Women - menstrual cycle, weight, and fitness matters

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  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Oh my god. My "woman's matters" are trying to kill me.

    Besides painful menstrual cramps that make me lie on the floor and cry for my mother, I've been experiencing sharp pain during ovulation that I assumed were little cysts rupturing. The pain is sharp and if I'm walking I usually have to stop, or I have to grab onto something to help get me through the pain.

    But the other day I'm walking down the street in Brooklyn and it happens. The WORST it's ever happened. I cannot walk and am literally afraid to move. So what else could I do but lie down on the sidewalk? Here I am on a busy city sidewalk, right outside the door of some diner.

    Then I started fainting! I'm drenched in sweat. The heat, pain, and freaking myself out was just too much. Finally I let someone walk me to the Urgent Care that was only a block away. It was the longest block of my life. I'm telling you it was so difficult to walk.

    Urgent Care sent me somewhere to get an ultrasound. Nothing. Just like last time.

    WTF IS THIS?! It was a nightmare.

    I had that with cysts. Ended up at the ER. I'm not sure why it hurt like it did because my cysts didn't rupture or twist or anything that I could tell. Just a very sharp pain. Periods are awful too.

    Have you talked about it to your GYN?

    Sorry, just seeing this.

    I mean...I have kind of talked to one about it. No one cares. Everyone says it's normal. At this point it's starting to *kitten* with the quality of my life. It's not just the pain. The mood swings can be so severe. Ugh.

    I want to go on a birth control, but that scares me too.

    I stopped the pill. 2 weeks of bleeding after 5 months of use was just too much and the mood swings were even worse. Of course I ended up bleeding an extra week, and now one week later I'm showing signs of ovulation already.

    *sigh*

    But yeah, I spent 3 weeks pretty much crying non stop the last month I was on it (vs my usual 2-3 days) so I'm jealous of those people who said that the pill made things better for them... I did gain a couple pounds in those months, I've been hungrier overall but I haven't exactly made much of an effort to watch my diet too much (again, being depressed most of the time made me not care, honestly).

    So pretty much a big fail for me and not really willing to try a new one at this point.

    Just to anyone else reading this. Remember, this is not the norm...
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,843 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Oh my god. My "woman's matters" are trying to kill me.

    Besides painful menstrual cramps that make me lie on the floor and cry for my mother, I've been experiencing sharp pain during ovulation that I assumed were little cysts rupturing. The pain is sharp and if I'm walking I usually have to stop, or I have to grab onto something to help get me through the pain.

    But the other day I'm walking down the street in Brooklyn and it happens. The WORST it's ever happened. I cannot walk and am literally afraid to move. So what else could I do but lie down on the sidewalk? Here I am on a busy city sidewalk, right outside the door of some diner.

    Then I started fainting! I'm drenched in sweat. The heat, pain, and freaking myself out was just too much. Finally I let someone walk me to the Urgent Care that was only a block away. It was the longest block of my life. I'm telling you it was so difficult to walk.

    Urgent Care sent me somewhere to get an ultrasound. Nothing. Just like last time.

    WTF IS THIS?! It was a nightmare.

    I had that with cysts. Ended up at the ER. I'm not sure why it hurt like it did because my cysts didn't rupture or twist or anything that I could tell. Just a very sharp pain. Periods are awful too.

    Have you talked about it to your GYN?

    Sorry, just seeing this.

    I mean...I have kind of talked to one about it. No one cares. Everyone says it's normal. At this point it's starting to *kitten* with the quality of my life. It's not just the pain. The mood swings can be so severe. Ugh.

    I want to go on a birth control, but that scares me too.

    I stopped the pill. 2 weeks of bleeding after 5 months of use was just too much and the mood swings were even worse. Of course I ended up bleeding an extra week, and now one week later I'm showing signs of ovulation already.

    *sigh*

    But yeah, I spent 3 weeks pretty much crying non stop the last month I was on it (vs my usual 2-3 days) so I'm jealous of those people who said that the pill made things better for them... I did gain a couple pounds in those months, I've been hungrier overall but I haven't exactly made much of an effort to watch my diet too much (again, being depressed most of the time made me not care, honestly).

