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.

I’ve had all of that in varying degrees at different times. Took about 6 scans, three different doctors and then uncontrollable bleeding to get some action.

Each doctor seems undecided about what the cause is - but the general consensus is cysts, endometris, fibroids.

I’m in tranexamic acid monthly which stops the bleeding. I had two polyps removed which helped and actually my period pains have lessened recently.

I arranged a private scan in a local clinic when I got really desperate. It was £80 - I was able to take this to the gp to get a referral to gynae.

I had much of that in my teens and twenties including cold sweats and fainting. It all stopped once I had children. Good luck, it's absolutely horrendous.

I have all of these. Years ago my mum once had to collect me form college and carry me out of the toilets because I could barely move from the pain. I used to think I was a complete wuss and had a terrible pain threshold but then I gave birth and the pain was similar to my period pain and I coped with gas and air! I take mefanamic acid for the first three days of my period and it is an absolute life saver. You have to get a prescription for it. No over the counter medication or hot water bottles will help your pain. It does sound like you might have endometriosis which has to have a laparoscopy to diagnose. You can't diagnose it on translational ultrasound.
Surprisingly since I have had my babies my period pain has been 10 x better and I only need to take the medication for one day. I hope you find the solution because it is miserable to live with every month !

@nameisnotimportant interesting you say that about pain thresholds - I felt the same, like I must be a wuss to make a big deal over period pain. Then I had kids - my second was born at home I couldn't have gas&air as I had thrown up so no pain relief for labour and birth. I managed ok without (a lot of mooing and groaning and I left bite marks in DH knee!).

After the birth I needed stitches that was horrendous without pain relief.

Now after 30 years - I am used to the cramps I try to power through and manage most of the time. These days I have found managing PMT more difficult as I can feel out of control of my emotions. Yesterday I woke up after a crappy night sleep and was so angry I was practically spoiling for a fight, as soon as I came on, I chilled out.

I went for acupuncture to sort mine. It regulates them, can make them lighter, shorter, takes away pain and bloating water retention.

It’s £50 a go where I am. It’s not cheap but I feel what price is my health. One shop bought coffee a day less pays for it.

I jjust don’t understand why more people don’t know about how good it is or say it’s woo. The nhs gives it now for some things! They wouldn’t if it was woo or dangerous or didn’t give good results. However they dont treat period problems yet unfortunately.

Periods are not supposed to hurt us. If men had them you can be sure something would have been done before now!

Please see your GP and, if you can cut back on spending on other things or have enough money already, go to a good acupuncturist who is a member of the professional body. Preferably also with an interest and experience with a good success rate in gynaecological issues.

I haven’t read the thread and prob people have suggested the same... push for surgical examination. I was in the same situation and despite an ultrasound not showing anything eventually (at 35) I had a laparoscopy to check for endometriosis as they say it doesn’t always show up in scans. They didn’t find anything but at least it was eliminated as a concern. I was actually disappointed at the time but it does make TTC much harder. I used the coil after that and it helped a huge amount. Then I had a series of miscarriages but weirdly it seemed to stop the period pains. Silver lining and all that. I’m now 27 weeks pregnant and wondering what will happen after the baby is born! Good luck, I feel your pain x

Hi OP, so sorry you are suffering like this. I had the same for years, until a new GP finally put me on the pill. I can't believe my mother let me go through this every month, I don't really think she understood how badly it impacted me.
The good news is that by the time I started TTC, things had got better (mid 30s), and after 2 kids, my cramps were hardly noticeable.
Hope you get a bfp nice and soon, but it definitely sounds like something you need to see a gynaecologist about. Hang in there

It’s very subjective isn’t it?
I had endometriosis, eventually having surgery to remove a cyst then followed by a year of steroid treatment (this was years ago).
The surgeon remarked that I must have had excruciating period pains, but I didn’t - at least I didn’t think so. I thought my period pain was probably average - sometimes had to take painkillers, occasionally doubled over in pain.

It breaks my heart for many women are suffering, how many women have clear scans and then are told there’s nothing wrong, even how many women have clear laparoscopies and are then dismissed when actually there is a problem.

After my first laparoscopy (done at the end of a five day admission for severe pain), the consultant told me there was nothing physically wrong with me at all and that I needed a psychiatrist rather than a gynaecologist. I honestly wanted to die after that - I was in pain every day, I couldn’t function but I’d been convinced I was crazy and imagining it.

