Period problems

Most healthy women will have periods throughout their adult lives, but for many these can be a source of pain, debility and embarrassment.

The most common problems are painful periods, heavy periods and pre-menstrual tension (or syndrome). However for some women, periods either never start or suddenly disappear, and both these problems can be equally worrying.

Herbal medicine has traditionally been used for thousands of years to treat "women's problems". And now modern-day scientists are researching herbal use for the menstrual cycle.

Pre-menstrual tension starts for many women around one week before menstruation and can cause many aches, fluid retention, headaches, concentration problems and irritability. Recent research centres on the effects female hormones and stress-response hormones have on neurotransmitters in the brain.

Problematic periods are sometimes due to some form of hormone imbalance. In terms of hormone levels in the body, the imbalance can be quite slight but enough to stop things running smoothly. An imbalance can mean the lining of the womb becomes very thick, so periods will be heavy. And the opposite can be true, making periods scanty.  Pain is usually either cramping or heavy and dragging. Some women feel nauseous before or during a period and this can be especially the case for teenagers experiencing their first periods and women approaching menopause. In both these situations, hormone levels are having to re-adjust and settle down.

Modern research has found that some plants used by professional herbalists contain chemical structures very similar to human hormones.  And these herbs have traditionally been used for hundreds of years to ease hormonal and menstrual problems.

Most problems concerning menstruation are entirely normal and nothing to be alarmed about. But any sudden changes to your period pattern, intermittent bleeding and pain on intercourse should receive further medical investigation.