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I kept hearing, all my life, the big fat LIE that my period cramps would get better "later". After kids, after 30, whatever. And that my periods would get SHORTER.
Well I'm 36 with 2 kids and they are as horrid as they were in 8th grade. As in double over, want-to-die horrid. I have said before that I've had cramps worse than childbirth pains... and that's no exaggeration.
My periods are also almost always 7 days and fairly heavy. Blech.
So I'm wondering, has anyone actually seen this holy grail of lighter/less painful/shorter periods after having kids or turning 30?
I actually have a tiny ray of hope. This month there was less pain and for the first time ever it was only about 5 days, not 7. I had given up hope, figured I'd be better off waiting for menopause vs. waiting for some miraculous "improvement".
I had some of my worst cramps after I turned 30, but they diminished over the decade and as my 40s crept on, they all but disappeared (along with the agonizing breast pain and husband-scaring PMS.) I do, however, get my periods only 23 days apart, but I'm hopeful that my periods will end in the next year or so (I'm 50 now.)
Have you asked your gyn about fibroids or endometriosis? My mom had fibroids and had horribly heavy periods. I had slight endometriosis in my 30s and until I had laproscopic surgery, I had horrific cramps. There are things that can cause more extreme cramps. I think you should consult your doctor.
At 30, No. I think my 30's were the worst by far... At 40 yes! Noticeable changes in duration and "quantity" And the pain I had lived with from my 20's was finally fading away slowly... Still had 1 or 2 nasty, painful, "I need to lie in bed" events but nothing like my 30's.
And now at 48 it is OVER!!! 14 months free of it all!! Whoo Hoo! http://bestsmileys.com/dancing/6.gif (broken link)
And let me tell you from this side of the fence... it is glorious!!!
LOL, I also can't wait to be on the other side of the fence.... from the first time I had my period I had awful cramps and backaches... later on along came PMS, breast pain etc. In a few more years it will be over, hallelujah!
Ever since I entered my 40's, my periods have started coming in shorter cycles and are heavier, too . But the end is near, I hope!!!
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The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. ~Henry David Thoreau
I'm 49, nearing that magic time (with a little bit of apprehension and regret, but not much ), and my periods have indeed gotten shorter.
Unfortunately, my cycle is also shorter.
But the cramps? Backache? General malaise? Worse than ever.
But as I recall, my periods did get shorter once I hit about 30. In my teens and 20s they were 7 or 8 days long, then shortened to 5. Now it's 3 days. Woo-hoo.
I kept hearing, all my life, the big fat LIE that my period cramps would get better "later". After kids, after 30, whatever. And that my periods would get SHORTER.
Well I'm 36 with 2 kids and they are as horrid as they were in 8th grade. As in double over, want-to-die horrid. I have said before that I've had cramps worse than childbirth pains... and that's no exaggeration.
My periods are also almost always 7 days and fairly heavy. Blech.
So I'm wondering, has anyone actually seen this holy grail of lighter/less painful/shorter periods after having kids or turning 30?
I actually have a tiny ray of hope. This month there was less pain and for the first time ever it was only about 5 days, not 7. I had given up hope, figured I'd be better off waiting for menopause vs. waiting for some miraculous "improvement".
So sorry it has not gone that way for you. From the first one I ever had, up until the time I had my daughter at 32, I had horrible periods -- any way you wanted to look at it. Short cycles, long periods, horrible cramps, upset stomach and diarrhea, at least a day spent in bed, ruined clothes, ruined holidays.
It did improve after I had my daughter -- from 7 days to 5 to 3, and the cramps were manageable with meds (for the first time in my life). They weren't as heavy, and I had some semblance of a life the week of my period.
I went through menopause early, in my mid 40s, and was done by about 48. I began the nightmare summer of my 13th birthday.
I hope it improves for you. Soon.
My daughter's gynecologist advised her to take ibuprophen, or Aleve, several days before the onset of her period, and that seems to help her considerably.
My periods while growing up were terrible. They lasted 7 days and were extremely heavy. I had bad cramps too. My periods were off for a long while, all the doctors wanted to do was slap me on birth control pills. I eventually found out I have PCOS. Once I was on metformin, my periods came back. Now they are about 4 days long and very light. I have extreme lower back pain for a day before and the day of. The rest of the period is nothing. I've never understood how my back hurts if my parts are in the front. LOL Nothing some diet coke, chocolate, ibuprofen and a good backrub won't cure. It works for me!
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