menstrual cramps- how much is too much?

[a beautiful disaster]

Is it normal to have such extreme cramps that they interfere with your life and wake you up at night?

 

I only have them on the first (sometimes second) day of my period. Then the rest of my period is painfree and fine. But that first day is becoming a real problem. I often have to skip class to go home. The pain used to last for about three hours, and I could always take Advil or something to make it stop. Now I'm lucky to sleep through the night, and normal pain medications no longer have much of an effect.

 

The only thing that helps is heat. I sleep with a heating pad or something, but I am still in extreme pain.

 

I started spotting before my period a few months ago, and I went to a doctor thinking I might have endometriosis. He brushed off my concerns and told me that I would be in much worse pain if I had it, and that the spotting was probably caused by stress (I really have a hard time believing this). He charged me fifty dollars and basically told me I had wasted my time coming in. I guess it's true that I would be hurting more if I had this disease (I only have this pain for one day). But still. . . I feel like something is wrong with me, but I don't know what or if I should worry.

 

Does anyone else have these symptoms?

[RayKay]

Your doctor was a jerk. I hate doctors that are like that.

 

I suggest you call a women's clinic or Planned Parenthood and talk to them about your cramping.

 

Some cramping is normal, especially in the early days of your period/cycle. And some women have more cramping then others. However if it dramatically affects your quality of life, there are ways to reduce that pain.

 

The birth control pill, and other hormonal birth controls, for example, reduces cramps and lightens and shortens periods, and helps you be more regular (and with less spotting). A lot of women with extreme cramping find the pill dimishes or takes them away entirely.

 

Regular exercise and a healthy diet (less sugar) can also really help cramping. Orgasms help a lot too

 

It does not sound like endometriosis as the pain would be more persistent, but that does not mean it isn't, nor does it mean you have to just "live with it'. Find a doctor more willing to listen to your concerns and develop a solution with you.

[Meow18]

Are you on the birth control pill? I have heard that the pill can really decrease the amount of pain.

 

I had a friend whose sister had really bad menstrual cramps. Her symptoms sound a lot like yours. The doctor had her go on the pill.

[Boricua7]

He brushed off my concerns and told me that I would be in much worse pain if I had it, and that the spotting was probably caused by stress (I really have a hard time believing this).

 

Oh I definitely have these symptoms and I definitely have endometriosis.

 

To be blunt, your doctor sucked. If he knew anything he would know that the correlation between pain and having endometriosis is nonexistent. There are women who have it who don't ever feel anything more excrutiating than an average cramp (like my mother) and then there are women who hurt so much that they wish they could get their uterus removed everytime their period comes (like me).

 

Spotting is a sign of endometriosis and so are the disabling cramps you are having (which is called dysmenorrhea). Just the fact that you skip class confirms this because I used to not be able to move because the pain was so severe. Sitting down hurt like hell whereas laying down feels so much better. Some other signs of endometriosis are lower back, pelvic or abdominal pain; painful intercourse (dyspareunia); painful bowel movements or urination (dysuria); extremely heavy menstrual flow (menorrhagia); nausea and vomitting. NOTE: You do not need to have all of these symptoms to have endometriosis.

 

I would suggest you go to another doctor and get a second opinion. Your symptoms sound a lot like the ones I have and I undoubtedly have endometriosis. I would suggest getting on the pill. I am on it and it greatly reduced my cramps because the horomones in the pill makes your tissue lining thinner which leads to less painful cramps.

 

I hope I've helped!

[sweetheart230]

I had the same problem. My doctor put me on the pill and told me if that didn't help he'd see if it was endometriosis.

 

The pills made a huge difference. I don't really get cramps at all anymore and they used to be really really horrible.

[Confessoress]

Firstly change doctors! What a idiot!

 

Birth control pills have helped me. I used to have awful pains that would make me dizzy and feel sick, and I felt soooo uncomfortable around people I'd feel myself blush. I would end up going home and hiding.

 

Please please seek a second opinion!

[a beautiful disaster]

I have planned to go back to the doctor later this spring if the spotting doesn't stop. It is extremely difficult for me to go to a doctor, because I am in college and I have no health insurance. I went to the university doctor before, but I obviously can't go there again because I just don't think he was very capable, so that means I will have to find a new one. I think doctors are too often willing to brush something off if you are young or if your symptoms haven't been going on for long.

