it SHOULD help)... but in most cases, a daily green smoothie will do the trick over time.

And I mean a big one. Like a couple pounds of green leaves and equal amount of fruit, plus whatever amount of water/ice you need to make it a good combo for you (or more fruit in the beginning if you need to make it more palatable).

[Zaphirah]

DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE A GUY AND/OR SQUEAMISH!!!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Are you SURE you want to continue?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I mean it! Reconsider and go back NOW!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Alright...you've been warned.....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
okay wait a minute. did you say that fat does something to estrogen.-because I have been searching and searching for a reason why my cycle got so much worse on raw.

I eat a lot more fat on raw and coincidentally my periods became so heavy that I cannot leave the house for 1-2 days. I have been using incontinence pads ALONG WITH the super tampons. I have to change them every 30-60 min. I also pass very large clots. When I took 2 months off raw and ate SAD my periods were much easier and I could actually leave the house on day 2. Something I haven't done in a YEAR.

What the heck are some women doing that makes their periods stop altogether-I want on that train ASAP!

Sorry to hijack-but it seems as if you have info on my plight of the last year....

[Eva]

OMG Zaphirah, you are too funny!!!

I don't have this experience -- but it makes perfect sense! People who stop menstruating do so because they are taking in so little fat. So it would make sense for it to go both ways (i.e. less fat, less menstruation; more fat, more)... but I really don't know. That just seems to "easy"!

[Zaphirah]

Apparently, you did not heed my warning! :p

[Eva]

Ha! What makes you think I am a guy OR squeamish!? mwuhahaha. The poopy/menstruation/etc. talk is fun for me. My favorite friend, though... my gracious, when I tell her something exciting has happened, she always asks "This doesn't have anything to do with your body, does it? Cuz I don't wanna know if it does. Just keep it to yourself. I mean it." Too funny.

[Zaphirah]

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! (I know her pain! Dh's 87 year old grandma waits til she and I are alone then talks all about her diarrhea, incontinence, the blood in her urine, what shellfish and caffeine do to her bowels, blah blah blah eww eww eww!)

[Eva]

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! (I know her pain! Dh's 87 year old grandma waits til she and I are alone then talks all about her diarrhea, incontinence, the blood in her urine, what shellfish and caffeine do to her bowels, blah blah blah eww eww eww!) OMG!!!! I'm not THAT bad!

[Zaphirah]

Eva- I think we killed the thread! We grossed 'em all away! :rolleyes:

[Eva]

LOL. I think so. Whoopsies! Here, let's get it back on track!


The herb chasteberry (Vitex agnus castus) works to increase your body’s own progesterone production and may help normalize your flow when taken regularly for several months.

Soy foods, licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), and red clover (Trifolium pratense) all have pro-estrogenic effects, so it’s best to avoid them whenever you experience heavy bleeding. Ditto red meat and other products from hormone-treated animals. Lastly, you want to avoid liver toxins such as alcohol and an unhealthy, junk-food diet since impaired liver function can also lead to excess estrogen buildup.


I found this info, thought it might possibly be helpful although you're already doing the right things it seems... http://www.naturalsolutionsmag.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/center.article/articleID/11403/subTopicID/43/TreatingFibroidsWithoutSurgery

[RawBabie]

Thanks to all who responded, I had no idea the thread was ever alive! :)

To all of your recommendations, Ive tried everything (progesterone cream, ground flax, herb capsules etc.) and eliminated all the usual suspects (commercial pads and tampons, etc.)

Right now Im trying Vitalzym to reduce completelly eliminate the fibroids; chasteberry tincture for hormone balance; and a combination of herbal tinctures for pre-menstruation and during.

Last period was better in terms of pain and somehow felt less intense if that makes any sense. The flow was slightly less, and I was only taking 3 Vitalzym a day. The recommendation is at least 9 vitalzym a day to see a real impact so that's what Im doing until my next period, along with the herbal tinctures.

I'll let you guys know what happen, thanks again!!

[Conscious Midwife]

:::::QUIT USING TAMPONS:::::


Top ten researched (by me on me) menses remedies...


1. Tampons gotta go, got rayon in the core of all the "natural" cotton
Rayon still kills all day everyday. So quit killing your womb! Pads and Depends for hemorhaging are gross, I know, but once your menses cycle improves you won't be hemorhagging just spotting or having a very light flow.


2. AVOID foods and products laiden with animal hormones, including urine, placenta and fats from animals found in our hair products, cosmetics and skin care. So stay RAW, high raw or at least 100% VEGAN!


3. Chart your cycle even if you are/aren't trying to get pregnant. Honor your womb, flow with the moon. Bath in cool water on non flow days, cold invigorating showers on flow days. Use aroma therapeutics, increase meditation and "be still" on flow days. Hot showers are innervating, feel good at the tiem but leaves yuor nerves on edge later especially while PMS'ing, especially when driving and succumbing to road rage plus PMS'ing!


