posted
So, my menstrual cycle has been giving me a lot of grief. For the past several years (which probably means since my cycle became pretty regular), I've noticed that now and then I'll go through a period of several months where I have a lot of pelvic pain, bloating, upset stomach, anxiety, and achiness in my thighs around the time I ovulate. I feel my best from around Day 3 or 4 of my cycle until Day 13 or 14 - basically, from when my cramps subside to when I ovulate. The last half of my cycle is when the achiness and bloating start, and they last until I start bleeding again. The pain isn't sudden or severe enough to interfere with my life, but it's annoying and I stress myself out wondering why it happens.
I've tried to find resources on mid-cycle angstiness, but my search has proven pretty fruitless. There's plenty of stuff out there on bodily woes during/before/after menstruation, but even a thorough parsing over of 'Our Bodies Ourselves' has not helped reassure me. I've heard of Mittelschmerz, but it seems like it's usually described as lasting for just a few hours or maybe a day. This pain isn't sharp or pinchy, and it lasts for multiple days (during which it ebbs and flows).
I made an appointment for a pelvic exam so I can check in with my doc about this. Two years ago I had this same problem and went to my gyno, wondering if this might be a cyst. She didn't find any, and said this might just be how my body does its thing. I'm in the habit of writing down when I get my period and when I'm ovulating, I've started daily cycle charting/note-taking so I can see and learn these patterns better.
Since I don't see my doc for another two weeks, I figured I'd try to learn something while I wait. I'm curious if it's common to have a lot of physical discomfort for that much the menstrual cycle (we're talking half of the time here), and if there's any info out there that explains why. I'm more interested in making sure I'm healthy, understanding why my body does, and finding ways to deal than in totally changing my cycle. In other words, I'm not interested in hormonal birth control.
Anyway, thanks a bunch for reading this. Any knowledge you can lay on me would be much appreciated!
Posts: 3 | From: San Francisco | Registered: Apr 2012
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posted
To me, it really does just sound like this is your body doing its thing, but good on you for making an appointment with your gyno to look into it just in case. Our bodies do vary a lot in how they manifest the hormonal fluctuations that happen throughout the menstrual cycle, though, so I'm willing to bet that this is just the way your body operates.
There are probably some things you can do to ease the discomfort, however, that don't involve hormonal birth control or other medications, so that's definitely worth talking to your doctor about.
-------------------- "Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing." -Arundhati Roy Posts: 5329 | From: Canada/Australia | Registered: Sep 2004
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