AIBU to ask what is a normal level of period pain?

[Rhubarbpeony]

I’m trying to get a feel for whether my pain is out of the ordinary or not. Could people let me know how often you experience any of the following:

Diarrhoea

Cramps bad enough to make you vocalise the pain

Cramps bad enough to make you cry

Vomiting

Pain so severe you are unable to concentrate and struggle to keep up a conversation

Pain that makes your legs feel weak / your body wobbly

Cramps that you have to use breathing exercises to control

Pain severe enough for you to miss work or social engagements

Pain that isn’t resolved by over the counter medication

Pain that disrupts your sleep / cramps that awaken you in the night

Cramps that last 2 or more days

If you don’t mind doing so, could you also let me know your rough age (like a decade - I’m in my thirties)

I experience most or all of the above most months, and I have had investigations done (inc a transvaginal ultrasound) which haven’t revealed anything untoward, and I honestly just don’t know if I can carry on experiencing this level of pain every month. Am I just a wuss? Is everyone just dealing with this better than me? I am so miserable about it. I spend easily half the month dreading my period. It’s such a waste of emotion.

Print out those symptoms and take the to the GP, you should get referred to a gynae.

And yes, I have experienced those. I was told by every male doctor I saw when I was a teenager that most women have periods, they are painful, suck it up. A female doctor referred me to a gynae who after a lot of meds including a chemical menopause in my late 20s and finally a laparoscopy, confirmed his diagnosis of endometriosis.

I will tell you that 9cm no pain meds (not by choice) just on gas and air full labour pain was the equivalent of my period pain and made me feel vindicated.

For those who said they had possible endo but laparoscopy showed no signs have you heard of Adenomyosis? "It occurs when the tissue that normally lines the uterus (endometrial tissue) grows into the muscular wall of the uterus. ... An enlarged uterus and painful, heavy periods can result."

The reason they don't do a laparoscopy straight away is two fold, one is cost and the second is there is a high risk of adhesions. I cannot tell whether my tugging and internal tightness at times is the lap or my EMCS, then my ELCS.

But this is no way to live, you must fight for your health. Bit shit that isn't it?

The shits - normal.

Waking up/feeling like shit on the first day - normal.

Everything else - not normal.

I get the contractions every so often now I'm on the home stretch of the things (47 and still as regular as fucking clockwork, though). The throwing up/passing out was my teenage years until I went on the Pill at 16. Having 2 kids whilst on the Pill for fuck's sake sorted it out for 20 odd years, though, so there is definitely hope.

Much to my disgust, my school PE teachers were right, though - even when you feel like you are being turned inside out, moving helps the muscles to relax. I'm not suggesting an aerobics class fuck that, but even rocking to and fro can help.

I don't think any level of pain is acceptable, but I suppose the lower levels that can be easily dealt with by a bot water bottle of painkillers are "normal".

OP I think you need more investigations. Go back to your GP and insist on a referral for investigations for endo.

*hot" water bottle not bot!

I'm in my 30's also and have always had all these symptoms. I don't vomit anymore though I did when I was younger. I sometimes pass out from the pain. I also suffer from migraines. The diarrhoea is because your body emits a chemical called Prostaglandin to relax your uterus but these can also get sent to your intestines. Ive had all investigations and been told it's normal for me. I also work in ultrasound and we see many women with these symptoms of varying degrees and they have perfectly normal scans. Unfortunately you could just be suffering more than others. Hormones play a role in all this. It's very shit. A lot of drs don't take severe period side effects seriously.

For a previous poster - Endometriosis can never be diagnosed from ultrasound. It has to be done by laparoscopy. Many other conditions cause similar symptoms to Endo also.

I feel you.

I'm 29 - have been on the pill for the last 15 years so no period, and came off it last September. I have absolutely died since. I'm totally incapacitated the week before, and week of. So 2 weeks a month!

I've seen two gynaecologists and no more than yourself, everything is in working order..

Going back on the pill ASAP. Might be worth looking into?

Endometriosis is notoriously underdiagnosed. It doesn't show up on ultrasound unless it's a large cyst and general gynae surgeons can miss it on laparoscopy. My sister was recently diagnosed 6 months after getting the all clear from a different surgeon. I was diagnosed early because my boss had influence with an nhs chief executive and asked him to sort it. At the time, the pain was so bad I was being admitted to hospital every month and put on morphine but when I got an outpatients appointment I was told to just take paracetamol. Without my boss, I think I'd have been suffering much longer. I still have to argue for referral when I go back with symptoms.

The first 2 hours were almost as painful as labour. I would have to lie down on the floor, rolling round in agony. Lots of crying. Fine if I was at home, not so fine if caught out at work, on a train or somewhere public. I occasionally verged on blacking out. Doctor prescribed mefanamic acid but was very little help.
This was from my teens to early twenties. Have remained on the pill ever since, apart from having 2 DCs. In my fifties now and on mini pill- but healthcare people making noises about my age and needing to come off. It'll ruin my life until my periods stop.

My really bad cramps last 3 days. I feel sick, bruised and bloated for about 5 days. Bowl movements are excruciating. Some months are worse than others. Most months I struggle to walk, any movement is painful. At it's worst I can't move out of bed. No over the counter painkillers work ( I can't take brufen ). I'm on a different pain killer for my back and it's the only thing that's worked. I haven't taken time off work but they're aware when it's bad. I have missed out on social occasions because of it. I do dread it every month.

