period pain so severe it makes me physically sick??

[bobbythejobby]

Just curious if anyone else has had period pain so excruciating it has made them physically sick?

I've always, since I started my periods as a teenager, had incredibly severe period pain. Some months it's worse than others but I have pain every month. On a very severe month with the pain, it's typically only when my period first starts that the pain is agonising and then it dies down to a more manageable level for the next few days. Some months though those first one to two hours when my period starts are absolutely agony. On the worst months, I'm literally bed-ridden by it (albeit only for a few hours but it then wipes me out for the rest of the day) - the pain is so overwhelming I go chalk white, even my lips go grey, I can't walk, can barely talk, my legs shake violently which I can't stop, soaked through with sweat. The last few times this has happened I've started being sick too and strangely as soon as I'm sick the pain seems to lessen. I have almost called myself an ambulance on occasion hoping they might give me some decent pain relief but I absolutely detest hospitals, would rather set my face on fire than spend even half a day there and can't bring myself to do it knowing I'll perhaps be opening myself up to ridicule at A&E when they realise it's "just period pain" so I tend to just ride it out (mostly alone as DH is often at work when it happens).

I had these bouts of agonising pain as a teenager almost every month then in my late teens/early 20s when I was on the pill constantly (for the period pain) the pain went away. Now I'm 33 and I came off the pill two years ago so currently not on any contraception and in the last year this severe pain has started again. Every four to five months I have a month like this.

Really what I'm wondering is, is this normal??? I had a laparoscopy a few years ago to see if I had endometriosis which apparently I don't (although honestly, nothing against the surgeon at all, but I'm still not convinced this pain is normal period pain). Could this really just be normal period pain not caused by any underlying condition like endo?? Does anyone else have this kind of period pain?? It's really really shit wondering every month if it's going to be a terrible period and if I'll be reduced to lying in bed, shaking, sweating and puking into a bucket because I can't walk.

No, I didn't have a baby, but things still improved a lot by my 30s. I wasn't exactly scared of having a baby, because I knew I'd coped with this, and from many accounts I'd read of other people with this sort of pain, they said labour wasn't so bad, because you could get drugs to help and people believed you.

The buccastem that I took was something you could put on your gum to get into the bloodstream that way, so that even if you can't swallow anything, you can still get some relief. I also tended to take painkillers in advance, just in case - probably not recommended, but I did think it helped, especially in the cases when it was sort of migraine-related with the dizziness.

@Myotherusernameisonholiday I think I had been off the pill for maybe a year at most when I had the lap. That's actually made me wonder if they would find something if I had another lap now. Part of me though also thinks this pain is just my 'luck of the draw' as apparently my aunt on my dad's side had the same kind of pain. I was on the pill for 13 years, all through my late teens and most of my 20s. It worked amazingly - it was like a magic pill. I was gutted when I had to come off as apparently I had been on it too long. I tried the mini-pill afterwards - that was the worst thing I ever did, a painful period every two weeks. I persevered for six months and then I was done. But it's put me off trying any other kind of contraception.

No, it was low abdo pain. It presented like an appendicitis to start with (in fact I’ve been admitted 3 times with ?appendicitis), I started vomiting then got pain, right hand side just above my hip. They decided it wasn’t my appendix because it didn’t get worse but it didn’t get better for months. I struggled to get the pain under control, it was so bad I couldn’t work, I couldn’t sleep. They did all the tests thinking it might be bowel related but nothing came up. I asked my GP to do a gynae referral, the consultant said he felt it warranted a laparoscopy which I had. Found just a small amount of endo but within 48 hours of the op although I was ‘post-op’ sore (gassy, sore from the incisions etc) the chronic pain eased. My periods were better for about 18 months although they’re now getting worse again.

Op I was really reluctant to use the coil too. But for me, it was a case of carry on with pain (nope), start having bits of bowel removed as a suspected endo site but risk a colonoscopy bag (nope), hysterectomy which wouldn't completely solve problems anyway (not yet!) or try the coil.

I was the same. On my knees in agony, nothing helped, would sometimes be sick as well. Then I had my DS and it just stopped. I don't know why, it just did

Do you have any other symptoms other than just painful periods? I have endo, it started off with very painful heavy periods when I was a teenager (lots of clots), like how you describe, I was prescribed the pill to help with them at 15, came off at 22 as had very low moods. After I came off gradually I developed more and more symptoms, like pain during sex, pain during bowel movements, ibs around the time of my period, increased urinary frequency and urgency around the time of my period, back pain, severe tailbone pain etc. Had a lap done and was diagnosed with endo. Was prescribed various contraceptive pills, but never got along with any of them, lots of side effects, so like you I prefer not to use contraception. My symptoms are getting much worse now though so will be referred to gynae once lockdown is over to discuss other options besides the pill.

