Not wanting to visit Dr...

[bubblebubblebob]

NC'd for this.

I'm 37 F. I have had painful periods since the very beginning, however in the last 10 years or so it's been increasing in severity.

I've gone from being bed bound with pains and blacking out occasionally for the first 1-2 days (remaining duration pain free) to now being bed bound and blacking out if at all upright for most days and sharp pain throughout the duration of the period. I've also been feeling nauseous and heavy headed during the crippling first days.

I used to manage this fine with OTC pain killers but they don't seem to offer much help anymore.

I've been advised by friends that I should seek medical counsel as it could be endo.

I don't want to be dramatic and bother the GP with what I think is just regular period pains and possibly the response of an ageing body?

AIBU?

@BackforGood

Because GPs tell women they are wasting their time. And you've got to get past the rottweiler receptionists first too.

What a ridiculous thing to say.
This simply does not happen.

Sorry but it absolutely does happen. Saying it 'simply does not' is very dismissive, much like many GPs I have spoken to.

There may well be decent GPs out there but it took me years to find one that took me seriously. I was told it was normal to bleed really heavily and be in pain.

I only discovered I have endo etc when I had to have an MRI for suspected cancer, 8 years after first raising concerns about my health.

Thank you for all your responses, it's definitely provided some much needed insight. As I mentioned previously I now realise that what I'm experiencing is certainly not the norm and I will speak to my GP tomorrow.

The reason I've not pushed for medical intervention too much is because growing up most of the women in my family suffered from severe period pains so it seemed "normal".

Also when the blackouts first started, I did speak to various Drs and after some blood tests they couldn't find anything and so they didn't pursue it any further. I suppose I just accepted that as having been the unlucky recipient of a bad hand in the game of genetics.

Regular period pains?

I go running, do gardening, look after 3 kids and get on with my normal life while on my period. No painkillers required because it's not painful.

What you're experiencing is not normal and is getting worse.

@BackforGood

Sorry to hear that LuaDipa. It was the pp's mass generalisation I am objecting to. I accept I didn't word it well, and apologise. I'm sure there are individuals that are poor in all professions, but it doesn't mean all GPs do that.

Show me where the post you roundly dismissed as untrue referred to "all GPs" ?

It's not a matter of poor wording on your part, you were completely out of line.

BackforGood

You said this:

What a ridiculous thing to say.
This simply does not happen.

Which is insane, frankly.

When I was receiving private treatment for endometriosis, one of the motivating factors was the research at that time stating the average length of time from women first presenting with pain to receiving a diagnostic laparoscopy.

It was ten years.

That's right.

When I needed treatment for an ovarian cyst, I found it necessary to pay an internet GP to write a referral letter to a consultant that I saw privately. That was how hard it was to get in front of a specialist, because my symptoms were apparently not bad enough and could be ignored.

I had a cyst large enough that the consultant was insistent about operating.

So really, yes, there is a consensus in the research literature that women suffer unnecessarily and are delayed access to treatment because of the attitudes that are scaring the OP now. It's a travesty.

Errrr blacking out isn't regular period pains!