Period symptoms no one talks about

[TammySwansonTwo]

Day 1 of my period today which is always horrific (double whammy of endometriosis and adenomyosis) and was just thinking about how many weird symptoms I think of as normal, because no one ever talks about them.

The main ones for me are javelin arse and the feeling that my vulva has run a marathon. Oh, and the fact that I had no idea periods were supposed to be red until after my first surgery - I thought I was bleeding to death.

So much isn’t talked about that many women put up with awful stuff for years, and illnesses like endometriosis take years to diagnose. I think we should talk about it more!

What are other people’s weird period symptoms that they believe(d) are normal / universal?

Hi everyone,

Just letting you all know that this thread has received some nominations for Mumsnet Classics, so we're moving it there now.

So many of these!! Javelin arse (never had a word to describe it but that's perfect!)
D&V, nausea, restlessness, hot sweats, anger, obviously pain, achy legs & back, migraines. I started running and that definitely helps my mood in the run up to my period, I notice I ache and find running the week before & sometimes during my period a lot more effort and my knee hurts but not other times.

Thank you MN for moving this to Classics!

I thought of another too. I suffer from prolapse and symptoms are a thousand times worse during my period. Does anyone else notice this?

I get specific points of pain which every time convince me I am getting appendicitis for a day or two then it moves around to my tail bone and pelvis. Sore bones. Learning on here about the nerve placement has helped that make sense.

My last smear showed a polyp which was considered a possible reason for the extremely heavy bleeds I was having. It was removed quickly, straightforward procedure, lovely and kind Gynae. The bleeding has reduced during my periods now. I wish it had been found sooner.

Gynae also took time to talk through other symptoms and pointed me to vit D deficiency, (all tiredness sypmtoms and screening not getting anywhere with GP). She was right, my vit d levels were very low and supplements are helping.

I also take complete multivit with iron/zinc/magnesium etc and evening primrose oil and cod liver oil. During my period I take the multivit twice so morning and night - it helps with the anaemia. I notice a difference when I don't take these supplements.

My vitamin D is in the toilet too but not improving because my GP has given me a paltry dose rather than a loading dose, which is what I need.

I get tailbone pain too but throughout the month - it’s painful when sitting but when I stand up the pain explodes for a few seconds. Still don’t know why and I’ve had this for ten years! I was diagnosed with ME and everything was put down to that. When I had too many symptoms that didn’t fit they told me I also have fibro and now everything is put down to that.

My mum died from stomach and ovarian cancer that was dismissed as IBS for a long time (even though women over 40 generally do not get new onset IBS). I’d strongly recommend every woman familiarises themselves with the symptoms of ovarian and uterine cancer since they’re often ignored until they’re advanced.

So glad this has been moved to classics - hopefully everyone’s stories will help lots of women. It’s scary how many women have symptoms that they didn’t know were common, or potentially symptoms of a gynae problem.

Please push to see a gynaecologist if your periods are awful, it’s sad that we need to but it seems nothing has changed since I was diagnosed nearly 15 years ago - if anything I think it might be worse.

Classics is good but I second the need for a Gynae topic in health, why isn't there one or have I missed it all this time?

All the money and research that has gone into erectile disfunction and we still expect women to just get on with it. This thread has been an eye opener and I think every mother needs to have their teenage daughters read this and understand more than I did.

Absolutely agree.
10% of women have endometriosis (similar numbers of sufferers to diabetes and yet it gets a fraction of the research funding)

5-10% of women have PCOS

Shockingly 80% of women have fibroids by age 50

Male contraceptive trials were halted because of “intolerable side effects”

It is unacceptable what we are expected to endure while working, raising children, being carers etc.

I believe all girls in the U.K. have the “period lesson” at school. Why is there not more focus in this class on what’s normal and what isn’t, on symptoms etc?

