Sorry to jump on. But just wondering if any of you can identify with my symptoms?
I’ve been wondering if I have it. My whole life I’ve been so worried about getting it. I have no family history or anything I just know how hard it can be to go through so I’m so worried
I’m 25. My actual periods are fine, very regular, not too heavy and last 4ish days. I can have cramping on the actual day I start but it’s very manageable, I often don’t need pain killers or anything. This has been the case my whole life. I have been tracking my period for years and I’d say I’m very in tune with my body. I know immediately when something is off, especially in terms of my reproductive health because of how closely I monitor it.
When looking at endo symptoms it says things like ‘painful urination, painful bowel movements, painful sex’ but does it literally mean burning when peeing, pain when actually having a bowel movement and painful sex as in, actually pain vaginally during sex? This is where I’m confused. My pain happens after and not in the actual site but in my uterus/pelvis.
Over the last year and a half / 2 years I have noticed every month, 14 days before I start my period I get horrendous cramping, mainly towards the left side (where my ovary would be). It feels very different to my usual period cramps which is usually more central and less intense. It’s not constant, but I have flare ups of the pain several times a day (many times). I also have flare ups during the night and it wakes me out of my sleep (my normal period pain has never done this). When it wakes me I end up literally rolling around in bed, practically in tears, trying to find a comfortable position or some way to relieve it.
I have noticed things will aggravate it and cause a flare up of pain. At first I thought I was crazy. Basically
- A few minutes after peeing, I have a flare up.
- A few minutes after bowel movements (sorry if that’s tmi), I have a flare up
- A few minutes after sex or during, I have a flare up. During the time of these flare ups I definitely put off having sex because I don’t want to have to go through the pain following.
- A few minutes after or during exercise, I have a flare up
- A few minutes after or during cleaning (like hoovering, bending lots etc) I have a flare up
- After sneezing, coughing or even really laughing etc
- It almost like anything that uses my lower abdominal muscles causes me to have a flare up.
BUT it only happens within the 14 days before my period is due, lasts about 10 days then stops then a few days later I get my period which is totally manageable. I can literally predict all of it. It happens like clockwork every month. Each flare up lasts about 20 minutes. Taking pain medicine hasn’t helped (I’ve tried paracetamol and ibuprofen - I’ve never tried or needed anything stronger).
In the past 4 months I’ve noticed I can also not only feel it on the left of my pelvis but also in the left side of my back (which has me worried that that means it’s getting worse). The pain in my back is almost unbearable, it feels so deep, instinctively I feel like I need to rub the area, or punch (sounds ridiculous I know) but I can’t ever ‘reach’ the pain to relieve it. If that makes any sense?
I’m currently within the 14 days now and this month my left leg has also really been bothered. I’m not sure if the pelvic pain is causing my back pain then the back pain causing the leg pain.
Just wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences? Sorry if some of it makes no sense. It’s so hard to explain all the stuff going on without writing pages and pages (which I have probably done anyway so sorry again).