Acceptable level of period pain?

[Kellymarie407]

I haven't yet been diagnosed with endo though have a laparoscopy booked for 18th June. I started my period yesterday, which are always painful and heavy, but today the pain is so bad. It feel as though my insides are falling out. The stabbing pain in my right side is immense and it is making me feel sick. I had two babies with no pain relief so I consider my pain threshold quite high. What is a normal level of period pain? Is it connected to endo? Or am I just being soft. Thanks in advance. Kelly. X

[somegirlcalledjo]

Hi Kelly - I like have not been officially diagnosed yet, still waiting on a date for my first specialist appointment but have similar symptoms to you. I get the pain intensely on my left side, and like you also consider my pain tolerance to be pretty high. I don't think there is a normal level of pain with periods, but I always seem to have had them badly, more so than anyone else I know (which now I know is probably because of Endo!). You're not being soft, and if you feel like your insides are on fire then its not normal! That is what made me really push my GP for a referral - while some may write it off as "just menstrual cramps" no one should be crippled with pain on their period - it's not ok. Maybe go back to your doctors to get some stronger painkillers in the meantime? I have found that ibuprofen with codeine can sometimes work. Hot water bottles also can offer some relief. Just know that others out there suffer too, and not to think you're just over exaggerating or that it's 'in your head'!

Jo x

[Kellymarie407 in reply to somegirlcalledjo]

Thanks Jo. I have ulcerative colitis so painkillers are limited as to what I am allowed to take. Paracetamol is the safest option but it doesn't touch it. X

[somegirlcalledjo in reply to Kellymarie407]

Then I always find that a nice glass of red wine helps me!

[Hidden]

Hi kellymarie,

I too have not been diagonsed with endo yet but im due to have an examination & a possible laproscopy with an gynacologist in about 2 weeks time.

Since a young (teenager) ive suffered with heavy, painful & irregular periods, as like yourself i have been lucky enough to give birth to 2 children with very little methods of pain relief, so i'd therefore consider my pain threshold to be considerably good or quite high now.

To answer your question though i just think as long as you're able to get through the "twinges" of the menstrual pain without taking high standard painkillers such as codine or etc... it's acceptable enough.

xx

[emaweegirl]

We're all different really so pain that you feel you can "manage" might be unbearable to someone else and vice-versa. I'm on cerazette now so I don't have periods but when I did I would be confined to the sofa all day and any painkillers I took wouldn't touch it. Sometimes the pain would go down my legs too. Even now when I have breakthrough bleeding twice a year, I have horrible cramps any only minimal bleeding. I too have had a baby 6 yrs ago, with just gas and air so consider my pain threshold pretty high. If you're bent over in crippling pain and can't move or function at all then that would be the obvious limit to the pain you're in I think x

[Beetlebug84]

Hi I always use the mankoski pain scale to assess the level of pain I'm in so I can keep a note each day of my period. Partly to see if there's a pattern to my pain each month but also to show my doctor so he can see what level of pain I'm suffering. Hope it's of use to you too:

wemsi.org/painscale.html

[daffodil in reply to Beetlebug84]

Thanks for this Beetlebug-this is really useful.

[Beetlebug84 in reply to daffodil]

No problem