Most gynaes will tell you that teenage girls don’t get endometriosis and it mainly affects women over 30 but in reality is just that those teenagers have no frame of reference and no idea what they’re going through is abnormal. By the time they’ve fought for a gynae, dismissed because of multiple clear scans and eventually got to the point of a laparoscopy, no wonder they’re mostly over 30. I was lucky to be diagnosed at 22 but my symptoms started three days before my first period - I was having an ultrasound for suspected appendicitis on the day of my first period. When my period started, they said “oh great. That explains the crippling pain!” and that was that. Makes me really angry.

I was diagnosed with ME and everything was put down to that. When
I had too many symptoms that didn’t fit they told me I also have
fibro and now everything is put down to that.

This seems too common as well.
From the day I was diagnosed menopausal, everything I have now is down to that. Whatever it may be, it's always related back to menopause. Seems like I can't simply get sick any more. I have given up seeing my Dr now til am through with menopause.
The medical profession really dislike women eh.

This is an amazing thread.

I get really constipated for 3 days before it starts, and have irrational anger and/or distress, eg. I have horrible thoughts that I made a huge mistake marrying my husband (who I love and adore on most of the other 21-25 days of the months...). Then on the day it starts, I do a mahoosive poo and have cotton wool legs. Sometimes night sweats, (this started in my late 30s). Headaches, exhaustion, low blood pressure due to heaviness of bleeding.

It wasn't until I was about 35 that I fully recognised that all these symptoms were part of my cycle. Even though I know it happens almost every month, I still think "Bloody hell, why am I feeling so miserable/constipated/weak/hormonal?" before I realise this is not a new permanent state of affairs, it is bloody PMS!

The joys of female hormones....

I mentioned my symptoms earlier and yes OP I have teen girls with similar patterns of heavy periods and clotting. One now has the pill to ease it, and the other is a little bit young for the pill. I do not like having to resort to the pill for this issue but the days off school and agonizing periods will do that.
Actually I think what we need are GPS who have been taught well about the women’s system. It cannot be a small section of study if you study medicine. I think all GPs should be trained in delivering babies and be made to do this at the beginning of their careers, so they truly understand how women work. This has to be a big part of their training. Women make up half the population. Women provide all the additional population (ie babies).
Most doctors do not know the difference between a typical period and abnormal bleeding (that most of us here get). There is a huge difference. We cannot keep being ignored in this matter.

Thanks for the thyroid issue tips op. My relatives has hyperthyroidism which went undiagnosed (and therefore untreated) for several years. One was even prescribed the medication for hypothyroidism in error.

"For many women, the best they get is stronger pain relief and / or the pill. It’s not good enough." That's the only treatment I had for 14 years.

Bananafish so sorry you've been through all that.

"It should be required reading for all GPs for starters." Amen to that! What IS going wrong with GP training/practice that it's so hard to get referral to specialists (when it's necessary)?

"but in reality is just that those teenagers have no frame of reference and no idea what they’re going through is abnormal" that's what happened with me. Pre-Internet days. Mum not the most approachable, all I had was 'problem pages' in teen magazines that said some girls periods were heavier than others and some unluckily had more pain too (in hindsight I wonder if the girls writing in were undiagnosed too). It wasn't until during mocks I fainted, was taken home, slept for over 20 hours. Mum took me to Drs next day. Until then nobody had asked me to describe the amount of bleeding or pain. And I didn't know what a migraine was. I was getting through a high absorbency tampon AND towel every hour for as I said up to 2 weeks. Mum and dr clearly shocked and both said that's way beyond normal. Yet was I referred to a gynae? No - I was put on the pill (which did greatly reduce the amount of bleeding and length of period and all but eliminated the migraines, so I was grateful!). But that was not the end of it (full story on my gynae diagnosis thread sorry Cba writing it all again). Long story short I was diagnosed at 28 after 2nd mc - purely coincidental as the mc was complex and required surgery it was during THAT surgery the endo was spotted.

Flooffloof - that's shocking (op too). Women are being done a GREAT disservice mainly by gp's who are the gatekeepers to specialist referral and therefore dx and treatment.

I've just put a request in site stuff for a gynae section.

If you think it's a good idea I'd appreciate the support.

