Do you think there is a link between painful periods and extreme pain in labour?

[bottleblonde]

Following a comment in another thread I would like to hear peoples opinions and experiences. Could it be a case of different pain thresholds? I had v v painful periods and a difficult labour (epidural and 2 top ups and I was still in agony). Could there be a link?

I get that as well Lact8 - that particular part of my period pain has got worse since having DS I think. The pre-pain has got better, but having said that this month I had horrendous pains over a week before I came on. That's what used to happen when I was ttc.

I really don't think so.

I always had terrible periods but found labour surprisingly ok. So no link there for me..

i had 4 natural births...first 3 i only needed gas and air....4th one i needed peth and epidural....so unless you get more wimpy as you get older i think it depends on.....dunno really....

i know the kicked in the fanjo thingy too...happens day 2 of period every month since i have been sterilized..never before...

I always used to have painful periods, to the extent where I would almost pass out, esp when I was younger. I also had a very long painful labour that had me doubled up at every contraction and ended up vomiting from the pain on the labour ward. Got an epidural in the end because I felt like shit and ended up with an emergency section. Glad to say, though, that I no longer have painful periods, just a tiny bit achey the first day then nothing. Maybe I just had a crap pain threshold before.

On the other hand I have a friend from uni who always suffered from excruciating periods and nearly ended up having her baby in the local Safeway as she hadn't noticed those twinges she'd been having was full blown labour. She was queueing at the checkout when she got this strange urge to push. Managed to get to hospital just before the baby crowned.

Brangelina, your periods / labour sound just like mine (except that I just avoided the emergency section and had a ventouse delivery). I thought I must be a wuss in labour as I had epidural +++topups (so I almost shivered myself off the delivery bed) and was still groaning in pain.

Agree with others that it's not a pain threshold thing. I never get an inkling that period is about to start, either before or after ds, but I sure felt labour. Right from the start I found it unbearable and when I hit the gas'n'air the midwife dared to say 'What, already?' I gave her the full verbal version of my pain.

It's not what you asked but I can honestly say my periods aren't nearly so painful now I've gone through labour. Either they genuinely don't hurt as much or I now know what real pain is

I'm with brangelina - v painful periods and painful and long labours - my mw said I may have a sensitive uterus (great - something else I have to approach tactfully

Sorry to restart this thread but something just reminded me. I get dreadful pain down my legs (mostly the quad muscle area) when I get my period - although not so much since having DS interestingly. In labour one of the worst things was THE most horrendous pain in my legs, to the point that I couldn't support my own weight (oh, this was when it was still "too early" for g&a btw). I do wonder if these two things were linked.

Oh, yes, I had bad pain down my left leg - more with DS2 (who wasn't back to back) than with DS1 (who was). Leg kept giving way in a "comedy" fashion...