    So pretty much a big fail for me and not really willing to try a new one at this point.

    When I was on the pill, when I was younger, the only kind that worked for me was the "mini pill". All the rest gave me huge mood swings. raging PMS, and morning sickness.

    Maybe a lower dose pill or the "mini pill" might work better for you.


    (I've since discovered that I shouldn't have ever been on the pill at all ... I'm just lucky I wasn't hospitalised sooner)

  • Ravenwing101
    Ravenwing101 Posts: 6 Member
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    Am going through a strange period. Pardon the pun
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Oh my god. My "woman's matters" are trying to kill me.

    Besides painful menstrual cramps that make me lie on the floor and cry for my mother, I've been experiencing sharp pain during ovulation that I assumed were little cysts rupturing. The pain is sharp and if I'm walking I usually have to stop, or I have to grab onto something to help get me through the pain.

    But the other day I'm walking down the street in Brooklyn and it happens. The WORST it's ever happened. I cannot walk and am literally afraid to move. So what else could I do but lie down on the sidewalk? Here I am on a busy city sidewalk, right outside the door of some diner.

    Then I started fainting! I'm drenched in sweat. The heat, pain, and freaking myself out was just too much. Finally I let someone walk me to the Urgent Care that was only a block away. It was the longest block of my life. I'm telling you it was so difficult to walk.

    Urgent Care sent me somewhere to get an ultrasound. Nothing. Just like last time.

    WTF IS THIS?! It was a nightmare.

    I had that with cysts. Ended up at the ER. I'm not sure why it hurt like it did because my cysts didn't rupture or twist or anything that I could tell. Just a very sharp pain. Periods are awful too.

    Have you talked about it to your GYN?

    Sorry, just seeing this.

    I mean...I have kind of talked to one about it. No one cares. Everyone says it's normal. At this point it's starting to *kitten* with the quality of my life. It's not just the pain. The mood swings can be so severe. Ugh.

    I want to go on a birth control, but that scares me too.

    I stopped the pill. 2 weeks of bleeding after 5 months of use was just too much and the mood swings were even worse. Of course I ended up bleeding an extra week, and now one week later I'm showing signs of ovulation already.

    *sigh*

    But yeah, I spent 3 weeks pretty much crying non stop the last month I was on it (vs my usual 2-3 days) so I'm jealous of those people who said that the pill made things better for them... I did gain a couple pounds in those months, I've been hungrier overall but I haven't exactly made much of an effort to watch my diet too much (again, being depressed most of the time made me not care, honestly).

    So pretty much a big fail for me and not really willing to try a new one at this point.

    I never had painful ovulation until I stopped birth control, years ago. Now it makes me nervous.

    So you just used it for that month? May I ask which you used?

    I used it for 5 months. Viorelle is the name.
    Francl27 wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Oh my god. My "woman's matters" are trying to kill me.

    Besides painful menstrual cramps that make me lie on the floor and cry for my mother, I've been experiencing sharp pain during ovulation that I assumed were little cysts rupturing. The pain is sharp and if I'm walking I usually have to stop, or I have to grab onto something to help get me through the pain.

    But the other day I'm walking down the street in Brooklyn and it happens. The WORST it's ever happened. I cannot walk and am literally afraid to move. So what else could I do but lie down on the sidewalk? Here I am on a busy city sidewalk, right outside the door of some diner.

    Then I started fainting! I'm drenched in sweat. The heat, pain, and freaking myself out was just too much. Finally I let someone walk me to the Urgent Care that was only a block away. It was the longest block of my life. I'm telling you it was so difficult to walk.

    Urgent Care sent me somewhere to get an ultrasound. Nothing. Just like last time.

    WTF IS THIS?! It was a nightmare.

    I had that with cysts. Ended up at the ER. I'm not sure why it hurt like it did because my cysts didn't rupture or twist or anything that I could tell. Just a very sharp pain. Periods are awful too.

    Have you talked about it to your GYN?

