I look like an Olympic weightlifter right now.
As I type this blog up I am sat here with a hot water bottle strapped around my waist using a belt. Trust me, it’s a look. Well, don’t they say ‘necessity is the mother of invention’? So let’s get on with it, let’s talk about PMS. Pre-menstrual ‘(PMS’) Symptoms. I know loads of you reading will be thinking ‘OMG I do that too’ or be thinking of similar tips and tricks you have invented over the years. We’re all inventers.
I don’t think I’m alone in actually knowing that I’m not alone in this monthly suffering, about 75% of us have PMS symptoms every month… some of our blessings include bloating, headaches, stomach cramps, and moodiness. By the way, if you are an Endo-Warrior-Queen thinking ‘I get this pain daily!’ these blogs are going to be delving deep into your reality, into your world, and helping our whole community learn more about Endo too. Just- please bare with- I’m hoping to convince some of you to get writing ASAP.
In terms of managing my period pains, I like to use ‘natural’ remedies, be that heat, or hemp (etc). Let me tell you something interesting. Though more research around cannabis and its ability to relieve menstrual pain is needed, the studies have been done so far are very revealing indeed. Take this example- a few years back in 2015 researchers from the University of British Columbia asked 192 women if they had used cannabis to relieve menstrual pain. Remember!- Marijuana is available for purchase from dispensaries in Vancouver (what a victory).
‘Of all the women surveyed, 85 percent said they had used cannabis for menstrual pain and almost 90 percent of these women said it was effective at relieving the pain’.
Blimey. Hungry for more? Well researchers at Oregon Health & Science University interviewed more than 1,000 women across the US to see what they thought of using cannabis for period pains. Well sixty percent said they already use cannabis, to treat pain (including PMS), depression, and anxiety. But that’s not the best part.. Wait for it.. nearly two-thirds of the women who’d never used cannabis said they would take the drug in a bid to ease their period pain.
Well waddya know. Two. Thirds.
Finally it seems women everywhere are waking up to the very real need to look after ourselfves properly, to bust stigmas, and put ourself first. We are more willing that ever to harness the powers of mother nature to help us manage… mother nature.
Speaking from experience as a 30 y/o woman, I speak from experience when I say that whether you’re 12 or 30, you can still have killer monthly PMS. You can still have an inconsistent cycle. You can still have heavier bleeds, and lighter bleeds. And birth control might help manage that.. or it might not. You can be as happy as a pig in muck, or you can be an angry AF Boudica. I’m still trying to figure it all out tbh.. month by month.
That’s why im here typing. That’s why I started endoboxes. That’s why each day I wake up and feel amazingly connected and inspired by all of you. We are all in this together. This womanhood, this shared experience, and making sense of it.
We’ve all got tips and tricks in our arsenal to share, and I just know that together we can inspire each other, manage our PMS, and empower each other to be the strong women that we all our. Even if we don’t always feel that way. Hey, sometimes we just want to rant. Well, you are at home here.
Now… I’ll be right back with you, just gotta top up my hot bot… 😉