4. Manganese ( not to be confused with magnesium) supplementation for the uterine contraction relief. WORKS WONDERFULLY and INSTANTLY. Use before your flow and continue through the flow, or every day of the month.


5. St. John's Wart for pissy attitude!


6. GREEN SMOOTHIES, yes yes yes for regulating blood sugar, carb craving and other pissy attitude like symptoms


7. If a suitable mate is available consider tantric or RAWMASUTRA (TM) sexcapades. Get organic, wholistic and spiritual with your sexcapades! Orgasms can be healing, all your CHAKRAS will appreciate you and you are entitled to, deserving of and due more than just 1 ever now and then!


8. Daily Exercise. Yoga on flow days, high impact or whatever you like on other days.


9. AVOCADOS DAILY!!!


10. Acupuncture, chiro adjusment and/or homeo pathic remedies. An adjusment may be of great benefit, especially if your weight is up/ posture off and undue pressure is being placed on your nerves.

[RawBabie]

Thanks LifesAGift, great list! :)

[Stina]

Does anyone know if it's ideal to use vitex for the whole month or just part of the monthly cycle, and if so, what part? thanks

[Ife]

Some people wrote that green smoothies daily would help. Do you mean every day or every day of the period?

[brownies]

I tend to have some pretty horrid periods too. Sometimes my cramps get so bad I have to sleep on the bathroom floor because I will be puking all night.

One thing that helped the most was when I switched from conventional pads to homemade cloth pads. (I buy them here: http://naturallynatalies.etsy.com but you can make them yourself if your crafty) This reduced my period by a day or two on average & has helped lessen my pms pain.
I don't know why it helps so much but there are some theory's out there about chemicals in conventional pads that are put in to make you bleed more (and have to use more of their product) What ever the reason is I and many other people have made the change and notice the benefits.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Definitely green smoothies every day. OK hold on to your horses, this will be a long post, and TMI for any blood-queasy people out there.

I had finally achieved a painfree period. Yay! Until a year and a bit ago I got a copper IUD (no hormones) because it is the best form of birth control available for my partner and I right now. (Yes, yes, charting is amazing!! but I don't feel I can do it right now. However, it's incredible "just because" not only if you're trying to get pregnant or prevent pregnancy! Remember, this isn't the 28-day cycle crap we're fed as teens. This is charting YOUR cycle. A GREAT book to read is Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health by Toni Weschler. It's revolutionary.)

OK, since the IUD, I had periods so heavy I wondered if I was hemmoraging (which, to think of it, I may have been), and so painful I was ready to kill myself every month, and I have a HIGH pain tolerance. This continued far past the "3 months of discomfort" that you are told about. This continued for a year.

Finally, I am painfree.

ONE: Do not be afraid to take painkillers. Yes, they're bad for you, but the stress caused by this is worse. I believe in guides/angels, and that I speak with them, and as I prayed for relief, they told me, "Fine, but you've got to help us." They told me to take painkillers my next period the moment I feel discomfort. So I did. And it worked. That was the last period I have ever used painkillers for. Sometimes, all it takes is to love your body enough to give it relief, and to do an act to let your body KNOW that it means enough to you to do this.

TWO: Raspberry leaf is the most amazing plant for women. It strengthens, tones, and at the same time relaxes, and is totally safe for all women of all ages, including pregnancy and breastfeeding. I use a tincture or tea.
Crampbark tincture or tea is incredible. Even these two together, I never had much relief. Until:
Shepherd's purse. About a teaspoon as a tea mixed with some crampback (if you can get it plain) once or twice during the first day of your period. It greatly reduces exessive bleeding and hemmoraging.

Try these. They worked for me. I have only used shepherd's purse twice because it is very powerful, and I do not believe it is healthy to "stop" menstrual bleeding every single period. You want to heal it, not stop it.

THREE: Love your body. It sounds gross, but look at your blood. Touch it. Love it. See it as sacred. Don't see it as gross. So many women are too afraid to even look down in the shower, and this greatly contributes to menstrual problems and illnesses of the reproductive system. You can see it as dark areas in the body (energetically). Actually, a good meditation is imagining light permeating every bit of your reproductive system, especially areas you feel of as dark.

I know these methods are not for everyone, but they worked for me. Since using the herbs and the painkillers that one period (and a few of the herbs the one after) I have never had a painful period again. Check with your naturopath if the herbs are OK for fibroids, but they should be.

I wish you luck in healing this pain - Believe me, I'm rooting for you! Don't feel like you're doing anything wrong. You're beautiful and wonderful and you will get through this!! *hugs* And don't ever let anyone make you feel like you're weak or needing to "suck it up." If you're in pain, respect that, honour that. Blessings to you and yours

[RawBabie]

Thanks all, yes I have cloth pads and a couple menstrual cups. I couldnt deal with the hand washing of the pads and the cups leaked badly for me (not to mention hurt like hell, maybe hitting my cervix?). So I did that for about 6 months (Im about 99% raw too) and went back to traditional pads and tampons for the time being, until my fibroids and bleeding go away.

