Katherine Sutherland, an OB-GYN in Mountain View, California, knows something about terrible periods -- and not just from her patients. She used to go through tampons every hour, excusing herself to go to the bathroom between appointments. Heavy bleeding made doing what she really loved --hiking -- especially difficult. Truth is, she wanted her period to go away altogether. In 2003 Sutherland, then age 51, got her wish. She had a minor surgical procedure called endometrial ablation, or by its brand name, NovaSure, to remove her uterine lining and stop heavy bleeding. And she hasn't had a period since. "I was delighted," she says. "Up until that time I'd never missed one period." Sutherland recently hiked 8,000 feet to the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu in Peru.
@highlight
Perhaps as many as 95 percent of women have issues with their period
@highlight
Naproxen, aspirin, ibuprofen can ease painful cramps
@highlight
Procedure known as endometrial ablation can reduce excessive bleeding
@highlight
Try calcium supplements to ease headaches, breast tenderness, mood swings
@placeholder, in which a wand is inserted into the uterus through the cervix, emits energy that, in most cases, permanently removes the uterine lining.