AIBU to ask if I’m alone in this pre-period suffering every month?!

[Shimmylikejoanholloway]

I’m starting to wonder if I need to see the doctor.
Every month in the week before my period starts it’s like I have a stomach bug - sorry for the TMI but excessive really horrendous gas, cramping in the evenings after eating, really horrifically upset stomach won’t go into details but with a real painful urgency to go.
Also feel a bit sick and absolutely shattered.
My period usually arrives 5 days ish after this starts and sometimes it continues for a day or two other times it is relieved once my period starts.

Does anyone else have this? I don’t need details I’m not a troll, I’m just starting to worry that there might be something else going on bowel wise :-/

I get some of that but not to the extent that you do, sounds horrible. It can vary from month to month for me too.

Always worth getting it checked out with a doctor if you're worried. Periods are shit aren't they

I used to have this for years. It’s horrendous. I went on the Mirena coil and literally went away overnight.

Thank you periods are the absolute worst. They never used to be this bad then I had my little boy and when they came back boy did I know about it

Is there any chance you have endometriosis? It can affect your bowels as you describe. Info here might be helpful to read.

Best of luck it sounds horrid.

Are you on contraception? If so what? But either way please do go to the dr, don't suffer in silence that must be so debilitating every month.

I don’t think I have endometriosis I only got painful periods after I had my son nearly two years ago.

I’m not on any contraception currently no, I have issues with migraines with rules quite a few out and was a bit squeamish about the coil 🙈

No coil probably wouldn't be great as it can make periods heavy (I say that as someone who loves the copper coil for me, mirena is different obviously but I've no experience there ) I wonder if it would be worth going on the pill or something to see how that regulates you and if it calms it down? I'm not a dr obviously though, just musing. Were you on the pill or anything before you fell pregnant?

But definitely go, it's not something you should have to put up with.

Sorry ignore what I said when you mentioned migraines!! Hopefully doctor can do something, maybe some Imodium when you get a flare up (I must stop trying to give advice like I'm a Dr ha!)

No worries @user0176 thanks for trying to help
My doctor was largely uninterested when I mentioned these issues around period times

I'm so sorry, when I went to my GP about PMT he was really uninterested too. It sounds so silly but I get really moody (depressed really) before my period starts and it's at the point where I dread if something important clashes with that time. I hoped my GP was a duff one, I'm sorry you're having the same reaction. I should escalate really but don't know how and don't know what the potential outcome would be anyway. We're supposed to just live with it aren't we.

(Well shouldn't, but expected to!)

So true! I should probably go back and just not mention periods but highlight the other symptoms

Get your progesterone levels checked and think about going on the combined pill. Progesterone slows everything down, it makes you more tired and it slows down your digestion. Progesterone supports pregnancy, hence why pregnant women suffer from constipation, gas, nausea and extreme fatigue during the first trimester (until the placenta is fully formed and takes over.)

During a monthly cycle this happens: Estrogen dominates the first 14 days of your cycle, then you ovulate, estrogen then falls sharply and progesterone rises quickly until it peaks the week before your period. Then it starts to decline when you haven't conceived and falls to a level where your uterus knows to shed its lining.

For me seems like high levels of progesterone are to blame for your symptoms - so try the combined pill. There are some that actually help with migraines, so it's worth discussing.