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Normal Menstrual Cycle - Managing Menstrual Cycle Symptoms and Bleeding
Keep a calendar and mark the day you start your menstrual period each month. If your cycle is regular, it can help you predict when you'll have your next period. It's also important to know the date of your last menstrual period (LMP) when you're pregnant and need to estimate your due date.
If you're trying to figure out
whether you have a pattern of premenstrual symptoms, it may be helpful to keep
a
premenstrual daily symptom diary
(What is a PDF document?)
.
You can improve your body's ability to handle menstrual changes by getting regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, limiting alcohol and caffeine intake, and reducing stress. Nonprescription pain relievers can also help reduce some symptoms.
Medicine for menstrual pain and bleeding
Try a nonprescription medicine to help relieve your pain and bleeding. Start taking the recommended dose of pain reliever when symptoms begin or 1 day before your menstrual period starts. If you are trying to become pregnant, talk to your doctor before using any medicine.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (for example, Advil), reduce menstrual cramps, pain, and bleeding by lowering the level of the hormone prostaglandin.3, 4
- If NSAIDs do not relieve the pain, try acetaminophen, such as Tylenol.
- Take the medicine for as long as the symptoms would normally last if you did not take the medicine.
Be sure to follow all labels and instructions. Do not take aspirin if you are younger than 20 because of the risk of Reye syndrome.
Additional ways to relieve menstrual cramps
- Apply heat to your abdomen with a heating pad or hot water bottle, or take a warm bath. Heat improves blood flow and may decrease pelvic pain.
- Lie down and elevate your legs by putting a pillow under your knees.
- Lie on your side and bring your knees up toward your chest. This will help relieve back pressure.
- Get regular exercise. This improves blood flow, produces pain-fighting endorphins, and may reduce pain.
- If you have vaginal pain with cramps, try using pads instead of tampons.
For more information on managing menstrual cramps, see:
Managing menstrual bleeding
You can choose from a range of pad and tampon choices for managing menstrual bleeding. Follow all instructions included with the product of your choice.
- Tampons range from small to large, for light to heavy flow. You can place a tampon in the vagina by using a slender tube (that is packaged with the tampon) or by tucking it in with a finger. It's important to change a tampon every 4 to 6 hours. This helps prevent leakage as well as infection.
- Pads range from thin and light to thick and super absorbent. They protect your clothing, with or without using a tampon. Pads may be your best choice for use at night.
Whichever you use, be sure to change it regularly. Tampons are ideal for activities that pads aren't practical for, such as swimming. Tampons should be changed every 4 to 6 hours, so they aren't recommended for nighttime use. It may take some experimenting to find the right feminine care products for you.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Normal Menstrual Cycle Topics
ENABLEX is a prescription medicine used in adults to treat the following symptoms due to a condition called overactive bladder:
- · having a strong need to go to the bathroom right away (also called "urgency")
- · leaks or wetting accidents (also called "urinary incontinence")
- · having to go to the bathroom too often (also called "urinary frequency")
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
You should not take once-daily ENABLEX if you have certain types of stomach problems, glaucoma, or have trouble emptying your bladder. Side effects of ENBLEX include blurred vision, and more commonly dry mouth, constipation, indigestion, and abdominal pain. Use caution when doing certain activities until you know how ENBALEX affects you.
VIVELLE-DOT (estradiol transdermal system) IS AVAILABLE BY PRESCRPTION ONLY.
INDICATION
Vivelle-Dot is used after menopause to: reduce moderate to severe hot flashes; treat moderate to severe dryness, itching and burning in or around the vagina; help reduce your chances of getting osteoporosis (thin weak bones); and treat certain conditions in which a young woman's ovaries do not produce enough estrogens naturally. Vivelle-Dot 0.025 mg/day is only used to prevent osteoporosis from menopause. If you use Vivelle-Dot only to treat your dryness, itching, and burning in and around your vagina or if you use Vivelle-Dot only to prevent osteoporosis from menopause, talk with your healthcare professional about whether a different treatment or medicine without estrogens might be better for you.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Estrogens increase the chances of getting cancer of the uterus (womb). Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are taking estrogens. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb).
Do not use estrogens with or without progestins to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. Using estrogens with or without progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots. Using estrogens with progestins may increase your risk of dementia (decline in memory and thinking skills).
Vivelle-Dot should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding; currently have or have had certain cancers, including cancer of the breast or uterus; had a stroke or heart attack in the recent past (for example, in the past year); currently have or have had blood clots; currently have or have had liver problems; or think you may be, or know that you are, pregnant.
The most common side effects that may occur with Vivelle-Dot are headache, breast tenderness, and back pain.
You and your healthcare professional should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with Vivelle-Dot.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Full Prescribing Information for Vivelle-Dot.
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