Tag Archives: premenstrual syndrome

Birth Control’s Benefits Reach Farther Than Just Preventing Pregnancy

President Obama recently asked all employers, other than houses of worship, to pay for free contraception for all their female employees. There was much opposition from religious institutions like hospitals that follow Roman Catholic beliefs and are pro-choice. I don’t want to get into a pro-choice/pro-life debate here. What I’d like these institutions to understand is that there are numerous uses for birth control other than preventing pregnancy.

Birth control can help to stabilize someone’s hormones that are out of whack. It can help make a woman more “regular” for those who have irregular or no periods due to stress, low body weight and excessive exercise. In some cases, birth control can treat endometriosis, a condition that causes severe cramps or pelvic pain. Most of these women take birth controls continuously to avoid having their periods, which has not been shown to negatively effect a woman’s health, or have a period four times a year when using contraceptions like Seasonale.

Birth control also helps to lighten heavy periods by reducing the amount of bleeding and length of time the period sticks around. Another added benefit is that women who have lighter or less frequent periods are less likely to experience anemia, or low red blood cell count. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the rest of the body.

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Posted on March 3, 2024 by Sarah

Yoga for PMS

It is that awaited time of the month right before our period starts when many women may cry at the drop of a hat, scream at the slightest disturbance, crave the saltiest potato chips and want to sleep until noon. Our mood changes, our behaviors are tweaked and our emotions run wild; and we are not only the ones affected. Those around us tend to want to run for cover as well.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, premenstrual tension, a.k.a. PMS (premenstrual syndrome), affects 75% of women during childbearing years. While symptoms vary slightly from woman to woman and even month-to-month, they are not often what you would describe as pleasant.

The following is an easy to remember guide to Yoga for PMS, as it shares the same acronym (PMS) and can be beneficial in addition to your other favorite remedies. These simple yogic practices help lift your mood, reduce your cravings and balance your emotional states so you can lighten your monthly burden for yourself and for those around you.

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Posted on August 17, 2023 by Jill