Hi ladies, I need some advise. As a lot of you know me and my husband are trying for a baby but just before af shows about 5 days I start to feel sick and then when it arrives I am in agony like now. Can hardly move and crying. Surely this isn't right. The past 4 months were bearable but now I am in complete agony.

I have taken painkillers but it hasn't helped in the slightest. Do any of you ladies have the same problem or know what it could be? We thought it was but that had been out since July so obv it's not that xx

i used to suffer with really bad period pains due to such a heavy period each month. it was unbearable and i still sometims get to the point where i cant move. i still feel sick a few days before and will until after it has completely finished. i had to have a mirena in to calm mine, but obviously u cant cos of TTC.
speak to your doctor. they will be able to help u in ways to deal with it. i usually take painkillers and use a hot water bottle.
xx

voltarol tabs hun they great

Ahem... if there is any way you can have an org a sm then it will help massively!! Natures painkiller for all womb pains! Plus would be a super strong one!

thanks suzie bear!! x

hi marie...sorry to hear that. no i dont have it as far as i am aware but my sister does. i very muc doubt i have to be honest.
i think i will go to the docs after and just ask for a general check up and ask them about it.

mine are embarrassing sometimes too and its awful. normally when i am on luckily its the weekend so i just stay in all weekend xx

Hi Terri,

If you've not already been to the doctors, Id suggest that you do, and when you're there you ask for a referral to a gynaecologist. The first thing that popped into my head was endometriosis, a condition affecting your womb lining, which has symptoms including very painful and heavy periods. Or it could be Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Of course it could be neither, but its worth getting checked out, especially as you're trying to concieve as they can both effect TTC.

In the mean time, take evening primrose oil and get some vitamin B down you as that'll help. Also the usual, heat pads, voltarol and maybe invest in a tens machine?

Good luck xx

Period pain is classed as excessive and warranting investigation if it prevents you from doing normal day-to-day activities, and isn't relieved by over-the-counter painkillers. So if your pain is severe, and painkillers aren't helping, you really need to see your GP. Before you see them, I would consider if you have, or have had in the past eg before going on birth control, any of the following symptoms:

Irregular or absent periods
Excessive bleeding (classed as bleeding so heavy you need to change a regular tampon/towel every two hours or more)
Black or brown blood, or clots
Bowel pain, or other bowel problems such as diarrhea, esp during your period
Rectal bleeding during your period
Back pain
Painful intercourse or orgasm, especially during or around your period
Excess body hair
Acne

The above can be symptoms of either PCOS or endo, which are tow of the most common causes of excessively painful periods. So if you have any of the above symptoms, note them down, in as much detail as possible, and discuss this with your GP.

Be prepared for your GP to fob you off, but do NOT take no for an answer. In the first instance, they should be taking a few blood tests to rule out PCOS, and referring you for an ultrasound scan to rule out PCOS or any obvious signs of endo. If these tests are clear, it does NOT rule out endo, and you should be pushing for a lap.

It is important that you are pushy, as while you could just be unlucky, there could be an underlying cause, and the problem with endo is that untreated it grows and spreads; so if you've been on something like the pill, it may have been inactive/not growing so much, but now you're not on it, it will grow quicker. While endo does not affect fertility in the majority of cases, it CAN affect fertility and so if you are TTC it's really important IMO that you get a diagnosis/proper medical advice.

HTH

NavyBaby - I had the injection for a few years and it was great! Can't fault it. The reason I came off it was because I knew we'd be wanting to start a family in the future and I didn't want to have to wait for up to 18 months for the p's to return to normal (sometimes shorter, this is worst case scenario). My p's were much lighter to begin with and then stopped all together - saved a fortune in sanitary protection LOL! Best to talk options through with your GP as some people can't have them though.
After that I went on the implant but never got on with it so had that taken out just over a year ago now.