 

I have always had the painful cramps, but the spotting is new and is extremely worrisome to me, because I am not under any added stress and my body has never responded to stress in this way.

 

It doesn't happen every month, and neither do the extremely painful cramps. Out of the last seven months, I have had the spotting for only three months (not consecutively) and the cramps for. . . probably six (maybe all).

 

My periods are not very heavy though. They generally last 5-6 days. I don't have any of the other symptoms of this, but from what I've read that pretty much doesn't matter.

 

How do they test for this? I know it's probably inevitable, but I *really* don't want to have a female examination. I never have, and I know I would feel extremely uncomfortable. I will do it, though, if it means I can stop worrying and find out what's wrong with me. But still, if there is any other way to find out what's going on. . . I'd really like to know about it. . .

 

Oh, and thanks for replying everyone

[RayKay]

Oh hon you absolutely MUST get pelvic exams and PAP smears. They are not fun, but they are not that bad at all. Due to a cancer scare when I was a teen, I have been poked and prodded down there more times by doctors then you can imagine, but I still absolutely go get exams - they are not things to mess around with. Anyone whom has been sexually active, and anyone over 18-20 should be going for regular exams...

 

Reading this I am worried the spotting could be either an STI or a sign of cervical dysplasia. These are not things you can mess around with. I am not sure what your sexual history is, but regardless you are of an age you must go get these done regularly. I have known women whom waited too long and discovered too late they were rendered infertile by things that could of been treated early on, or worse, they have advanced cervical cancer.

 

I am not trying to scare you, but when things change - your periods, your cramping, the spotting it can be a big sign there is something going on.

[a beautiful disaster]

Yeah actually I am a virgin, which was another reason he didn't think it was anything serious.

 

Being the hypochondriac I am, I immediately searched out any cancers with these symptoms, and it seems very improbable that I would have cervical cancer, since I'm still a virgin. But of course I have a hard time ruling out the most serious diseases since, like I said, I am a total hypochondriac.

 

I have heard that some women spot for a few days before their periods. It's something called "premenstrual shedding" or something that no one really understands, but it supposedly isn't serious.

 

This is why I am planning on waiting a few more months. This hasn't been happening consecutively, and all the websites I've been to say that strange bleeding generally has to be there 3 months in a row to be something to worry about. . .

[xmrth]

I have the same problem.

I was talking to my Dr about this I think a year ago, and this is what helped me, and how I felt:

 

The first day to second day of my period is awful and I was bed-ridden...

What my Dr told me about pain is that what helps it is the time you take medicine. I take Ibuprofen for pain-- 2 tablets= 400mg, and I used to take them every 4 hours but recently I found out it's not supposed to be so soon, and supposed to be every 6 hours if 2 are to be taken. I was told it was okay to take 3 the first time, and then 2 every 6 hours, but I stuck to 2 every 6 and it was fine.

 

Anyways, when you're supposed to get your period, (if you know the day and are regular it's even better) then start taking the medicine (Ibuprofen, Midol, whatever. But I think Ibuprofen is the active ingredient in "cramp medication" anyway and you end up paying for the name, like Midol) anyway, you start taking it before cramps, if you can. That way you stay on top of the pain. If your pain is on a scale to 1-10, and is an 8 or 10 or higher if it's horrible, and you take it at that time, it will only be lowered a few points. If you start taking it before or as soon as possible, it keeps the pain under control. Even if you take it before them, you'll still feel the cramps of course, but they won't be so absolutely unbearable and keep going away!

 

Since you describe having it horrible, then like me, you will still feel some cramping, but that's where the heating pad comes in. As long as you do the medicine early and stay on top of it, then the heating pad is put on your stomach for literally 45 minutes or less and the pain goes away. On that first day you'll probably still have to go back to the heating pad, but you won't be writhing in pain. Also, getting stick-on heat pads for menstrual cramps is the best as I'm sure you've probably tried.

 

It seems like such a simple solution and maybe you think you're already doing it, but maybe it's the conscious act of doing it and some changes in how early the medicine is taken that really helps.

[uhoh124]

Ok so, I've been having really excruciating cramps lately. I'm on my period now, and the cramps have just started THIS period...but they are really bad. So bad, that I couldn't even move the other day. I've never experienced anything like that before, as my cramps have always been very light, and they haven't ever lasted the full duration of my period like these. I'm just wondering if I should go to my doctor, or if its normal...