CHL, I used shephard's purse, yarrow, partridgeberry and a few other herbs as a tincture mix last period (one dropper full in water, every couple hours on the heaviest day) and I felt a little better. But it didnt have the powerful effect that it had on you. How long did you take it, before and during your period?

Im not mentally ready to go back to traditional painkillers. But I am willing to try them if the herbal tinctures dont give significant improvement in the next few months.

I have no body or menstrual blood issues, lol.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Ok the Shepherd's purse is best in tea form. All herbs have water-soluble and alcohol/oil-soluble active ingredients. If you can get it, buy a small bit of the herb, or get it fresh if you live where it grows. Chewing 1/8 tsp can help, but try using a teaspoon of it to make a decoction or just a tea. I'm sorry that all you've tried isn't helping :(

As for the menstrual cups, may I ask what cup you are using?

[RawBabie]

CHW, thanks for your caring :)

I have the Divacup and the Keeper. I love them, and can't wait to try them again. The main reason I don't use them is because of leakage on the heaviest day. The pain from suction or cervical contact was pretty bad but Im willing to work around that when my flow lightens up.

Thanks for the tip on the dried herbs. I can get them at From Nature With Love or Mountain Rose Herbs.

[coco]

excellent advice about loving your body and your cycle! glad to hear other women saying that, it is powerful medicine!

i wanted to add because i didn't see it posted here (thought i didn't read every single word so sorry if i missed it) that pineapple is a great natural anti-inflamatory. pineapple and blueberries make a great smoothie that is terrific for cramps.

hope things even out for you.

[brownies]

I dont handwash my pads. I simply soak them in a tub of cold water that gets dumped & filled once a day till the end of my period when I wash all the pads at once in the washing machine. By that time 99% of the blood is out of the pads anyway from all the dumping & refilling of the water I did. Cloth pads really arn't that big of a hassle as people make them be.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Brownies, you're so right, and thanks for saying that. Cloth pads are no hassle at all. I too just soak them until I throw them in the washer.

Coco, I didn't know that about pineapples! Wow!

Rawbabie, sometimes the Divacup leaks if not inserted properly or if it's the wrong size, but I'm more worried about it hurting. When I use mine it's actually very low - I know they say to have it high but I can never seem to do it. I mean it's fully inserted, but maybe that's it? Also, did you trim the tip? Some women find it easier just to remove the entire tip because they don't use it anyway. I don't use mine often so I'm not the best source on it....

[RawBabie]

Coco, thanks, yes Ive tried the pineapple remedy, and had no effect. I even think all the sugar made my cramps worse.

Brownies and CHW, yes, if I had a washing machine at home cloth pads would be no hassle for me too ;) I live in NYC, my landlord doesnt allow washer/dryers. I have my laundry done at by wash/fold service. So for right now (until I move out of state and buy a washer/dryer) cloth pads are a hassle. And no, Brownies, it's not that I want them to be a hassle.;)

CHW, I fully removed the tip from both cups. I used the cup about 4 years ago and got fed up with the excruciating suction on lighter days and the leakage on heavier days. I then tried again this year for about 6 months, with little better results. Hey, everything ain't for everybody. However, I refuse to get rid of them and will be experimenting with them again in the future when my cycle changes. (positive thinking = positive results)

Thanks all. I really do appreciate your suggestions, but I think they are mostly coming from a non-fibroid point of view. Having uterus with fibroids is a very different experience from a normal uterus. As you can see, Ive tried just about everything (the verdict is still out on Vitalzym) and tried eliminating the 'usual suspects'. I'm by no means giving up, I will continue to search for a better menstrual experience all the way to menopause, lol...

[Riiiya]

CRAZY HEALER LADY- you sound like you're into some energy healing (?) :)

I'm taking a level 1 Pranic Class next month..so exciting!!!

Great info here!! It's funny i'm reading this topic- just started my period today.. it's not killing me but i FEEL IT for sure.. the interesting thing- every time i put my hand to the painful area (& sending love there), the bad feeling goes away :)

P.S. i have been having 4-months periods of no mensturation! it would start in September and end in December (2006, then in 2007 again) it was bizarre. the first time i lost tons of weight (not raw, just eating NOTHING) and was very stressed..so i contributed it to that.. And in 2007 i started raw and was mentally afraid of my periods to stop..and they did! till december again! curious indeed. This time i was just a bit nervous but loving myself and hoping for no unexplained interruptions in my cycle.

[Stina]

I dont handwash my pads. I simply soak them in a tub of cold water that gets dumped & filled once a day till the end of my period when I wash all the pads at once in the washing machine. By that time 99% of the blood is out of the pads anyway from all the dumping & refilling of the water I did. Cloth pads really arn't that big of a hassle as people make them be.

That's what I do with mine. It's worth the little effort it takes because they are so much more comfortable than disposable pads or tampons.

[Conscious Midwife]

I have a box of INSTEAD disposable soft cups I bought at Whole Foods. Used a few didn't like the removal.

Will mail the reamining new ndividually wrapped cups still in th box, out to the first person who PM's me with their addy.