period questions (tmi warning)

[44v11at0r]

im 16 and i started my period when i was 10/11 (i cant remember exactly), but went on the mini-pill around the age of 12 because i could not handle them at all. i have a pretty high pain tolerance, but they were awful to the point where i was unable to leave my bed. i couldnt attend school because of it. so i went on the medication, which stopped my periods completely, straight away. however, ever since doing so my cramps have, unbelievably, become worse. when i first got my period i thought that was agony, but now its 10x as bad and it seems like the older i get the worse it becomes. since i was 13 it has caused me to throw up every month without fail. also, (im pretty sure this one is fairly normal but i thought to include it even if its gross), ive heard of period poops but i have the worst diarrhoea. like i have had to go to the bathroom 3 times in the past 3 hours. and i know people will argue that correlation doesn't equal causation, but even when i first got my period they were regular. i get these symptoms the same time every month without fail. i eat the same things i eat all of the time, drink the same things i drink every day, and yet these symptoms only come up around the time i would get my period if i werent on the medication. going off of the medication makes everything worse, both physically and mentally, so that is not an option. maybe this is completely normal and im being dramatic but i felt like i should ask because after all this time im still just as unsure as i was at the start. i cant get any proper answers from family, and google leads me to jump to the conclusion that i have some type of cancer! so this felt like the next best thing. ive mentioned it to my doctor briefly but he said i was probably overreacting and not to worry. still, i worry.

thanks in advance for any replies!

Could be endometriosis - incredibly common (1 in 10 women) but often undiagnosed because GPs have poor awareness and don't refer.

See www.endometriosis.org.uk for more info and advice about getting a referral.

Agree you need a medical professional and one who will take you more seriously.

Period diarrhoea is normal but 3 in 3h sounds extreme.

If not already, keep a diary of symptoms. Is there a different GP at the practice that you could see?

I'm sorry you're suffering so.

Sorry that your doctor was unsympathetic. You sound very like my DD of the same age and I'm convinced she has endometriosis. She takes the combined pill continuously so doesn't have a period at all which is great for her. Is there another GP you could see at your practice?

Inwas like this as a teenager, drs just masked it with the pill turns out it's endometriosis. You'll get fobbed off by many drs but you just have to be persistent and keep going to get seen op, it seems us when should expect to just suffer awful periods and pain. I do think times are changing though as they are now trying to increase awareness of endo so fingers crossed x

You will be fobbed off a lot...sorry...but you will have to persist. Is there a female GP at your practice? Not saying she will have the magic answer but at least she will be a more in tune with female biology. Medicine is very oriented to male physiology.

You are not overreacting.

Endometriosis cannot be ruled out here; its a common cause of severe and/or ongoing period pain. Infact I would put a fiver on it that this is the cause of your symptoms now (I used to get period related diarrhoea on occasion and that was also due to endometriosis). Sixteen is not too young to have endo either; my problems with this began at 14 on onset of menses.

Is is possible for your parents to pay for you to see a gynaecologist for an initial consultation at a private hospital?. I suggest this as waiting times to see a gynae on the NHS are very long currently.

Do keep a daily pain and symptom diary noting everything particularly if you do not already do this. You will need to be persistent in order to get answers. Severe cyclical pain and period related diarrhoea are NOT normal and this is not something you should have to just put up with.

@Whataretheodds my gp will only ever let me see the same doctor, even when i request a different one because theyre short staffed and they have too many patients to speak to. i thought the diarrhoea sounded like a bit much, im always afraid to ask about it to anyone because of the reactions i get from family members when i try asking them. but uh just as an update, the 3 times i previously mentioned has now increased to 6 and i feel like death!
i started keeping a diary of symptoms a while back but there are gaps in it where i forgot to log things.

@sarahc336 do you mean the doctors put you on the pill to try and dull the symptoms or blamed your symptoms on the pill? either way, im glad to hear you eventually got the proper diagnosis!

@SpaghettiSquash there are other doctors, but the receptionists are the ones who control the bookings and they aren't exactly friendly. i have asked before just to be told i don't get to be picky and that they're far too busy?
i thought endo for a while but the nhs website lists the pill as a treatment method for it so i think i got it in my head that i couldnt have it because im already on the pill and its still awful?

It sounds as though you need some helo in advocating for yourself at the GP.
Ok see your GP, tell them that the pill is not helping and you would like a different treatment or a second opinion. Tell them you will not be fobbed off. This is not 'normal' and you do not have to put up with it.
I'd have a look online at some of the gynaecologists who post on social media - Dr Jen Gunter is excellent

Emma Barnett is a journo who suffers from endometriosis and wrote a book called 'Period' - probably also some good podcast material on that.

The more informed you can get the easier it will be to be confident in talking to the doctor. Good luck!

It's still awful for you on the pill as you are having a break and getting a period. DD takes the combined pill continuously so doesn't have a period and therefore avoids all the horrible symptoms. Occasionally she gets some spotting. When she does she stops the pill for four days which usually results in a bleed and some pain but her period is much lighter and the pain much more manageable.

You need to go back to see the GP (hopefully another one) Have you looked on their website or asked the receptionist which doctor is best to see about periods and reproductive health? If you see a doctor who has an interest in this area you'll likely get someone who is up to date on the latest treatment ideas and has a lot more empathy.

@44v11at0r pick the GP you want to see. Phone and ask for the next available appointment with that GP.
If the receptionist offers another GP just say that you want the next available time with your chosen gp. If may be that you have to wait longer than usual.

@44v11at0r sorry I meant as a teenager inwas like you, awful periods and I had to skip school etc so they put me on the pill to manage it but it just hid the problem. Cue me coming off the pill in my 20s to realise I'd get awful pelvic pain hence endo was finally looked into. X

I'm really sorry your pain and health isn't being taken seriously.

You absolutely deserve support, and better medical care.

You could try an appointment with the practice nurse. They may help you use the right words to get help from the gp.

Or You could ask for a GP appointment saying you think you have endometriosis.

Try listing the symptoms and passing the list across.

It's hard to advocate for yourself, when you've been taught to dismiss your problems as normal, or unimportant.

Don't feel embarrassed, channel your inner tiger and insist on treatment and or referral.

I'm 49 and put up with this for literally 30+ years because my mum told me it was just what women have to put up with.

Would asking for a female doctor be a way to get round them saying you're picky? If you're in a city or big town is there a family planning or sexual health clinic that you could go to instead?

Maybe a pharmacist could recommend something to take the edge off it or that you could ask the doctor to give you? I read about taking buscopan for cramps on here and it has helped when they are really bad. Apologies if you're already taking something like that and painkillers.

Oh, and has anyone told you ibuprofen helps? It's not just a pain killer, it actually reduces the inflammation involved. You need to take the full dose for a few days though, not just one now and then!

@SpaghettiSquash perhaps i didn't make it clear enough in my original post, but i do no have an actual period because of the pill! the reason i was put on the pill was to stop me bleeding in hopes that it would dampen the symptoms, which it does but not terrifically. all of these symptoms happen without me bleeding, and get worse if i do not take the pill (there have been some times where i've gone on trips and forgotten to pack the medication, and i could not eat or move because i actually started bleeding and it got so much worse). the symptoms happen at the same time every month, when i would bleed if i were not on the medication, which is why i link them to my period, or more specifically the cycle. the pill i have is one that does not have any placebo pills or gaps for a period to happen, you just take one every day and it stops you bleeding. sorry if im being confusing.