His and Her Health

This morning I woke up at about 5:00 am with a strange abdominal pain. It was similar to menstral cramps (the same type of pain), but it did not have the wave-like/pulsating qualities of cramps. It was just an even aching pain, though I could tell it was coming from around in or around my uterus, though moreso from the right side than the left.

I shouldn't be anywhere close to having menstral cramps; my last period ended about a week and a half ago. Additionally, the pain wasn't anything intestinal, as I did not have any constipation/diarrhea or other urge to use the toilet, though I did feel a bit nauseated (this is normal for me when I get cramps). It's not a UTI, either, I have had one of those and this felt completely different.

It wasn't severe either like my menstral cramps usually are, and ranged from maybe a 2 to a 4 on a scale of 1 - 10. Since the pain was not severe, I tried simply going back to sleep because bouts of cramps usually subside in about an hour, but this pain didn't.

I wasn't able to get much sleep while in pain, so at around 7:00 am I went and took a couple Advils and laid on the couch with a heating pad. The pain went away in about 30-40 minutes, I'm assuming because of the ibuprofen. Even though the pain is gone, it still feels a bit sensitive and potentially like the pain could come back later as soon as the Advil wears off.

Does anyone know what this could be? In the past I was prescribed hormonal birth control for endometriosis, though I've never had any surgery/ultrasound to "officially" make sure I have it. All of the symptoms have been present for years, though, it's just that they have always occured during or around my period instead of right in the middle of the cycle. Also, all of the pain I've had in the past has been the kind that comes in waves and doesn't last too long even if I don't take medication.

I stopped taking birth control because it tends to give me migraines, which aren't as bad as the cramps I would get in terms of pain, but they don't respond to any sort of medication I take for them (whereas the cramps do). Does the pain I had this morning sound like endometriosis getting worse? If the pain comes back I will probably schedule an appointment with my gynecologist, though I'm not sure what she would say besides just "Go back on the pill". Any advice/information would be greatly appreciated.

Ugh... I can feel the pain starting to come back a bit.

Emily, here is a link to an article on one of our websites about endometriosis.
http://www.bermansexualhealth.com/gynecology/the-use-of-physical-therapy-in-treatment-for-endometr.html

Thanks for the link. I might have to go see my gynecologist about that kind of treatment, because I definitely do not want to go back on the pill again.

The pain is still here and I still feel a bit nauseated, though it is not as bad because I have been taking ibuprofen when the pain starts up again.

I read about a condition called painful ovulation (I believe it would be the right time of the cycle for that to be a possibility), but that condition seems to be characterized by sharp pain that lasts a few hours.

My pain is just a constant aching feeling, like menstral cramps but without the wave-like/throbbing sensation.

Now I am having spotting down there as well...

OK, now it is not just spotting anymore, but rather a flow equivalent to what I might see on the third or fourth day of my period. It is also red in color now, whereas it was more brown before. My last period ended a week and a half ago!

Even on the articles I read for painful ovulation said that any bleeding more than slight spotting is abnormal. Should I be getting worried now? Should I schedule an appointment with my doctor?

The pain still hasn't subsided, I just took a couple more Advils about an hour ago because it started hurting more again. The pain returns as soon as the medication wears off.

I think a visit to your GYN would be a wise move. You need to know why you are having pain and bleeding.

Thanks for the reply. I called my GYN's office and she is on vacation and there are no appointments available this week. Meanwhile, the pain hasn't gone away and the bleeding has gotten worse... It's now a lot heavier than what I normally experience even on my first day of menstruation, and has a "chunkier" consistency as well.

Hopefully I can get something worked out.

If you are really worried go to the emergency room of your nearest hospital and ask them for help.Did you ask if your GYN has someone covering for her while she is away.

Look in your phone book for urgent care walk-in clinics too. I don't think I'd wait on this.

I managed to schedule for tomorrow afternoon with another gynecologist, and I'm going to request some blood tests to see what my hormone levels are. I think one or more of my hormone levels are out of whack, and that's what could be causing the problems (including my acne outbreak). The blood flow is still very heavy and I still have to take NSAIDs when the pain flares up. I am not as nauseated as I was yesterday, though.

We are glad you have an appt. with a GYN tomorrow. Good luck and let us know how you are after your visit.

I just got back from my appointment... The doctor wants me to have an ultrasound to rule out the possibility of a fibroid or something in my uterus, and also get my hemoglobin levels checked because of the heavy bleeding. She said there couldn't be anything wrong with my hormone levels because I am apparently too young for that to happen (is that true?). She also said that I should go back on hormonal birth control, but I said I would rather deal with painful cramps than migraines and no sex drive.

We are glad you are being taken care of. Ask your GYN about the many different birth control methods that are out there. There may be one that will not give you the bad headaches. Here is a link to Dr. Andrew Goldstein's article on birth control choices.
http://www.ourgyn.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=106&Itemid=66

The patch doesn't sound as bad as the other ones (especially since I am terrible at remembering to take prescription pills every day), but I'm still wary about going on any sort of prescrption hormone. I'm going to try and get the blood test done today, and I need to make sure the insurance will pay for the ultrasound before I schedule that. Then I can be certain whether or not I have fibroids/endometriosis and plan treatment accordingly.