18 months later I was admitted to a different hospital and they did another lap and found Endo everywhere. I then went to a specialist for treatment and he gave me a DVD of my surgery - I was confused at first because I couldn’t see anything. Then he started work and I could see thousands of what looked like clear or yellow blisters everywhere. It didn’t look anything like the textbook photos.

Later I requested the notes from my first lap and was absolutely shocked. I’d been on the table less than ten minutes. He’d only made one incision, for the camera, plus a tiny hole for the gas. I knew from the DVD that you need to use instruments to move organs around to get a good look - without that you’ll see basically nothing, and those instruments need at least one other incision. He stuck a camera in, looked at the surface for a minute then closed me up and told me I was crazy. Worse still, in the photos he took and waved at me to show me everything is normal, you could literally see it. He just didn’t know what he was looking at.

I was so angry. And then I joined Endo groups and heard the same stories over and over again.

Pain and symptoms like these are not normal. If you’ve had investigations and still have no answers then get a second opinion. If you can, get a referral to a specialist Endo Centre (a good one - they are not all equal). It’s unacceptable that women are being left to suffer like this.

Many gynaes are either misinformed or lying to women.
Conceiving quickly doesn’t mean you don’t have Endo
Seeing an improvement when going on the pill or Mirena etc doesn’t mean you don’t have Endo
Pregnancy isn’t a cure
Hysterectomy isn’t a cure

I’d hoped things would get better in this last 15 years but clearly not.

Normal to me. I have adenomyosis.

@SinkGirl I'm so sorry that's been your experience.

The most I've had is two transvaginal scans, both of which looked totally clear and I was told there was nothing wrong with me. I was also told that because I conceived very easily (only took one go!) that it was almost impossible to have endometriosis.

I'm not convinced but my symptoms have very much improved by themselves recently. The thing that seems to make them a lot worse is hormonal contraception. But of course you can't get a doctor to admit that might be the cause.

In fact I had a doctor tell me off for chopping and changing contraception yesterday and blame that for my cystic acne apparently I should put up with the horrendous side effects because eventually it might possibly improve my skin...

It's not normal. You need to get seen by a specialist.
I have pain so bad I cant walk, I pass out, I'm sick.
I'm on a menagerie of strong painkillers and sometimes they dont touch it.
Sounds very likely you have endo.
Endo can only be diagnosed via a lap and a regular gynae can miss it as they don't often know what they are looking for.
Emdo affects my whole life. I have a daughter who is 3 and sometimes I'm in so much pain I can't look after her. Having a baby didn't cure the disease - there is no cure.
Makes me so cross that women suffer like this and get told its normal.
It's not

All of these. Got diagnosed with endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS and retoverted uterus in 2018 after a laparoscopy with excision to remove a polyp. I've got Stage 4 (the worst). The symptoms worsened over a few years to the point where I was vomiting and passing out and thought it wasn't normal. Ended up having permanent pain until I got referred for the surgery.
My really bad symptoms started in 2015 when I would have pain every period. Got mefenemic acid from doctor which was useless. Went back a few times and got various painkillers including naproxen. Eventually got referred to gynae once I mentioned the high levels of Painkillers I was taking but had to return 3 times as they couldn't find anything at first.
Eventually got referred to an endo specialist and he decided I needed surgery.
Pain improved after surgery but never fully went. Now it's getting worse again. I get pain just before ovulation which steadily worsens until my period starts and then disappears after a few days. I get maybe a week without pain per month if I'm lucky.
Please read the books on endo by Dr Andrew Cook a world renowned specialist.
Last year I got diagnosed with depression and anxiety as a result of the endo pain.
Push for answers and referrals. My doctors didn't do anything until I threatened to overdose and showed them my stockpile of drugs. After my surgery I was discharged and they washed their hands of me. Everyone thinks the surgery should have solved everything.
I've resigned myself to living a pathetic half life, working an admin job I'm severely overqualified for because I can't pursue a career and never having children.
Also tried various versions of the pill but they didn't help and gave me awful side effects including depression. The pill only covers up symptoms but doctors think it's a magic solves women's problems cure.
Read the Dr Cook books and sort your own treatment out as the doctor don't care and only care about your reproductive value.

