Terrible period pain

[Llareggub]

This month, I have suffered incredibly painful back pain prior to my period. It felt like period pain, came at the right time etc and painkillers didn't touch it. It eased when I started to bleed but now I've had intermittent stomach cramps.

I've never had pain like this before although the stomach cramps have been a feature for the past few months.

I'm nearly 40, have regular but heavy periods which is bit of a pain because until I had children my PCOS made them infrequent and irregular! I take medication for heavy periods.

I really cannot go through this again. I have a high pain threshold and this back pain was shocking. I can only compare it with the intensity of labour pain, only constant. What on earth is happening to me?

Bump!

Any thoughts anyone?

Bumping for you.

You have my sympathy as I suffer from horrible period pains as well and know how awful it is. I've never had it as back pain though.
If this is a new kind of pain I think you should discuss it with your gp first (if you haven't already done so), nobody should have to suffer that kind of pain.

I would be asking your GP for a referral to a gynaecologist because the most common cause of such pains is endometriosis. Such problems as well are well outside a GPs remit so I would not let the GP just give you pills and send you on your way. That will not address the cause and something is causing all this to happen.

You may have fibroids, these can cause heavy bleeding but endo can also cause heavy bleeding as well. All in all it needs further investigation.

I would also suggest you keep a daily pain and symptom diary if you do not already do so; that will give the gynae clues.

Coffeesister; such pains are not "normal" and you should not have to put up with it (I also thought of endometriosis in your case). You will also need to be persistent in order to get answers.

Thanks both. Funnily enough I never complained to my GP about my heavy periods. I actually visited about something else entirety and he asked, unprompted about it. Maybe he'd just been on a course but I've been taking the pills for ages.

I will record this month and see what happens next month. My mother suggested it might be a kidney stone and actually I think she might be onto something. I definitely do not drink enough so I'm making an effort on that score.

Oddly this month my flow wasn't as heavy, just really painful!

Atilla: yes it's endometriosis, well spotted! It's a long long story but the treatment I was on is no longer working, so right now such pains are my new normal.

Llareggub: good luck this coming month, try and follow Attila's advice about the pain and symptom diary and map it to the days of your cycle (pains are normally recorded on a 1-10 scale).