Some women have very little trouble with their menstrual cycles, but others face a monthly ordeal. An array of stressful symptoms like irritability, mood swings, headaches, bloating, water retention and soreness of the breasts, may occur with premenstrual syndrome. Periods can be irregular and troubled, with cramping, menorrhagia (abnormally heavy flow), and various discomforts. Homeopathic remedies can bring great relief to both acute & chronic (long standing issues). Menstrual problems that are chronic or severe are best addressed with the guidance of an experienced practitioner; a constitutional remedy may help to bring balance to a person’s system on many levels.

Menstrual complaints, including those described below generally respond very well  to Homeopathy

  • Dysmenhorea – Painful Periods
  • Amenhorea – Absence of  Periods
  • Metorrhagia –  Uterine Bleeding at irregular intervals, “Break through bleeding”
  • Menorrhagia – Excessive blood flow & extended length of menstruation
  • PMS/ PMT – Pre-Menstrual Syndrome/ Pre-Menstrual Tension
  • Endometriosis – Endometrial tissue from the uterus is found outside the womb in other areas of the body

 

DYSMENORRHOEA – Painful menstruation

Dysmenorrhoea is the term used for painful menstruation. Around 50 to 60 % of females suffer from pain in relation to menses. The extent of pain may vary from a mere discomfort to sever pain incapacitating the patient from her normal daily activities. The pain is usually experienced in lower abdomen but may extend to back and thighs.

TYPES OF DYSMENORRHOEA

  1. Primary Dysmenorrhoea: It usually occurs in girls and young females and tends to improve with increasing age. The patients have complaints of pain ever since the periods started. The pain is usually spasmodic or colicky in character and is worse on first 2, 3 days of menses and eases as the flow establishes. There is usually no underlying medical problem. Causes: The pain is due to the spasm of uterine muscle caused by excessive secretion of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are the hormones secreted by the cells in the uterus. Patients suffering from primary Dysmenorrhoea have high levels of prostaglandins.Stressful events in life, anxieties, fears, grief etc leave an impression on human mind and are often the culprit behind the physical diseases.
  2. Secondary Dysmenorrhoea: The secondary Dysmenorrhoea is due to some underlying pelvic disease. Symptoms of Dysmenorrhoea usually appear after few years of painless menstruation. The pain experienced is very variable but is usually dull aching pain. The common causes of secondary Dysmenorrhoea are:
    • Endometriosis: It is a common condition in which the tissue similar to the lining of uterus (endometrium) is present outside the uterus.
    • Pelvic inflammatory disease
    • Uterine Fibroids
    • Ovarian Cysts
    • Abnormal positioning of uterus e.g. retroverted uterus or adhesions of uterus.
    • Intra uterine contraceptive devices can also cause painful menses in some females.

SYMPTOMS OF DYSMENORRHOEA
Pain: is the leading symptom of Dysmenorrhoea.It is usually felt in lower abdomen and may extend to thighs and back. Pain is spasmodic, colicky or dull in character. Other concomitant symptoms like headache, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, irritability can also be associated. In secondary Dysmenorrhoea the symptoms of underlying medical problem are also present.

TREATMENT
Most of the conventional modes of treatment aim to palliate the pain rather than curing the cause behind it.

HOMEOPATHIC APPROACH
Homeopathy being an individualistic science tries to find an individual remedy for each case. Different females suffering from Dysmenorrhoea present with different symptoms regarding the character, localization, extension and severity of pain. Also varying are the accompanying symptoms like nausea, vomiting, headache, vertigo, diarrhea, constipation etc. Some females will have complaints much before menses while others are worse only during it. The character of blood, its color, presence or absence of clots, the underlying cause like fibroids, cysts, endometriosis etc differentiate one case from another.

Most importantly the disposition and mental state of ech person is different. A female reproductive system releases various hormones for its normal functioning which are further controlled by hormones released by brain. Any past or prevailing stress, grief, anxiety, fear etc lead to an imbalance in normal hormonal regulation. Hence a Homeopathic remedy is selected by considering the physical, mental and emotional state of each person in order to cure safely and effectively.

 

AMENORRHEA – Absence of menstruation

Definition:
Absence of the normal periods after the cycle has been established normally at puberty.

Causes:
Fatigue, shock, travel, debility, anemia, malnutrition, repeated pregnancies, endocrinal disorders and exposure to cold or wet in the days prior to the expected onset, medications, anxiety.

Symptoms:
Failure to menstruate regularly, as usual.

