Seeking Help or Advice
If I’m worried things aren’t normal, what should I do?
There are a range of resources available that provide useful and supportive information about your period. It is important to understand which ones are reliable and provide accurate and up to date information.
Contact your doctor if you are concerned about your period pain.
Act early so that any problems can be treated; do not wait until your pain gets worse.
Where can I go for information?
Contact your doctor if you are concerned about period pain or any of the other symptoms covered in this online resource, Menstruation Matters. This is particularly the case if you have new symptoms, or if you are taking pain reducing and/or anti-inflammatory medication and it’s not helping much (or at all). If you are sexually active, sexually transmitted infections or urinary tract infections can be a common cause of sudden changes in pain or symptoms below your tummy button.
Your doctor will be able to give you the best advice for you and provide you with the best action plan to deal with your period problems or any other problems related to your gynaecological or sexual health.
Healthcare professionals such as your doctor or pharmacist, can discuss what medications might be right for you to help manage your period symptoms, including discussing different types of pain medication, anti-inflammatories, or other treatments for period pain and bleeding such as the contraceptive pill.
Your doctor may refer you to a gynaecologist for a more specialised consultation. A gynaecologist is a doctor that specialises in women’s health and the health of the female reproductive system.
There are other places that you can go to get help. For instance, there are specialist groups like Family Planning NSW who help promote sexual health. Family Planning NSW offer a range of reproductive and sexual health services including information and health promotion activities, as well as education and training.
There are a range of resources available that provide useful and supportive information about your period. It is important to understand which ones are reliable and provide accurate and up to date information.
Website and Apps
You can find a lot of information about just about everything on the internet, and your period is no different. When you are looking up information about a medical condition like ‘period pain’ or ‘endometriosis’ then there are a few things to check if you aren’t sure if the website is giving reliable information.
Check to make sure you can find the following information:
Who is the creator of the site?
What is the purpose of the site?
What is the source of the information?
What is the basis of the information?
How is the information selected?
How current is the information?
There are a number of useful apps that help you track your period and when you are ovulating. These can be helpful in reminding you when your period is due, so that you can be prepared and ensure you are equipped with sanitary pads or other methods of period protection. We don’t endorse any particular piece of software or product, however according to the number of downloads, these are the three most popular options for common smartphone platforms are:
- *These website and apps have been provided as a public service only. We do not endorse any content or product that is shown on third-party sites or apps.