Does anyone get pain with exercise?

[littleduncs]

Hello everyone

I've been told that I have a bicornuate uterus with a septum attatched (currently waiting to get this removed) and also spots of endo have been found. Im waiting on op to get this removed also. I exercise regularly and since coming off the pill (3 years ago) I have period like pains when I do exercise, particularly when I run. This has been bearable and not a problem, however recently it has started getting really bad, I did a run the other day and couldnt stand up afterwards because the pain was so bad, I get bad period pains anyway but this felt like the most excruciating period pain i've ever had. It lasted about 20 minutes of me being crumpled up on the floor. It subsided after this, however im worried about it. Has anyone ever experienced this, and if so have an idea why it happens and what can be done to prevent it? (Besides not exercising!) thanks.

[Impatient]

Having a bicornuate doesn't in itself cause pains after exercise. I did have a very good surgeon that inserted a mirena coil in one half under general anaesthetic using scanniing equipment , so that it went in the right direction and that has been brilliant at stopping my periods and period pains.

Probably not something to be done at the same time as the septum op, but definitely something to consider in the future.

There are a handful of ladies on this forum with bicornuates and endo besides you and me.

I am guessing if you are having the septum op, it is with a view to one day having a baby, in which case mirena is not something to try till you have got that out of the way.

Sudden and severe gynae pain is usually a burst or leaking cyst. most other forms of gynae pain give you advance warning that pain and cramping is coming on getting stronger.

Visit your GP and explain what happened and that you suspect may have been an ovarian cyst. A good GP will refer you to hosp for a scan to check for signs of a cyst (that can fill up again) and any contents of the cyst that has splattered inside you.

Vigorous exercise is great for the heart and awful for endo.

Endo is hundreds of fragile little wounds designed to shed they covers every month and bleed, this makes them prone to shedding their menstrual linings and bleeding at other times when you aggravate them by putting too much strain on the little wounds. Every time they bleed they will be irritating nearby tissue and organs and forming scar tissue or adhesions.

The rule of thumb as far as exercise is concerned is if it hurts then you are doing too much and need to tone back the level of activity to avoid putting strain on the region(s) where endo is known to be. For most of us that is the gynae region. Gentle regular exercise is much kinder to endo. Swimming or walking, some ladies advocate gentle pilates or yoga, but even that is too much and hurts other ladies.

[pineapple]

I get the exact same thing after running! I'd love to go for a run with my other half and have tried it a handful of times. Hello endorphins, hello endo pain. Sometimes I've had a dull pelvic ache afterwards, other times I've had stomach cramps, cystitis-type pains and spotting. Rubbish isn't it. If I overdo it my body tells me. So I have to do lighter exercise as Impatient says: pilates; yoga; hiking and build myself up to jogging. And it's all so much worse if I've eaten badly (have to completely stay away from wheat) and start off with stomach pain in the first place. Let me know if you figure anything else out!

[littleduncs]

Thankyou so much for your replies. I've started looking into things I shouldn't be eating, I'm generally quite healthy but I guess everyone could eat better. Pineapple, what do you avoid eating completely? I know you said wheat but what does this include? Sorry to sound abit simple but I trail through internet information, it's all abit to much to take in sometimes.

[cmim823]

I have been getting severe pain 12-15 minutes into running since I first started getting my period. was just diagnosed with bicorunate uterus yesterday via a trans-vaginal sonogram. Didn't seem fibroids or endomeotrisis (which I was convinced it was). Anyone think the running pain is fully explained by abnormally shaped uterus? Thanks!

Caitie

[Runner90]

I know this is an old thread by I googled like crazy to try and figure out what was wrong with me so hopefully this helps someone else, I've have had this for about a year, really intense period like paid when I run, always about 1.5/2km in. I've been to a million doctors to find out the problem, finally had a laparoscopy which determined I had endometriosis on one of my ligaments which meant when I was running it would pull causing a flare up. So now the endo is gone hopefully so is the pain! My doctor also recommended the pill (any type) to keep the endo under control

[Soph1992 in reply to Runner90]

Again this is an old post, but I myself have been googling non stop to try and find people with a similar problem as my, I am a dancer and when I do a more intense dance session I get period pains even when not on my period, they last for about 10-15 minutes, I find applying a cold compress sometimes helps a little.. was wondering if after your op the pain stopped? Or if you know a way of getting rid of it, it is scaring me to the point I don’t want to dance any more

[Runner90 in reply to Soph1992]

Hi, yes the pain stopped after the surgery, but only for about 12 or so months then they slowly started coming back, now I’m 3 months pregnant so I haven’t run for a while, but before I got pregnant it was getting back to the point where every time I ran further than a km i would get pain so I probably needed it removed again.

I used to sometimes be able to manage it by running for 5 or so minutes to warm up, then walking for tenish minutes before getting back into running. That didn’t always work though. My pain sounds pretty similar to yours, if I was running and it started I’d have to stop and walk it off for 10-15 minutes, but then I’d be pain free for the rest of my run.

I saw quite a few doctors who just dismissed me and said getting period pain while exercising isn’t a thing, then when I finally found someone who listened had my laparoscopy i had pretty bad endo which I’ve probably had for 15 + years, and was contributing to my difficulty in getting pregnant, so if you’re having pain I recommend you get it checked out and if the dr says it’s not a big deal keep pushing until you get an answer.

Good luck!