A wide range of drugs classified as NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) have been found to be helpful. You can buy these from the pharmacy:

• Aspirin

• Ibuprofen

• Naproxen

• Mefenamic acid

They work by reducing the amount of prostaglandin made by your body. Start taking the tablets a day or two before your period is due and continue taking them for the first two days of your period. However, it's best not to take them on a long-term basis every month without consulting your doctor. Some have unpleasant side-effects, such as inflaming the lining of the stomach. If your doctor doesn't want you to take these drugs, he or she may suggest paracetamol or co-proxamol instead, although research suggests that these are not quite as effective as NSAIDs (PRODIGY 2006).

Sometimes, the Pill (combined oral contraceptive or COC) is prescribed for painful periods. It contains the hormones ooestrogen and progesterone and prevents the ovaries from releasing an egg each month. It also stops the lining of the uterus from becoming rich with blood in readiness for a possible pregnancy. Because there is less blood, your periods are much lighter and therefore less painful.

The Pill has been used to treat painful periods since the 1960s, but today, it contains much lower levels of hormones than it did forty years ago. It's not certain whether the new "low-dose" Pill is of any use in treating painful periods. A Cochrane review of the relevant research stated that: "No conclusions can be made about the efficacy of commonly used modern, lower-dose, combined oral contraceptives for dysmenorrhoea" (Moore et al 1997). This doesn't mean that the Pill is definitely NOT helpful with painful periods, just that researchers aren't yet sure. Modern IUS devices, such as Mirena are recommended for reducing heavy periods and may also help ease painful periods as a result (Lethaby et al 2005).

Other drugs which your doctor might prescribe to dampen down the menstrual cycle are progestogens, danazol and gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues, although these may have serious side-effects.