I should add my periods didn't start properly till I was in my thirties and I'm about to turn 50. They're as regular as clock work.

Are they not investigating you for endometriosis? However please be aware that if you think you have it getting a diagnosis can be an up hill struggle, I'm going through the fight at the min and often medics do t believe you. Your periods do not sound normal I'm afraid xx

Your periods change every few years, and they change after eg a pregnancy and coming off birth control. I had the periods you describe age 14-17. Then 18-32 ish they were more manageable. Then 33 or so onwards they started to get scary. I had some incidents of flooding. I was scared of having a warm bath. I had the weak legs etc. Also couldn't concentrate. Constant ache. Not screaming pain but really affected me. Got worse late 30s. Flooded every time. Woke in the night terrified bleeding to death. Then ... had another baby at 39/40. That reset everything nicely. After that it's been ok. Calmed down.

I think things go up and down. Have you had a baby? It seriously helps.

Oh and yes diarrhoea standard for 2.5 days.

@Marshmello no kids yet but currently ttc. As well as very much wanting a baby it would be a lovely thing if it sorted the periods out as well!

Yes to all except vomiting but did feel nauseous occasionally. Mainly in teens and twenties. Would be in bed shaking and weeping for hours wrapped around hot water bottle. The pill helped eleviate the pain a bit but not much. No pain relief ever worked. In fact would get tingling lips after Panadol on those days. Heavy bleeds too. Also in thirties started with flu like symptoms the day before - sinus, joint aches, sore throat.

Had an ultrasound in my thirties and nothing showed up. Been better since going through pregnancy.

But in 40s, still diarrhea, occasional severe cramps, lots of flooding. Had two more ultrasounds and still there is nothing amiss. It just is my lot.

My sister was the same. Almost exactly the same.

Good luck finding a way to cope. It is terrible.

Pregnancy and pumping improved my endometriosis symptoms at the time, but it’s worse than ever since then. Unfortunately it used to be believed that pregnancy was a cure and many doctors still spread this nonsense. Some women do get longer relief though.

Fingers crossed for you OP. Personally i would push for investigation- if you do have endometriosis then a thorough lap can significantly improve your chances of conceiving in the following 6-12 months.

Had two more ultrasounds and still there is nothing amiss. It just is my lot.

If ultrasounds are clear you should be seen by a gynaecologist and they should be looking at a laparoscopy to investigate. Endo affects 1 in 10 women and almost all of them will have completely normal ultrasounds (unless they have a specific type of ovarian cyst, or they have other conditions that are visible). Endo does not show up on ultrasounds.

This sounds exactly like me ... before I had DC I would fly thru my period each month. Hardly notice it etc.. then had children. What you have written was me to a tee.
Fainting at work due to pain. Being in tears due to the pain. I honestly would rather have died than put up with the pain.
Flooding and leaking thru towels and tampons. Changing them every hour or so. Having to cancel plans due to having my period.

After suffering years I was put on the pill. I was tested /scanned for endo - not what I had. I was diagnosed with menorhaggia (sp??) ( I don't need it for contraception )
I had tried mefaniamic acid and transemic acid that was supposed to help with the pain and the and heavy flow. Neither did.

I don't want to be on the pill, but I can't go back to how it was before.

It pisses me off

Sounds like endometriosis and or adenomyosis. I had it and was like this. I also had fibroids. Had a hysterectomy last September just before my 40th. I have my life back. It is simply unbelievable!

sinkgirl

It is all manageable now in my 40s and peri menopausal. And my sister and I both seemed to be very fertile so in my case, I think Drs thought it was not endo.

Not RTFT yet
Sounds like me minus the vomiting

I have endometriosis and adenomyosis. The first was seen during surgery on an ovarian cyst and the second on U/S.

Endo can hamper your fertility due to damage and scarring. Please get a referral to a gynaecologist.

I went back on pill for flooding in peri menopause. It worked for about 5 years til I was getting period every other week, then only having a few days in between. I stopped and put up with the flooding again now. Probably on tail end of peri now and some are ok now.

It was my normal from my first period age 14 until I was finally put on the pill at 18 after I collapsed on the filthy stockroom floor at work. I remember longing for the manager to miss me and come looking for me. She was intending to give me a bollocking then saw the state I was in and called my mum to pick me up. I drifted off the pill at about 27 and they returned to form so I used the implant to tide me over until TTC. Fortunately since having babies, they've been regular, light and a "bad" month can be controlled with normal painkillers.

I would take reliving DS2's 10 hour back to back labour where I was 5-6cm on arrival at hospital over the period of Aug 1999, or Christmas 2006 or June 2007 to pick a few specific memorable months out of my head. At least I got gas and air and could just flop over a birthing ball and just breathe through it.
I remember after the pethadine fug wore off in birth 1, and being in the second hour of pushing after 40 hours of regular contractions and recognising the burning quad muscles and crushing contractions.

From 14 to 18, I was just given mefenamic acid which was useless because I didn't know which month I was due in to be able to pre-empt the pains before they hit me like a sledge hammer. It still astonishes me that I can actually look at a calendar and anticipate to within a couple of days when its going to arrive and continue living fairly normally! It's like witchcraft

As a PP said taking NSAID like ibuprofen a day or two before your periods start can reduce the overall pain.

I had endo on the wall of my womb so it triggered contractions each month. I used to bite on a towel if I needed the loo to deal with the pain because I had taken everything I could.

I had most of that - eventually it turned out I had endometriosis. I recommend combined paracetamol & codeine tablets; game changer for me.