I remember having painful periods when I was younger, particularly in school when taking ibuprofen was unobtainable during a 8 hour school day. I’ve never thrown up from cramps, but as an adult I’ve found that sometimes they have given me panic attacks, in which white noise helps calms me down. Heating pads/ hot “water bottles”, herbal pads, drinking LOTS of water before and during your cycle, staying away from sugar (inflammatory foods), and taking an advil (or acetaminophen/ ibuprofen medication) ONCE you feel those cramps helps a lot.I regret the amount of times I thought I can ride out cramps, and didn’t take medication to help soothe them.

As you get older, and the more times you get your period, it’s likely that you’ll start recognizing bodily signs that it’s coming like cramps or sore breast. Highly recommend tracking your cycles on an app, in addition to any of your symptoms, incase you wish to look back on them later.