I'm not sure if it's the vitamins, weight loss or exercise. But today I started my TOM for the first time in twelve months....

So my concern now is... How do I control the pain. Im going insane today

Heat pad for the lower tummy works great for me.

Are you able to take ibuprofen or naproxen? They can be helpful.

A lot of people say exercise helps, but that always made my cramps worse EXCEPT for swimming. Something about the buoyancy of the water made a huge difference, even if I was in too much pain to do much more than tread water (it's one of the reasons I would have an indoor infinity pool if I ever won the lottery - which is not likely since I don't play).

If you're period becomes regular, you can prevent pain easier than you can rid yourself of it once you get them. I always had an extremely regular period, so my doctor told me to start taking otc pain relievers every 6-8 hours starting two days before my period was due (I always get cramps the day before my period starts). Of course now there are 12 hour extended-release nsaids (like Aleve) so you'd only take those every 12 hours.

Birth control pills drastically reduced my menstrual cramps, but with PCOS you have to be careful with bc (it could be urban legend, but I've heard that some forms of birth control can actually increase the chances of pregnancy in women with PCOS or other hormonal issues).

B Vitamins, especially 12... I buy a complex that has all the B's in it... These do help with mood swings and cramps!

Congrats!! I get mine like once a year or so too and it suckss!! Normally I get pain bout the time of ovulation (I ALWAYS can tell when I am ovulating or well... trying to LOL) tylenol or ibuprofin, lots of water, heat packs, exercise and peppermint tea helps me too. LOTS of rest!

Thanks for all the advice!!! I am coping. I know I refuse to touch a scale this week. Lol

Cobra pose helps me. Along with the heat pad/midol thing.

http://www.yogajournal.com/basics/1716

Hang in there!

A.

So I tried this pose.. Well I got almost into this pose.. but it did make my tummy feel a ton better!
Thank you
I just feel like I'm having a years worth of cramps and pain. It's Awful!!

I get my period rarely as well... I don't think I have PCOS though... well I never got it checked out.
The PAIN is what gets me though, when I do get it. I bleed like crazy and want to cry. I've been on my period for about 5 weeks straight right now. o.O First time it didn't hurt too...
Anyway, to deal with pain I always did yoga, ate oatmeal (Don't know why that helped...), hot bathes, or hot water bottle.

A diet high in potassium will help too.