So I've always had tougher periods but nothing that raised any red flags for my mom; she had a ton of cramping and so do I. It seemed normal. Over the years the pain has increasingly gotten worse and I was eventually diagnosed with endometriosis but was basically told there is nothing to be done short of surgery. I started supplementing with magnesium to see if I could manage the pain. It helped for a few cycles but now I'm back having pain and have added flu like symptoms and vomiting. I've always been apprehensive about hormonal birth control but at this point I'm open to literally any idea I can bring to my doctor. I'm miserable at least half the month, every month. What has helped you manage?
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That was me at age 15, miserable and missed school January-March. Finally I went on Birth Control (Portia) and everything was under control. I went from having 3 week long periods to 3 days. Cramping and vomiting to minor cramping that Aleve knocked out. When I went off BC at 28 and actually conceived within two months. I would give the BC a try. Give it a couple months.
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I went on birth control pills in college for this reason. Really painful periods, nausea for at least half the month. I couldn't stand it anymore! I would talk to your OB and see what he/she recommends. For me, I ended up taking birth control pills for a couple of years, but gained a lot of weight. When I got married I got a Mirena and got another post partum and that tends to work better for me. Apart from some spotting at the beginning, I didn't have a period at all.
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@jhd: I'm most worried about the side affects of the pill, but honestly it's not like things are going great with out it. I've thought of getting an IUD. I definitely plan on talking to my doctor, I guess I just feel so overwhelmed by my options and maybe was hoping there was something I could do outside of hormones!
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Not me, but my sister has similar awful symptoms and has been on prescribed pain killers and a few different hormonal bc to help. She has just started acupuncture to try and sort out her hormones so she's waiting to see if that helps.
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My symptoms were never as bad as what you are describing but I had horrible periods when I was in middle school/early high school. I went on the pill at 15 and it was a game changer. After having DD I got an IUD and love it way more than the pill.
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@catgirl: it's never been this bad before. It gotten worse with each child and after my miscarriage about 6 months ago I've basically not been able to even take care of my kids for at least 1 to 2 days every month and I struggle through the majority of the month.
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I was diagnosed with endo when I was 21, after years on the pill and tons of painkillers that failed to control the symptoms. The surgery really helped me! They take out all the endometrial tissue that is where it shouldn't be and it drastically reduces your symptoms for a while. Then, you can reduce or eliminate your period to prolong the relief. They can also give you straight progesterone, which isn't birth control, but will prevent or reduce your period. I would definitely consider the pill or another birth control solution. They have ones with very minimal hormones, but that can still make a big difference for your symptoms.
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@Mrs. Sunshine: the options are overwhelming and I know side effects are a concern, but like you said you are dealing with some pretty awful symptoms as is! I would definitely see what your doc recommends and don't be afraid to try something new if the first option doesn't work. In my experience I was gaining weight like crazy and unhappy and the OB I saw said that weight gain wasn't a side effect of that pill etc. fast forward to my OB now who was like of course it was the pill making you gain let's try something new. Not saying that to scare you just to say that every body is different and you know yours better than anyone so push to get the right option to help you feel better.
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If you're really interested in finding ways to cope without taking hormonal birth control, I'd highly recommend looking into NaPro.
There are a lot of trained doctors in the Texas area.
Although I don't have endo, I'm in a user group for the program and a lot of people have turned to it for help with endo. Instead of masking symptoms with birth control, the doctors really try to get to the causes of what's causing pain.
Some will suggest anti inflammatroy diets, and they look really closely at hormone levels and other signs that show what is off.
And I've heard from a number of people that endo with a NaPro trained fellow is significantly different (in a good way) than with untrained OBs.
Wanted to share in case it's something you want to look in to.
I've been working with my NaPro for a year on other issues, and she's been a huge help to us (my IF/PMS issues are mostly hormonal). You can wall me if you have questions.
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@MaryM: wow. Thank you so much! I will definitely look into that.
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@Mrs. Sunshine: I forgot to paste the link http://www.fertilitycare.org/texas-medical-consultants/
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I don't know if it's the same, since I don't have the endometriosis and severe cramping that you did. But my postpartum periods were getting longer and heavier to the point of being unmanageable and I couldn't take it any more. I went on the birth control pill in August and right away it all resolved. Periods went from 8-9+ days and super heavy to just a few days of spotting. Acne went away. Body/facial hair is more manageable. I just feel so much better, so hormonal BC might be worth exploring.
I'm sorry you're going through this, hope you find something that works for you!
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I had been on birth control since 17 b/c of severe symptoms! Only came off at 28/29 to TTC! Then I had my period between two LOs for 7-8 months and I just kinda sucked it up...
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