A link between my girly parts and Crohns

[Tacykakes]

So without getting too specific for the gents on here...

As long as I have "Matured' and gotten my monthly gifts I have also had problems. I am succeptable to intense cramping, cysts that are stacked (which by the way every time I'm in pain they think it is even though the pain is never on the same side and because of the cramps I dont feel them), and of course the heavy days.

Usually when my girly parts are in malfunction shortly after my Crohns gets exasperated and I get majorly sick. My first round of Colitis came during a stressfu time that was followed by the worst period in history. I haven't ever gotten my girly parts under control even with trying ever BC pill on the planet.

I was wondering if any of you ladies know anything about a connection between the two or if I'm overlooking something I should know about to recover. My OBGYN says that of course there is a connection but as I hear always there is nothing more to do but treat my PMDD symptoms with horomones and hope things dont get worse.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all who celebrate

 

[Guest]

hiya and welcome

we do already have some discussions on this - if you do a search for hormones etc in the search facility above, i think a few threads will come up...

i know when it's been discussed here, many ladies do feel there is a definite connection between their monthly cycle and the behaviour of their Crohn's.... i know i certainly did, and coincidentally (or not??) i also have tendancies to ovarian cysts.. lost one ovary surgically due to this.

if you're really troubled, i would suggest you maybe go along to a really good healthfood shop, and discuss all your conditions with an advisor there. i know there are many alternative products on the shelves of such shops which help hormonal imbalance and symptoms, and also maybe try introducing soya into your diet if you can - i was told that eliminating dairy and replacing it fully with soya can have a massive impact on period and menopause symptoms..


lastly - we have a Girls Only section of this forum, which is password protected.. if you want this thread moved there, let me know, and i'll send you the password.

 

[Astra]

Poor you, I totally empathise!
Go into the ForumWiki and read my contribution on the correlation between Crohn's and Endometriosis.
Discuss Endos with your gynae and ask for an ultra sound scan to detect if there are any stuck to your bowels.
Have a great Christmas!
xxx

 

[survivingtigerp]

I always seem to flare up at that time of the month too and my GI said it was hormone related. I have always suspected I have endometriosis because I get intense cramping at the beginning of my period. I thought this would go away as I got older but it never has and sometimes I am not able to go to work on day 1 because my cramps are so bad it makes me throw up and I get very anemic too. Some forms of birth control pills also seemed to make me flare up so I had to switch.

 

[Mountaingem]

I had heavy periods, for 10 days, major pain and bleeding; finally it ended at 32 with a hysterectomy. I used to flare right before and during my menstrual cycles.

Do you have fibroids? I had what I thought was a unrelenting flare for 8 months and later found out the Crohn's was flaring because my bowel was irritated by a fibroid laying against it.

 

[Lydia]

I used to have heavy painful periods which of course feel way worse when I am flaring. I started taking a magnesium supplement at bedtime a few months back and I have found that my periods are shorter by a day or 2, lighter, and less painful. Magnesium supplements are affordable and so it may be worth a try. Give it some time as it doesnt fix the problem over night.

 

[GutlessWonder86]

hi lydia, I was wondering do you take calcium w/your magnesium supplement as well before bedtime or just the magnesium supplement alone?

love the photo of your Lily

 

[bry33]

huh thats interesting ive never had that problem before but every body is different there could definatly be a relation to the crohn's i started BC about 6 years after i got my first period and ive tried everything to help regulate my moods and the easiest thing for me to take since i forget to take pills a lot and i really like the nuvaring if you haven't tried it yet you should give it a shot

 

[Lydia]

hi lydia, I was wondering do you take calcium w/your magnesium supplement as well before bedtime or just the magnesium supplement alone?

love the photo of your Lily

I get a lot of calcium drinking rice milk, and such so I dont, but calcium does go great with magnesium so a Cal-mag supplement will work too. I take it at night because calcium and magnesium can interfere with the absorbtion of other vitamins. So I take the rest of the supplements in the morning and the magnesium at night. Plus magnesium is supposed to help sleep too I think.

Yeah, Lilly is a cute lil thing aint she.

 

[Tacykakes]

Very interesting...I've never been tested for Fibroids but I HAVE had numerous pelvic ultrasounds and they haven't found much more than cysts....should I mention this and have another look or should they have seen them before. I saw a pamphlet on those and I have had a few GP's suspect I had endometriosis. My mom has problems with her periods and Lupus as well...nice gene pool I belong too huh? So those of you who have found the link between the two please share how they found it.

Also...just a thought my pain has gotten immensely sharp all they found in my camera pill study was inflammation in my bowel. I have started having discolored urine (orange to red) and random spots of bleeding....anything sound familiar to anyone else out there?

 

[Tacykakes]

Also...I have been woken up in the middle of the night with intense sharp shooting pains that literally made me scream in bed. They last about 10 minutes and ease up. I am currently taking percoset and no worries I'm NOT constipated, in fact I am completely the opposite.

I get these pains very randomly and my urgency is getting worse. Usually after the pains I have a BM with just a touch of blood and mucus....so any wise words would rock now!

my period is two weeks away according to the current pill pack (which may or may not be accurate)

 

[HeatherMN]

You could also ask about going on Seasonale/Seasonique or one of the generics that you can stay on constantly for several months (or all the time) and have fewer periods. I used to get horrible PMS and pre-menstrual migraines. I asked about getting back on the pill and this was suggested to me. The one I take is called Azurette (generic) and I can go months without my period or never have one at all if I don't want to.
I had my fallopian tubes removed after several ectopic pregnancies (pre-crohn's) so I don't need the pill for contraception.