NavyBaby: I hated the injection, and there are a few things to be aware of if you do choose to have it. While not everyone experiences side effects, because the dose is so high (a girl I know who's training to be a nurse has said doctors and nurses often describe it as being 'enough to contracept an elephant' lol), side effects are pretty common. The most common ones are weight gain, with an average gain of 2-3kg the first year, and 1-2kg each subsequent year (I put on 12 pounds in the 10 months I was on it, despite carefully following the slimming world diet which I usually lose 1-2 pounds a week on..); mood changes (I suffered with depression and anxiety); loss of libido; vaginal dryness; and irregular bleeding or spotting. These do not affect everyone, but are common, and the people I've spoken to who've got on with it are in the minority.

The other thing to be aware of is that it can take up to 2 years for fertility to return to normal (compared to 12-18 months with the combined pill, and nothing with the mini-pill and coils) once you stop having it. For this reason, it is not really ideal for women who want to start TTC in the near-ish future, esp if an underlying condition like endo is suspected.

I would also repeat the advice I gave the OP, and strongly suggest you see your GP and insist on a referral. Despite what we are often led to believe, heavy and painful periods are NOT normal, and SHOULD be investigated and not ignored. While hormonal methods of contraception can be great at treating things like endo, IMPO it's a very bad idea to simply use them to mask symptoms, or to treat something you don't know the cause of. One issue that should be considered is fertility, as if there is a possibility of something like endo or PCOS, then IMPO the sooner it is diagnosed, the better, as you are then able to make informed decisions about your future. Another issue is that PCOS and endo can share similar symptoms, but the treatments for the two are polar opposites: with endo, the aim is to ideally stop menstruation completely, whereas with PCOS, you are looking to regulate it. So for this reason, treating without knowing for sure the cause is not the best idea.

It's something I feel strongly about as I was always fobbed off, and when at 22 I realised I almost definitely had endo as I have literally all the symptoms, I ended up having to pay £4k for a private op to get a diagnosis and treatment. I've since had to have further surgery (16 months after my first op) due to adhesions. While endo is not always serious, and it definitely does not always affect fertility (70% of women have no problems conceiving, and fewer than one in 10 are infertile), it can have long-term implications for health as well as fertility, and endo symptoms should never IMPO be brushed under the carpet or ignored.

Urgh, I hate the 'low pain threshold' argument, and it really goes against NHS guidelines on how to deal with a patient in pain; GPs are supposed to listen to what patients say, and if a patient says they are in severe pain, it should be taken seriously. I have the highest pain threshold of anyone I know. I broke my toes and foot, and just strapped them up myself, and went into work; yeah, I was in pain, but most people would have called in sick, whereas I went in. A bikini wax, which my friends reckon is painful, barely registers; I nearly fell asleep having one done lol, I found it quite soothing! But my period pain is on a whole other level: I have vomitted, been bed-bound, and nearly wet myself because crawling to the toilet took so long and was so painful. I've blacked out during sex due to my endo pain, and I've come very close to blacking out on the loo several times as I get severe bowel pain during my period. I was told for years that I just had to 'get on with it', and that it was 'normal', and this is rubbish.

Please can ANYONE suffering badly see their GP, and insist on a referral; if they can't/won't listen, switch GPs, and put in a complaint. No-one should have to suffer, and these conditions can do real damage in a minority of cases. I am so thankful mine was diagnosed as I now know what I'm dealing with, how to treat it, and what to look out for/when I might need more surgery. It's a cliche, but knowledge is power, so don't take no for an answer, or assume that GPs are always right. Fact is, diagnosing conditions like endo cost the NHS time and money, and fact is, 'women's problems' are still not really respected by a lot of professionals, as a lot of doctors believe a lot of worryingly outdated myths about conditions like endo; I'm not exaggerating when I say I know more about endo than most of the doctors and nurses I've dealt with, as well as some of the gynaes I've dealt with.. If you feel something is wrong, trust your instincts, and never be bullied into thinking you're weak or exaggerating.