Treatment: Constitutional treatment is always most effective.

Metorrhagia

Definition: Too frequent menstruation, irregular, “break-through bleeding”

 

Mehorrhagia

Definition: Menhorragia means excessive blood loss when menstrual cycles and menstruation occur on a normal schedule, but the amount of blood flow is excessive and bleeding lasts longer than seven days.Such bleeding during menses  may interfere or prevent usual your daily activities.

CAUSES:

  • Uterine fibroid – It is a benign (non cancerous) growth from the muscular layer of the uterus.
  • I. U. C. D. (Intra uterine contraceptive device e.g. Cu T). This is the most common cause of menorrhagia.
  • Ovarian cysts –   Ovarian cysts are fluid filled sacs which develop in the ovaries. Also   known as   functional cysts. Mostly they are benign in nature.
  • P.C.O.D- (Poly cystic ovarian disease) – It is an endocrinal disorder where multiple cysts are formed in the ovaries .The ovaries are enlarged and produce excess amount of oestrogen and androgen hormones.
  • Hormonal   imbalance – Certain diseases such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism cause menorrhagia.
  • Salpingo- oophrites – Inflammation of fallopian tubes and ovaries.
  • Pelvic   endometrioses – (Endometrium is the inner lining of the uterine cavity) When endometrium  is found outside the uterus on other pelvic organs, it causes severe pelvic pain, menstrual irregularities, heavy bleeding etc.
  • Vitamin K deficiency
  • Ectopic pregnancy(pregnancy develops inside the fallopian tubes), miscarriage may cause menorrhagia
  • Cancer – Uterine cancer, cervical cancer can cause menorrhagia.
  • Medications – Anti coagulants and anti inflammatory drugs can cause menorrhagia.
  • Other medical conditions – Chronic hypertension, heart disease with congestive failure, chronic nephrites, severe anemia, blood disorders may cause heavy bleeding.
  • Genetic disorders may give rise to menorrhagia
  • Emotional stress may also give rise to menorrhagia

TREATMENT

Treatment depends upon your medical history, investigations and the cause of menorrhagia. One should have a balanced diet to treat anemia and vitamin deficiencies.

  • Adequate rest; if bleeding interferes with your daily activities.
  • Avoid anti-inflammatory & anticoagulant drugs if possible.
  • Relaxation through meditation, yoga or similar activities.

HOMOEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT OF MENORRHAGIA AND METORRHAGIA

In Homoeopathy, we take into account the mental symptoms. Every woman is different. For example, some women weep easily, if we console them they feel better, whereas some of them get angry when we go to console them. You may wonder what it has to do with menorrhagia or metorrhagia. Along with the cause of the disease, mental symptoms aere also considered and after taking a detail case history, a Homoeopathic medicine is prescribed which helps the patient

PMS/PMT

  • Physical symptoms of PMS include:-
  • Abdominal bloating & distension
  • Weight gain & fluid retention
  • Breast tenderness & swelling
  • Headaches
  • Altered appetite – cravings for chocolate, sugar, alcohol & fatty foods
  • Changes in libido & / or diarrhoea

Endometriosis

Endometriosis (sometimes colloquially referred to as endo) affects some 89 million women of reproductive age around the world. With endometriosis, the endometrial tissue from the uterus is found outside the womb in other areas of the body. Under normal circumstances, the endometrium leaves the body each month through menses (unless conception occurs). In endometriosis, the misplaced endometrium has no way of leaving the body. The tissues, however, still follow the rise and fall of estrogen and progesteron, breaking down and bleeding as if they were still in the womb, with many of the following symptoms taking place in the woman’s body:

  • internal bleeding,
  • degeneration of blood and tissue shed from the growths,
  • inflammation of the surrounding areas, and
  • formation of scar tissue.

In addition, the growths can interfere with the normal function of the bowel, bladder, intestines and other areas of the pelvic cavity. Endometriosis has also been found lodged in the skin, the lungs, the diaphragm and even the brain.

Conventional drugs used in endometriosis are geared towards suppressing the activity of the ovaries and therefore slow down the growth of the endometrial tissue. By suppressing this is exactly what it means–suppressing, not curing. Homeopathy has its time-tested usefulness. Remedies used two hundred years ago are still used with the same efficacy as then for the same diseases. Homeopathy is practiced  worldwide & is the second most widespread form of medicine practiced in the  world. There is no drugging effect, and there are no side effects from homeopathic remedies.