I also used to pass out very frequently from the age of 12 and be out cold for up to an hour. Sometimes my heart actually stopped and I ended up in A&E once. They did a pregnancy test even though I told them I was on my period. Doctor's "diagnosis" : I needed to eat more and I probably wasn't eating enough as I was worried about my weight.
It took me 15 years to figure out that the fainting episodes always occurred during my period. Doctors said I had low blood pressure.
Nobody ever thought to do investigations into why a healthy, extremely active teenage girl was passing out cold on a regular basis.
I used to train in dance semi-professionally and I think the amount of training I did covered up most of my symptoms as the bad pain only started once I stopped intensive training.
On an average pain day I will take 2x Cuprofen or 600mg ibuprofen I buy in Spain plus 10% co-codamol or 30% solpadol. I can take them every 4 hours and they still barely take the edge off the pain.

@MushroomTree what I’ve also learned is that GPs and many gynaes are completely clueless about the combined pill. They’ll put all of their patients on the same one or two, and don’t consider why there are so many different ones. If they switch a patient they’ll just pick one at random without considering the pill ladder. In fact I asked my GP recently about the pill ladder and was met with a blank stare.

This is a page (on a website for GPs!) all about the different attributes of different pills - which are progesterone dominant, which are oestrogen dominant, which progesterone are more or less androgenic etc.

So many women try the pill and hate it because it gives them awful side effects without ever knowing how to use this info to pick one that’s right for them.

If anyone feels you haven’t found the right pill for you now or in the past, have a read of this:

gpnotebook.com/simplepage.cfm?ID=-1389035465&linkID=25043&cook=no

Personally, after being on every type of hormone treatment and having some horrific experiences, the only thing I’ll take now is the pill. I need something I can be in control of and stop when I choose.

Oh and after being told for years I would not be able to conceive naturally, I conceived the first month we tried, with twins (I have one mangled tube and two eggs managed to get through).

Only 40% of women with endometriosis have difficulty conceiving so it’s a myth that you can’t have endo if you conceive quickly.

Thank you @SinkGirl. It's awful that GPs are prescribing the pill when they don't understand it and don't have any intention of trying different brands to find the one that works.

I'm about to try the Nuvaring. If that doesn't work I'm done with hormonal contraception. Although the copper coil gave me horrendous side effects too so I haven't found anything that works for me.

I'm 47. Not officially menopausal but in the middle of having hormone levels taken, In the past few months I've been experiencing similar levels of pain to what you are describing OP, however I think your symptoms sounds worse than mine.

In my 30's I had headaches and stomach cramps a few days before my period. Over the counter painkillers sorted it.

Currently my periods cause (for 2 weeks out of every month)

Diarrhoea
Migraines
Lower back pain that cause me to cry in pain.
Insomnia
Cramping than makes me shout in pain like a childbirth contraction.
Breast pain that causes discomfort to even lift my arms

My symptoms go away for about 10 days after my period then it all starts again.

At your age OP I would definitely say your level of pain is not 'normal'.

I really sympathise with you because that's exactly how my periods are too :( I've had a lot of investigations due to infertility, including a HSG, transvaginal ultrasound and numerous blood tests, but everything looks normal. I'm 29 now but my periods have always been like this. I have to take prescription pain killers for the first two days of my period otherwise I struggle to do even the most basic things.

these were my endo symptoms. I would definitely see GP and request a referral. You will probably need a lap to diagnose/rule out endo.

I dont think this level of pain is normal .Push your GP for more tests .Its completely unacceptable for a woman to be in this kind of pain .Really pisses me off when women are dismissed like this (Often by male GP)!My daughter suffers as well (not as bad as this though) Paramol is a strong painkiller which you can get over the counter at Chemists ,this seems to help her a lot

I used to get all the migraines, plus migraines when I had periods. I am now on the pill and no longer get them, I have the fear about ever being in so much pain again though. I have been sent for ultrasounds before and all looked normal, however I believe the only way to diagnose Endo is keyhole investigations. Push for a referral and this is not normal

Can is so those with endometriosis what your symptoms are. I've just come off pill 6months ago and TTC. Last 2 cycles I'm having cramping after af and this cycle k have pain in right hip and groin. Everything on Google is coming up with endometriosis bit j don't have severe af pain or anything else. Can you shed some light,thanks x

Not normal! Push for a laparoscopy. It sounds like endometriosis, which can only be diagnosed by looking, not by ultrasound. It will only get worse if left and could stop you conceiving.