Periods and coping with them is something which every girl and women will have to do and there are many downsides to having them, while some women will be extremely lucky and only have very light periods for a day or two with no problems some women suffer horrendously for a week with heavy bleeding, severe cramps and a blinding headache.

All of these while being bad are in fact the norm for some women and are just something that has to be put up with and dealt with in the best way possible. Most of the symptoms however stressful they may be are only natural and are nothing more than the menstrual cycle.

The dreaded PMS

PMS or pre menstrual syndrome is basically a name for all the symptoms that many girls and women get on the run up to their period, that’s right not only do they suffer during but also on the lead up to it.

These symptoms can occur up to two weeks before the period starts

• A bloated feeling.
• Fatigue.
• Headaches.
• Sore breasts.
• Constipation.
• Cravings for certain food such as chocolate.Feeling very down.
• Feeling very irritable.
• Feeling stressed.
• A difficulty in concentrating on any one thing.

Eating lots of fruit and vegetables, drinking more water and cutting back on the salt intake are all known to help reduce the symptoms, taking vitamins can also help as can cutting back on the amount of caffeine you drink. Over the counter remedies for the pain such as paracetemol will of course help to relieve the stomach cramps.

What causes the stomach cramps?

Some women get very intense stomach cramps during the run up to their period and throughout their period; these are caused by chemicals in your body causing the muscles of the uterus to contract. As much as we might not feel like it exercise has been know to alleviate the pain, also soaking in a warm relaxing bath might help, this wont make the pain go away but it can cause the muscles to relax a little and relieve it a little. If the cramps are so severe that you miss school or work due to them then seek the advice of your doctor.

What age will I start having periods?

This is a question many young girls ask and everyone will go through puberty at different ages so there is no clear answer, some girls have been known to get their period from as young as 8 years old, others not until they have reached 16. Family has a lot to do with it so ask your mum how old she was when she got her period, the chances are that this will be around the time you will although there is no guarantee.

You shouldn’t really worry about not getting it, though if you have reached the age of 16 and have yet to start then it would be wise to seek the advice of your doctor, other than that enjoy the years you are menstrual free, they wont last.