Womens Health Blog

Womens Health Blog is an extension of the womens-health-coach.com website. This blog is dedicated to women dealing with period problems, related diseases and the various treatment options available.
If that's you, then welcome!

About the Author

My name is Kate Chamberlain and my motivation for writing this blog is a very personal one. For the last 30 years I've been battling with the problem of painful periods. Although sympathy from female family and friends was always there, we never had detailed conversations about the specific symptoms. Knowing looks and "time of the month" comments lead me to believe that what I was experiencing was in fact normal, and that this was every woman's lot.

This belief was compounded by the 'diagnosis' of several GPs that "you've JUST got bad period pain" when I visited them worried that there was something really wrong with me.

Feelings of Isolation

For many years I felt very isolated, swinging from thinking either "I'm the only one who seems to have this problem and no-one understands" to "all women get this and I'm the only one who can't cope!" Of course I had more rational thoughts in between, but you get the picture.

Thankfully, in recent years, I've met more empathetic doctors who have been helpful and knowledgeable. I was eventually diagnosed with Endometriosis in 2001, so at least I knew what was causing the problem. I've also worked with some wonderful complementary therapists and I've 'done a lot of work on myself' as I like to put it to develop a positive mindset, manage the symptoms and enjoy a good quality of life.

Reason for Blog

My reason for starting this blog is that I've entered a new phase. I'm now 42 years old and for the last 6 months my symptoms have worsened and become quite severe. I'm seriously considering having a hysterectomy - in fact I'm 95% sure that I want one and am in the process of researching all the facts while I wait on my appointment with the Gynaecologist.

Through my research on the internet I found many forums for women discussing the same sort of problems I've been having.

"Hallelujah!" That feeling of isolation lifted and was then followed by a big wave of emotion - I'm not alone. Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't wish this on anyone, however there is no doubt that discovering other people have had similar problems and experiences to yourself is very comforting.

So, Here's My Purpose:

• If you are a woman having similar experiences to me, I hope this blog lifts any sense of isolation you may have felt, gives you hope, help and a few laughs along the way. Let's face it - we need them!

• Also, I know writing can be a cathartic exercise allowing you to express all your thoughts, feelings and experiences. It's a great 'mind-clearer', so think about doing this yourself. If not a blog, then consider writing your thoughts down in a notebook each day.

If you would like to read my regular blog entries, why not make it easy on yourself? By subscribing to the RSS feed you will be notified each time I post a new entry. If you've never done this before then left-click on 'What's an RSS feed?' (you'll find this just below the orange RSS button in the white box at the top left hand corner of this page).

If you're familiar with RSS then right-click on the orange RSS button and paste the URL into your RSS reader. Alternatively, you can click on the My Yahoo!, My MSN or Add to Google button if you keep a personalized home page there.

I've been living with period problems for 30 years, so the entries below are a mix of stories from my past along with current experiences. I include both because you may be in a different place on your journey to where I am currently.

I hope you find them useful and enjoyable and I wish you success on your own journey towards better health.

Good luck!

Aug 4, 2008, Simple Healthy Eating Guidelines

If you are looking for simple healthy eating guidelines then these easy to follow tips will do just the trick!

Aug 4, 2008, Healthy Balanced Diet

The wealth of information on healthy eating can be daunting, but a healthy balanced diet doesn't

Aug 4, 2008, healthy balanced diet information on proteins

The wealth of information on achieving a healthy balanced diet can be daunting. If you are looking for simple healthy eating guidelines then you'll find this easy to digest (excuse the pun!)

Jul 18, 2008, Top 30 healthy eating habits

Use these Top 30 Healthy Eating Habits to develop a healthy eating lifestyle at your own pace!

Jul 18, 2008, Love Your Time of the Month

What!? I hear you cry incredulously. How could I possibly love my time of the month when I am in pain, bleeding and feeling exhausted? Ah, well you see I am talking about a different time of the month.

Today when I awoke my period had finished. My headache had disappeared, the bleeding had stopped and my abdomen was flatter and completely pain free. Yippee! I raced to the bathroom and weighed myself. 3 lbs lighter. Double yippee! I felt good and I knew it was going to be a great day.

This is my time of the month. The period after the period if you get my drift. I feel fit, energetic and motivated. It is absolutely blissful and I love to revel in it!

Today I decided to go out and celebrate by buying a nice sticky cake at the local patisserie. It was easily enough for two, but as my husband is away on a business trip I decided to rise to the challenge of eating the entire thing all by myself. I am happy to report that I achieved this feat in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed every minute!

Now I am not advocating a diet full of sugar and saturated fats as this could play havoc with your hormones. A healthy, balanced diet is definitely the way to go the majority of the time, however I believe treating yourself once in a while with a little bit of what you fancy is good for you.

The key is to do it when you are feeling good about yourself and your body and you can just luxuriate in the decadent pleasure of it all without one ounce of guilt. Otherwise, what is the point? This is easiest when you are in your time of the month.

So, when is your time of the month? Is it just after your period? A week later? A week before? Take time to notice when you feel fitter, healthier, more energetic and use it to your advantage. Plan to do things during these times that you know you will look forward to. If your periods are irregular and unpredictable, learn to be spontaneous and take advantage of your best times of the month when they happen.

Why is this important? Well I have calculated that I get mild to severe pain relating to my periods/endometriosis around 30% of the time. It would be very easy to fall into the trap of focusing on that so it becomes a problem for me 100% of the time!

The reality is that 70% of the time my body is just dandy and if I notice that and match my mindset to it then I can really make the most of those good periods.

So here is my advice: start noticing when you feel good. Notice when your body is more comfortable, when things just seem easier for you. Use these times, be thankful and learn to love your time of the month.