Pain in left side of lower back, left abdomen and nausea - comes and goes

[worrrr]

For the last few months I have been having episodes that last around 1-2 days where I get intense pain in the left side of my back (around where the small of my back is - so lower back?) and the left side of my abdomen (slightly lower than my belly button), and intense nausea. It's severe enough that I have to get into bed/stop work and can't do much. It's a constant gnawing pain. It's hard to describe.

It seems to happen around once a month, often around a week before my period. I'm 28 and have regular cycles. It's always on the left side. The nausea lingers for another day or so after the pain eases. It feels different to period pain though as the back pain is a lot higher up than my usual lower back period pain is.

Each time it happens I think about calling 111 but then end up putting it off, and then by the next day it's gone just as suddenly as it appeared so I forget about it until the next time.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Have you considered it could be an ovarian cyst? I’ve had a few & the symptoms seem similar.
Also - possibly nothing ovarian / womb, maybe digestion issues, eg colon? That pain can be linked to periods especially if there’s cramping too.

Thank you for replying.

I do think an ovarian cyst is probably the most likely cause. I just haven't found whether it's normal for symptoms to only flare at certain parts of the cycle - is that what you experienced?

It could be digestive related too. I don't have any changes in BMs or anything that would point towards a GI cause but it may still be something digestive.

Hi, I started at the GP because of the pain and was referred to a Gynaecologist. It’s not really a question for 111, not least because the tummy area will almost certainly need palpating as the first physical examination. Expect to be sent for a scan from there. Have you looked on the 111 website?

The pain itself was very varied; sometimes it was intense and clear that it was in the area of an ovary, sometimes it was more of a gentle sensation (but clearly something was wrong). I suspect it was a combination of where I was in my cycle plus whatever food was being digested & whereabouts it was!

Apologies for the slow reply.