I am the same as @Blueswede. Having a baby magically resolved my periods and they are now pain-free . My mum was the same too.

They had been getting a bit less painful with age, and one godsend is that they were always irregular so I tended to only get six a year anyway! But now they are regular and pain-free after giving birth 15 months ago.

So not hugely helpful but just an interesting correlation.

I had zero periods on the implant (but it sent me a bit batshit - I don't do well with hormonal contraception sadly!). But in terms of periods, it was amazing.

I used to have this, worst pain ever, and got prescribed mefenamic acid which helped slightly.

I remember a doctor telling me it would go away once I'd had children, which at the age of 15 didn't help, but he was right not had it since I got pg ten years ago.

I've never had endometriosis or anything like that.

I had periods exactly like this pretty much from when they started. Tried everything - but the pill gave me migraine with aura, opiates made me vomit, NSAIDs gave me extra diarrhoea (which periods already did) with extra cramps from my bowel instead. Mirena gave me cramps every single day! So I was stuck with just paracetamol and buscopan. A tens machine helps a lot more than I expected but I needed 2 to get through the day as it had to be on the highest setting which drains the battery quite fast!

I didn't want investigations for endometriosis, because I doubted it was that - every woman in my family has had the same, it's always improved for them after a baby, my mum & my aunt were investigated and told it wasn't endo, no fertility problems in anyone. I thought that scar tissue from surgery might just make everything worse. I'm pregnant now & it was literally the first month so if I do have undiagnosed endo, it's not impacting my fertility! I have noticed in pregnancy that I feel a lot of stretching pains, and multiple twinges a day. Implantation was so painful I thought it might be an early loss. So I wonder if my uterus is just highly sensitive to everything!

It did quite suddenly improve when I was about 26 - only thing I could put it down to was I went vegan (for ethical reasons, and not initially very healthily, plenty of vegan junk!) and I wonder if dairy disagreed with me. My eczema also cleared up - and I had been under dermatology it was so severe. So I do suspect a dairy problem. There's also evidence that a higher fibre diet (which vegan naturally is) helps as fibre binds bile in the bowel, and that's where oestrogen is excreted - without this binding you can reabsorb your own excreted oestrogen and end up with higher levels. Maybe I was just growing out of the worst! I still have worse months but overall it's much better. Hopefully it'll be better still after baby like my family's have been (and if I have a daughter I'll hate it if she's the same - time will tell!)

Yeah I had this on and off from when I started my periods aged 12 until I had my first dc aged 32. The only time I didn't suffer from excruciating AFs was when I was on the pill at various times during this period. Since having children my afs are largely pain-free so I've gone from one extreme to the other. I had a couple of endoscopies (one nhs and one private) and neither found any evidence of endometriosis...or anything that would account for the pain. The private dr even gave me photos of inside my uterus (not one for the album 😆) and it looks perfectly normal.

Yes. Me for one whole day every 24/25 days. It is horrendous. I don't throw up but am nauseous, dizzy and have stabbing contraction like pain throughout the day.
The pain shoots down my legs.
Dr. Is reluctant to prescribe anything stronger. I'm going t get back again soon.

@Mullikins - don’t think an endoscope would be able to diagnose endo, it’s only a laparoscopy that will diagnose endo.

Mefanamic acid was what I was prescribed as well. Start taking 3 days before I was due to get enough in my bloodstream.

I also used to have to avoid dairy in that time. Pre-baby it was fine the rest of the month, but now dairy generally upsets my stomach, so I think I was always a bit sensitive to it.

@IDontLikeMondays88 sorry...that's what I meant. A laparoscopy. I've had two and given the all clear twice.

It's quite depressing reading how many women suffer from incredibly painful periods.

I'm honestly not sure one way or the other if I have endo, I'm erring on the no side at the moment. At one point I was absolutely convinced I did because I just didn't think this pain was 'normal' but I don't have any other endo. symptoms - no pain during sex or at any other time of the month, no bowel or bladder problems, periods are (unfortunately) extremely regular to the point I can time it down to a day despite not being on contraception etc although I do have migraines, occasionally with aura, that cause frequent dizziness at all times of the month. Even weirder my periods aren't that heavy and never have been. Sometimes I get one heavy day with lots of clots but I've often had months where the pain has been horrendous but I've had an incredibly light period. Reading through this thread and seeing how many people say having a baby helped almost makes me wish that I had wanted to have children so that, from a purely selfish point of view, my periods might get better but in reality there's no way I'd do it just for that reason as I genuinely just don't want children of my own. Not even just from the point of view of my periods but often now I'm in my 30s I wish I did want children (not so much that I want children, more that I wish I could bring myself to want them although I'm not sure why I feel that way).

