Extremely severe, painful menstrual cramps

[tny915]

Pain this bad happens every few months for me. I'm sitting here at work in pain and nauseous, waiting for the 3 Advil I took an hour ago to fully kick in. Every time I get these cramps, I debate going back on the Pill. But then the pain goes away and I'm fine for another couple months so I don't.

Those of you who have these, how do you handle it all?

[Fairy]

I have never had serious issues with my periods. It jsut doesn't faze me. However, are they also heavy for you? Have your yearly paps come back completely normal? No atypical cells? Could you ahve endometriosis?

[minnie-zb]

You need to try Aleve. It is a muscle relaxant and works really well for cramps.

[Melaine]

I really like those instant heat pads for that.

[Indianamom2]

Aleve is what the hospital gave me for any cramping after having Ds.

But honestly, if you're having that much trouble, I'd get checked out by your OBGYN. It could be something like Endometriosis or Uterine Fibroids. Both are almost always benign, but they can cause a lot of pain and period problems.

[Toba]

I've had period problems forever. About two years ago, I had exploratory surgery (I had a pretty large cyst that he thought was the source of my pain) and that turned into ovarian drilling (where they remove (pop) many cysts). That helped for awhile. Again now I'm gettimg severe pain but only have a few small cysts (that shouldn't be the cause of the pain). Now I'm diagnosed with PMDD (the Satan version of PMS) and get Percocet during my period and sometimes during the ovulation time. It sucks.

Have you talked to your gyno about these? Have they done an ultrasound? I would definitely go and get some answers. You might have a cyst ... yeah, it's a minor surgery (laproscopic) but it's very minimal recovery time and so worth the loss of monthly pain.

[tny915]

I'm a couple years overdue for my annual and am finally scheduled to see my OBGYN in March. But everything's always checked out normal. Shortly after college, my OBGYN at the time or her NP told me I had ovarian cysts that were probably causing the pain and that nothing could be done. But I don't recall ever having an ultrasound done to diagnose this. They advised the Pill, and all is good as long as I'm on it, but now that I'm not, here's what I'm dealing with.

[cmo]

I'm fuzzy on the details as to why this works, but for me it does: a day or two before I think my period is due, I take two Advils a few times per day. Obviously, it helps if your cycles are somewhat regular! Even if they're not, pop a couple at the first twinge. It helps to reduce the amount of XX (acid? hormone? some other fluid? this is the part I'm fuzzy on) that can cause cramps. Once the full amount of XX is out and in your system, it's too late, all you can do is manage the symptoms (cramps).

[Kira's Mommy]

My doctor also recommends to start taking Aleve as soon as you think you're about to get your period and don't wait for the cramps to start. It does help a little bit.

to you. I have the worst periods too.

[geochick]

Mine used to be that bad, then I found the Mirena IUD! Love that thing. I haven't had a bad cramp since getting it.