Cramps are worse

[sweetcee]

Hello all. I have been googling and reading up on this forum. I know the whole30 can reset hormones, I know mine can likely use a good reset.

my cycle is not super regular, even on minastrin, and started today, day 17 of my w30 and day 15 in my pill pack. I’m totally down to keep whole30ing because I REALLY want to know what affects me, and am willing to put up with some irregularity as I balance out. 

What I cannot do is these CRAMPS! This feels like when I was in high school pre birth control. Front and back cramps too, because why not spread the joy.   I am glued to my heating pad, I want to throw up, I can’t even think about a template meal, and I think I have to crack and take Advil soon.  

Is this just a part of the hormone revolt? Are there certain foods that will help (other than chocolate which - to be honest - I had NO food cravings coming up to this period which is amazing!)? So jealous of you ladies with less cramping than before!

[ShannonM816]

Take the advil if you need it -- you don't have to just suffer.

I don't know if this is normal, maybe someone else will weigh in with their experience, but I can tell you that most of the people I've seen on the forum say that if they continue eating Whole30 style most of the time, their periods continue to get more regular, less painful, with less PMS symptoms leading up to them, so hang in there.

I don't know what foods might help, but definitely try a heating pad or hot water bottle or similar on your back or tummy, and maybe warm things like soup or hot tea. I know you probably don't want to do anything but curl up somewhere and not move, but if you feel up to it, google something like yoga stretches for menstrual cramps and see if there are a few you could try that might help some. 

[sweetcee]

Thanks Shannon for the advice. The Advil allowed me to move about my day. Weekends are for meal prepping here so sitting attached to my heating pad helped no one, haha.

my periods have been super easy, if not wonky (irregular even on the pill, super super light), so I’m sure once my hormones work themselves out a bit it’ll get better. It just seemed like most people had a different transition in. Mine has been worse cramping, loose stool and more bleeding. I will wait it out. Just wondering if there was a food that helped anyone else.  Once the Advil kicked in the pain lessened enough that I wasn’t feeling nausea or dry heaving. 

On the NSV side, my PMS symptoms were nearly impossible to suss out! And that never happens!

[RedRox]

I am so happy to find this post.  After reading several other posts in this subforum about ladies' PMS and menstrual symptoms improving, I was getting incredibly grumpy about the fact that mine have definitely been worse this month - especially in the cramping and nausea categories.  I had to bring my heating pad to work with me today, and that never happens.  Stupid hormonal shifts.

If anybody else is into yoga/stretching to ease symptoms, this is one of my favorite youtube instructors.

[sweetcee]

Yeah- my second cycle (during reintros) was painless but was 10 days of barely any bleeding. Too light for the cup but still needed something. Crazy how the hormones change things! Hope the heat helped.