What is going on with my periods???

[TrisMas]

I'm looking for some advice please...

I turned 40 in June and after two years of TTC for DC2 we have decided to give up. Last year in November I had a laparoscopy to investigate our problems with TTC as all blood tests had come back normal.

Nothing at all was found during the procedure. No endometriosis or blockages at all.

But since the procedure my periods have got progressively worse. But they seem to follow a by-monthly cycle.

One month ovulation itself is really painful where I have to take painkillers but that month the period isn't as painful or as heavy. But the following month ovulation is a lot less painful but the period is excruciating and I lose big clots of blood. It's really awful and I never experienced periods like this before the Lap procedure.

I have been to the GP who said 'sometimes you have periods like that, it's nothing to worry about' .

I know that some people have suffered like this all their lives, but this is very unusual for me. I have to take very strong painkillers every two hours for the first 48 hours of my period every other month. Also the pain does seem to be very one-sided, like the ovulation pain. The worst pain is always on the left.

Can anyone shed any light on it?

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Think your GPs response was appalling to be honest with you.

I would be asking the GP for a referral to another gynae specialist rather than the gynae surgeon you saw previously.

It may well be that the surgeon missed something in the lap op particularly if the lap was purely a diagnostic one. Endometriosis can present in many forms as well and it may have been missed.

I would keep a daily pain and symptom diary if you do not already do so as this would give the gynae further clues. Something is causing all this to be happening and it is certainly in your interests to find out why. Do not be fobbed off but actively seek answers.

[TrisMas]

Thanks Attila for your response. My only query around Endo is whether it can come on that suddenly? I've never had irregular, painful or heavy periods before since I started them when I was 14 and it was literally the month after the Lap that this all started.

Until this time around, I'd also never had problems TTC. I've had 3 PGs (albeit two of them were early MCs) but fell PG with DD very quickly. I thought endo was something that you generally had for a while, having said that I have no clue at all! I know of one very good friend with it who has had various operations over the years and was diagnosed with it in her late teens.