I get horrendous PMT and rain fog, making stupid clumsy mistakes then causes me to fucking rage before plummeting into a horrible pit of self loathing.
This was made much bette this taking the women's combined supplement from Tesco.

What hasn't got better in that I have severe shortness of breath the week before my period is due, it's unmanageable if I'm going up, wether that be stairs or a hill or elevator/lift etc. It's really starting I be scary.

I forgot to add in my previous post, I often will get really really dark moods, where I don't feel suicidal asuch, but more that if I died today, nobody would care, I find myself incapable of saying a word to anyone (my poor family). This can be anything from half a day to 5 days. Utterly hideous, and when it is happening I feel like I will feel that way forever, and my rational mind is not able to shout out "Don't panic! This will pass when your period starts, hang on in there!"

Pumpingiron I have that too. It’s just all so normal for me that I have come to accept all of this. Sad isn’t it? Feeling like you don’t care that much. I am a bloody grumpy one these days and yes it is hormones. What to do about it though?

@TitsalinaBumSquash have you had your iron and ferritin levels checked lately? That's how I was when I had very low levels.

Does anyone get achey feet? Two days running now my feet have felt like I'm 402 years old! For no reason.

When I was in my 30s I did a sport alongside a team member in her teens who began to miss lots of training sessions. She referenced period problems and when she described them I said "sounds like endometriosis, go back to the GP", which she did. She eventually stopped the sport, but contacted me some 10 years later - to say she had just been given a diagnosis of endometriosis. She had been fobbed off for all that time.

Does anyone else have a completely different period every month

Yy I do now, obviously life carries on so I hope that first off my period doesn't arrive when life things are happening. Bbqs, parties, interviews blah blah, then if by some chance I know that I will be getting a period I pray its an easy one, a one day thing with no pain and just normal bleeding. Some times this is what I get, Some times I run the gamut, sometimes I get some off the symptoms, other times iam floored by a migraine. Sigh.
Obviously the worst times are when I am expected to be at my best well it Seems that way to me at the time.

A feeling of utter hopelesness and abject despair about 5 days before my period, that lasts for just one day.

4 days of the most vile temper.

Lower back pain the day before, and sometimes a migraine.

Whole mid-section feels like it's being clamped and twisted on day one, with javelin arse and constipation. On the plus side, as soon as the blood starts, any migraine I had goes.

Diarrhoea on day 3ish.

Serious cravings for sweets and chocolate yet even as a child I never had a sweet tooth.A bad stomach,just what you need when your already bleeding.

Horrible dragging feeling down my thighs I'd never had it before I lost a baby and ever since then I get it with every period,I dread it because of all of the emotions it brings back.

I also get the really bad blood clots and God help me if I come on late I then end up bleeding so much that it frightens the life out of my poor DH and he threatens to ring an ambulance(I'm seriously ill anyways and I hate going into hospital)if I won't rest.

The pain inside I though I was one of the few that got that,I can be fine and then my pain level hits a 9 out of nowhere.

It's bloody horrible,I wish more was understood about periods and just how badly they can affect some poor women.

The most painful symptom I get,it sets of an old injury(I was knocked over in a hit and run when I was 9 years old and it severed a nerve that runs over my skull and down my spine)it causes unberable pain and it can make me throw up and then I black out.

borntobequiet that's awful poor girl.My poor BF has the same and it's caused her so much pain and so many problems and she's sadly not been able to have children because of it.It's lovely that she contacted you after all of that time to tell you,she obviously thought alot of you.

Tammy I get that tailbone pain too it started porbably just before my javelin arse appeared! I even went to the doctors about it twice and they just told me it can sometimes become inflamed and just to take ibuprofen. If I sit, especially on hard seats and move or stand up it kills, it feels like a footballer has booted me up the arse. It's always worse when I'm on my period too. I've totally changed the way I sit at home to avoid the pain. I sit to the side with my legs curled up on the seat. Obviously when I'm out I can't avoid the pain.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/3271303-Could-we-please-have-a-gynae-womens-health-section?msgid=78473873#78473873

Mnhq have said they'll consider it if there's enough interest.