Excruciating ovulation and period pain

[Carrie97]

I’ve always been aware of these two occasions during the months as painful but the last 3 cycles have been ridiculous. The pain during ovulation and my period has me literally breathing and feeling like I’m in early labour! My levels are low and I’m the heaviest I’ve been. My dr just wants to add more thyroxine. The pain feels like contractions and if I need the toilet the pain is horrendous.

[Hidden]

Have you been examined to check for a fibroid?

[Carrie97 in reply to Hidden]

No not for years

[SlowDragon Administrator]

How long have you been on 200mcg levothyroxine

Which brand of levothyroxine are you currently taking

Is it always same brand

Many people find different brands are not interchangeable

Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after any dose change or brand change in levothyroxine

Essential to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

When were vitamin levels last tested

Previous posts show Hashimoto’s and very poor conversion

Likely to need to see thyroid specialist endocrinologist privately as GP refuses to refer you

But before considering booking any consultation you must get full thyroid and vitamin testing done

Have you had coeliac blood test done

Are you on strictly gluten free and/dairy free diet

[Carrie97]

Yes my dr refuses to refer me and I’ve not had much success looking for a private endo. The brands are Mercury and Afford, I was getting activis but they said it’s discontinued, I had coeliac test years ago and it was negative. I’m not gluten free yet, I’ve requested a full vitamin panel to be done. I’ve been on 200mcg for years and about 4 weeks ago put it up to 225mcg.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Do you have heavy periods?

nhs.uk/conditions/fibroids/

Increased risk of fibroids when hypothyroid

houstonfibroids.com/posts/n...

Oestrogen dominance perhaps linked to both

atlii.com/thyroid-and-fibro...

[Carrie97 in reply to SlowDragon]

I’ve done a econsult with my dr asking for all the appropriate blood tests and told them about my pain. My periods aren’t too heavy usually the first 24 hours are heavy then it tails off

[Hidden in reply to Carrie97]

That was the deciding factor for my diagnosis. Gynae told me I was bleeding into the fibroid.

Do get this checked out ASAP

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Carrie97]

You might need to spell it out to GP

Request investigation and ultrasound scan for fibroids

[Carrie97 in reply to SlowDragon]

Yes I shall Won’t hold my breath as I’ve been waiting since March to see a specialist about possible polyps up my nose and still no appointment

[Carrie97 in reply to SlowDragon]

So my blood tests were all good and high in range other than thyroid and folate she’s putting me on tablets for this. I’m getting to see her on Thursday.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Carrie97]

thyroid and folate

What were these results and ranges

Was thyroid tested as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

Has GP increased levothyroxine dose?

Which brand of levothyroxine do you normally take

As you have Hashimoto’s are you on strictly gluten free diet and/or strictly dairy free

Presumably you have prescribed folic acid for low folate

Endometriosis and Hashimoto’s frequently go together

Fibroids are more common when hypothyroid

[Hidden]

Think you need to get this done. I had similar symptoms and a lot of weight gain on abdomen. Turned out to be a very large fibroid requiring a total hysterectomy.

[Serendipitious]

Painful periods are also a sign of endometriosis. Please get your GP to refer you for an ultrasound scan. They can’t just refuse you. That should help identify the cause. Periods should never be painful, ever.

[humanbean]

Like Serendipitious I would suspect endometriosis as well. Unfortunately, even when it is suspected it is almost impossible to prove one way or the other without a laparoscopy. And, if the surgeon is not skilled or thorough they can miss it. It can also be hidden in parts of the pelvis that can't be seen without a hysterectomy.

Finding the right surgeon for the job is absolutely essential. This organisation might be a good place to start :

bsge.org.uk/

In the above link, click on the map.

Be aware that one of the commonest ways of treating endometriosis is with laser laparoscopy i.e. by burning it off. But endometriosis is like an iceberg. Taking the top 10% off doesn't actually achieve a lot. It needs to be removed completely by excision.

But finding a surgeon who will agree might be difficult even amongst the so-called experts because they are still convinced that laser does everything they need.

Endometriosis and scarring can't be seen via X-ray, CT scan, ultrasound, or MRI, unless the damage is very, very, VERY dense, to the extent that the affected tissue is actually hard.

[humanbean in reply to humanbean]

I just wanted to add that improving nutrients levels and T3 levels made a substantial difference to my pain levels whatever the cause of the pain was.

[humanbean in reply to humanbean]

You might find this website of interest even though it is old.

endopaedia.info/

As the front page says :

Endopædia is a comprehensive, online resource on the origin, diagnosis, and optimal management of endometriosis, and represents the life's work of world-renowned endometriosis excision surgeon and gynaecologist, Dr. David B. Redwine, M.D.

David Redwine (who retired in 2012) was the gynaecologist / surgeon who found out that excision of endometriosis lesions was far more successful in reducing or eliminating pain than lasering the top off and leaving a lot of it in place.

[Serendipitious in reply to humanbean]

Just wanted to add that medical treatment for endometriosis has moved on in recent years but not as much as it should have. Surgery is only recommended in severe cases and the NHS is recommending people seeking help through “alternatives therapies”. Surgery cannot halt the cause. Immune dysfunction driven by excess oestrogen is a common factor.

NAC has been shown in studies to reduce growth, pain and the size of endometriomas. So it’s definitely worth looking into. Also, having excess oestrogen and not enough progesterone is a contributory factor. Doctors can offer body identical progesterone like Utrogestan.

[humanbean in reply to Serendipitious]

Surgery is only recommended in severe cases

Naturally - God forbid that the NHS would spend money on sick women. They were completely unable to diagnose endometriosis during the time I was going through it. They can always refuse to treat and never spend a penny.

The whole endometriosis issue is no longer of relevance to me, although I was tortured by it for many, many years. But there is a letter in my medical records that says I had very severe endometriosis. I was also told after surgery that I had adenomyosis but that was never recorded.

What kind of alternative therapies does the NHS recommend? Ones they won't pay for I would guess. Do they expect women to pay for their own treatment? They don't help women in severe pain for decades, but will spend loads of research money on erectile dysfunction.

[Serendipitious in reply to humanbean]

I’m aware of other people who were sadly not given the help they needed. Even post menopause they are suffering the complications from adhesions. It remains that way because there isn’t a drug that can treat it but only pain relieving medications. Once again another chronic long term ailment that does not fit the standard model of allopathic health care. However, I’ve seen how NAC has reduced the severity of the disease in many people. NAC was trialled as a drug many years ago by pharma but never classified as a drug.

[humanbean in reply to Serendipitious]

You seem remarkably accepting of what sounds like dreadful treatment. Since your post is about excruciating pain I'm wondering if you even get prescribed pain relief?

[Serendipitious in reply to humanbean]

Do you mean the author of this post or my response? I have lots of health problems which have significantly affected my life but I think feeling bitter and looking for something/somebody to blame will only make me feel worse today and introduce more problems for me in the future.

[humanbean in reply to Serendipitious]

I was replying to you. And clearly you are a better human being than I could ever be because I admit that I am hugely angry, bitter, and resentful of the bad treatment I've had from the medical profession for the last 50 years, because it is still impacting my health and any treatment I get from medical staff today, and will until I die.

One of my major fears, given that I am now classed as "elderly" by the medical profession, is that I will get something like, say, cancer, and I won't get a diagnosis and will just be made to suffer terribly with no prospect of ever being taken seriously. I fear the future because I still remember my past extremely well and have no reason to believe anything will ever change.