Posting for traffic - period related - help please!

[CisMyArse]

I'm on day 3 of a regular period. I'm 48. I'd taken 2 doses of ibuprofen yesterday to get me through a busy day cooking. I have used a moon-cup for the last 8 years (not sure if it's relevant) - I find they really help with flow, pain and feel more hygienic than other products.

11:30 last night, I started having an incredibly painful vaginal pain - awful pain inside me. Not external. It was very distressing, worse than early labour pains and not managed by paracetamol or ibuprofen.

The pain centred around the (very) low abdomen and in my vagina. It quite literally immobilised me. I was white as a sheet with the pain. I didn't get to sleep until 2:00 this morning. Thankfully, I feel just normal period discomfort this morning. Blood flow is higher (had to change the sheets) but not overly so? I nearly phoned NHS direct but was paranoid that they'd send me to hospital.

I very occasionally suffer from proctalgia (what some MN'ers fondly nickname 'javelin arse') - about 6 attacks a year at night - this pain was very similar to this but in my vagina and not in my anus. I'm
really shaken this morning - it was a horrible experience. Does anyone have any experience of this?

Thanks for reading.

Could be an ovarian cyst rupturing.... I had similar a couple of months back and ended up having surgery - keep an eye on it.

Thank you@Cailleach
The flow seems to have settled and I just have a dull ache now, slightly more painful than my usual period pains.

It have me such a fright last night - I nearly rang NHS direct but I have my 94 year old MIL here and didn't want to make a fuss. So washed out now.

What happened with your cyst? How did you know that it was something more serious?

Sorry for the TMI but I'm a bit worried. I've had regular cramping all day - no pain like last night although it's seems to be increasing in severity as the day progresses.

I've checked my moon-cup twice and each time it's been empty. Over 12 hours of period pains and zero bleeding.

Is this normal?

Please get proper medical advice.

Bumping for you op.
I’d be tempted to remove your mooncup in case it’s aggravating something. Sorry I can’t offer any real advice, but ringing 111 wouldn’t hurt.

Please ring 111 or go to the hospital. It's not normal and could be something more serious, better to be safe than sorry. Especially as it's getting worse progressively.

I would definitely call 111 even if they just give you advice

Standard period for me, but I have severe adenomyosis.

If you’ve never experienced this before I’d call your GP or 111 and get checked over. If your blood flow fills a pad in an hour I believe the advice is you should go to A&E.

@CisMyArse went to A&E and turned out to have large cysts on both sides - lost my ovary and fallopian tube on the left side and had a 10cm dermoid cyst removed from the right.

Please strongly emphasise the pain if you go to A&E - that seems to be the key to getting taken seriously.