Hi...I'm new here

[wulfmadchen.livejournal.com]

A random question with a bit of backstory behind it:
I have excessively painful periods. On several occasions the cramps have been so severe that I've either vomited or passed out. I currently "manage" my symptoms with 1000 mg doses of ibeuprophin at three-hour intervals, but even with that, I can pretty much expect to be bedridden for the first two days of bleeding every month.
After figuring out that this was not neccesarilly a "normal" thing, I consulted a gynecologist who prescribed estrogen therapy. Thus began a two-year period of trying about five different kinds of birth-control, none of which made any appreciable difference in my symptoms. A combination of negative psychological side effects and the mounting tide of opinion against HRT in general were enough to convince me to quit taking them.
I also tried a six-month stint of progesterone therapy, and found that it did not affect me for better or for worse.
From this evidence, I draw the conclusion that my dysmenorrhea is not the result of a hormonal imbalance.
My mom has surmised, based on this evidence, that I might have a tipped uterus. Does this typically cause the symptoms I experience? And if so, how might I go about being diagnosed and/or treated?

Comments

[radclyffe.livejournal.com]

hey....
much sympathy from me...
i don't , unfortunately, know anything that might be of help related to your actual questions, but i just wanted to suggest that you might not want to be taking that much ibeuprophin (can you take anything else?) . it's really hell on your liver, and lots of the tablets also have varying amounts of caffeine in them, which aggrevates cramping...

HUGE sympathy - good luck on a quick diagnosis and relief...

emmis

[wulfmadchen.livejournal.com]

::nods:: The primary reason that I'm looking for alternate treatment is that, along with being forced to miss more school than I'd like to, there's some serious concern about the wear and tear on my digestive tract as a result of the horse-doses of motrin.
I've experimented with other over-the-counter painkillers, but my system can't handle asprin and acetominophin doesn't seem to act on me at all.

[jurisenpai.livejournal.com]

I have exactly the same problem! I even take those large doses of Advil, and I even asked my boyfriend's mom (Doctor of Pharmacy) about it. She says that the best thing to do is to alternate medications, eg I now take an 800 mg dose of Advil, followed by Tylenol III 2 hours later, then 800 mg more of Advil 2 hours later, etc. It's the double dose that really seems to help me. So I recommend getting your doctor to perscribe you Tylenol III. It's great stuff.

Oh, and taking Advil in high doses a day or two before my period starts helps too. It lowers the prostaglandin (sp?) level in your body and so cramps are lessened.

[katlynel.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth, I wouldn't call the Pill "estrogen therapy," and I definitely wouldn't call oral contraceptives a form of HRT. HRT involves different synthetic hormones, and at different doses, than what's used in oral contraceptives. HRT is linked to breast cancer; the Pill, in the currently prescribed doses, is not.

If you had a tipped uterus, wouldn't the gynecologist have found it? Or did you not have a pelvic exam (and if so, why not)? Were you examined for endometriosis? Which Pill brands did you take? Did you try taking them continuously (i.e., skipping the placebo week)? What kind of "progesterone therapy" did you use?

I wouldn't say that anyone's dysmenorrhea is caused by a "hormone imbalance." Rather, the purpose of hormone treatment such as the Pill or Depo-Provera is to prevent the uterine lining from building up in the hopes of preventing the cramps that accompany the discharge of the uterine lining.

[wulfmadchen.livejournal.com]

I have had a pelvic exam, with no specific diagnosis. I have not been examined for endometriosis yet, but am slated for testing in the future.
If that ends up being ruled out, the likelyhood seems to be that I'm one of the ten percent of women with primary dysmenorrhea that doesn't respond to a combination of NSAIDs and birth control.

[katlynel.livejournal.com]

A retroverted (tipped) uterus is easily found during a pelvic exam, so I don't think that's it (plus I believe it doesn't cause dysmenorrhea anyway). Good luck with the diagnosis process. Endometriosis, if that's what you have, is usually treated with a prescription for continuous birth control pill taking (you didn't mention whether you'd already tried skipping the placebos or not).

[lindsey-nichole.livejournal.com]

have you ever been tested for endometriosis?

[geminigirl]

How do you feel about herbs? My dysmenorrhea responded somewhat to oral contraceptives, but at times its still been very very painful. My former gyn had me using herbs to treat it, along with calcium and magnesium. http://www.egregore.com/diseases/dysmenorrhea.html has some great herbal options. Be careful though-some of the stuff they recommend can increase flow, so if you tend towards heavy flow and pain, you want to avoid those.

[the-lissa.livejournal.com]

I have endometriosis, and your symptoms are very similar to what mine were before diagnosis and treatment. Whatever is wrong, good luck.

[political-punk.livejournal.com]

I used to vomit during my periods. I still have really painful periods that keep me up all night, but I've gotten to the point where the cramps will go away in a day and there's no more vomiting. Soy, reducing sugar, salt, and processed foods in my diet helped a lot. Yeah, that's sort of a lot of work for it still to feel like your insides are being ripped out, but at least it's a start.