I might try the buscopan another poster mentioned though as I haven't tried that yet, have had mefanamic acid in the past but didn't really give it enough of a go to know if it worked so maybe I will ask GP for that again. And if none of that works I might (and it's a big might) start having to consider the coil or just riding this out until I go through the menopause. Thanks for all your replies - it's something at least to know it's not just me who suffers from this although it's shit that periods have to be so bloody painful.

@Elsiebear90 - one option that was offered to me by gynae., which I haven't heard anyone else mention either on here or IRL, when I refused contraception was an injection (can't remember the name now, began with a P and was actually a drug meant for men with prostrate problems!) which would put me in a state of false menopause so I would have no periods for a while (initially three months and then if I wanted to continue maybe another three months). I decided against this option because I didn't want to put up with the associated possible menopause symptoms which apparently I could have even though it wouldn't be a 'true' menopause as after the injections stopped my periods (and fertility) would return. This was at a consultation a few years ago where I literally begged for a hysterectomy and I got the impression that if I tried this injection and it helped the pain that the gynae. might actually consider giving me a hysterectomy. At which point reality hit and I realised I wasn't sure if I could put myself through a hysterectomy in my late 20s/early 30s. If, like me, you don't get on with contraception and prefer not to use it, Im not sure if this would be something you'd consider but just in case it is you could always ask about it. Although to me it seemed like a stop-gap measure as I couldn't have these injections indefinitely.

I used to experience this - like a previous poster pregnancy magically cured it. When I began to go through menopause the pain came back but HRT sorted that.

I'm going to start stocking HRT and morphine for the menopause then lol if my pain gets much worse I don't know how I'll cope.

This sounds awfully familiar and I too improved only after having a child.

When I was younger I was prescribed mefanamic acid for the pain and it did help to take the edge off. Also have a look at vasovagal syncope which can occur as a result of painful periods.

I truly hope you find something to help.

@bathsoup - thank you, fingers crossed.

Yes I get period pain this bad about 5 times a year. I go deathly pale and the pain is so bad I’ve considered going to A&E but knew I couldn’t get myself there and could barely talk on the phone anyway. Plus I work on the frontline in the nhs and knew I would be ashamed to go for something like period pain. But yes, I’ve been sick with it. It ruined a weekend break in Berlin because I was rolling around the bed with it and puking in the toilet. Cocodamol did nothing.
I don’t have endometriosis or any structural abnormality. I’m sorry to say that I believe some of us are just destined to have horrendously painful periods.

Sounds exactly like me.
I always thought it was bad, then I went through labour and honestly the vast majority of labour was easier than my periods. I was watching tv in active labour and chatting... don’t do that on day 1!
I’ve only had one post partum period and it wasn’t horrendous but not great. I know the first one or two can be weird so I’m going to leave it a few months but if things go back to how they were I’ll seriously be pushing for answers.
I suspect endo, I was much better on the pill and when I stopped taking it things got progressively worse over a few months. It’s like I could sense something growing within me that was making the pain worse each month.

Very late to this thread so not sure if anyone is still watching it but I have the most horrendous periods and reading all these comments makes me feel so reassured!! I am absolutely gutted for all of us that we have to go through this, but no one I know suffers like this so I'm reassured to know that I'm not alone and that others with periods like this go on to have healthy babies. Loving the idea that it's worse than labour too! Mine are just agony. I get these waves of contractions that make me shout out and writhe around in pain. If I don't time my ibuprofen right (have to take it as soon as I feel the first twinge!) I am left in agony for hours and often vomit from the pain. I take a combo of ibuprofen and cocodamol to get through it and am left exhausted. Drs have dismissed it as normal, not endo, though I do wonder if I should get private tests. I bleed heavily, I'm sure the clotting causes the pain. It also used to just be on day 1 but as I've got older it's often happening on day 2 and 3 as well. Nightmare! I'm 33 and ttc and grateful for any advice :)

@bobbythejobby did you ever resolve yours??x

Op my period pains were as bad as yours and I don’t have endometriosis. I found that I had to get to the pain before it got to me…so I would alternate cocodamol and nurofen plus for the first 3 days. For some reason I found that once the pain establishes itself then painkillers don’t get rid of it, so I’d take prophylactic painkillers.

Echoing what others have said, getting pregnant massively helped.