    Sorry, just seeing this.

    I mean...I have kind of talked to one about it. No one cares. Everyone says it's normal. At this point it's starting to *kitten* with the quality of my life. It's not just the pain. The mood swings can be so severe. Ugh.

    I want to go on a birth control, but that scares me too.

    I stopped the pill. 2 weeks of bleeding after 5 months of use was just too much and the mood swings were even worse. Of course I ended up bleeding an extra week, and now one week later I'm showing signs of ovulation already.

    *sigh*

    But yeah, I spent 3 weeks pretty much crying non stop the last month I was on it (vs my usual 2-3 days) so I'm jealous of those people who said that the pill made things better for them... I did gain a couple pounds in those months, I've been hungrier overall but I haven't exactly made much of an effort to watch my diet too much (again, being depressed most of the time made me not care, honestly).

    So pretty much a big fail for me and not really willing to try a new one at this point.

    Just to anyone else reading this. Remember, this is not the norm...

    Hormones of any kind mess me up, unfortunately. When I did IVF with a normal dose I ended up making way too many eggs and bloating like crazy...
    Machka9 wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Oh my god. My "woman's matters" are trying to kill me.

    Besides painful menstrual cramps that make me lie on the floor and cry for my mother, I've been experiencing sharp pain during ovulation that I assumed were little cysts rupturing. The pain is sharp and if I'm walking I usually have to stop, or I have to grab onto something to help get me through the pain.

    But the other day I'm walking down the street in Brooklyn and it happens. The WORST it's ever happened. I cannot walk and am literally afraid to move. So what else could I do but lie down on the sidewalk? Here I am on a busy city sidewalk, right outside the door of some diner.

    Then I started fainting! I'm drenched in sweat. The heat, pain, and freaking myself out was just too much. Finally I let someone walk me to the Urgent Care that was only a block away. It was the longest block of my life. I'm telling you it was so difficult to walk.

    Urgent Care sent me somewhere to get an ultrasound. Nothing. Just like last time.

    WTF IS THIS?! It was a nightmare.

    I had that with cysts. Ended up at the ER. I'm not sure why it hurt like it did because my cysts didn't rupture or twist or anything that I could tell. Just a very sharp pain. Periods are awful too.

    Have you talked about it to your GYN?

    Sorry, just seeing this.

    I mean...I have kind of talked to one about it. No one cares. Everyone says it's normal. At this point it's starting to *kitten* with the quality of my life. It's not just the pain. The mood swings can be so severe. Ugh.

    I want to go on a birth control, but that scares me too.

    I stopped the pill. 2 weeks of bleeding after 5 months of use was just too much and the mood swings were even worse. Of course I ended up bleeding an extra week, and now one week later I'm showing signs of ovulation already.

    *sigh*

    But yeah, I spent 3 weeks pretty much crying non stop the last month I was on it (vs my usual 2-3 days) so I'm jealous of those people who said that the pill made things better for them... I did gain a couple pounds in those months, I've been hungrier overall but I haven't exactly made much of an effort to watch my diet too much (again, being depressed most of the time made me not care, honestly).

    So pretty much a big fail for me and not really willing to try a new one at this point.

    When I was on the pill, when I was younger, the only kind that worked for me was the "mini pill". All the rest gave me huge mood swings. raging PMS, and morning sickness.

    Maybe a lower dose pill or the "mini pill" might work better for you.


    (I've since discovered that I shouldn't have ever been on the pill at all ... I'm just lucky I wasn't hospitalised sooner)

    I'm not really sure. I asked the doc to give me the smallest dose they could because my cholesterol is high already and I didn't want to make it worse. I'm not sure how well it worked because I was getting my period BEFORE I started taking the placebo pills.

    Anyway, done with that...
  • Kullerva
    Kullerva Posts: 1,114 Member
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    I have endometriosis so my periods have always been "parting the Red Sea" bad. Low-dose birth control is off-label for the condition and helps a lot, but it can really only go so far. (Also, my pediatrician had to go to bat against his entire medical board to give it to me, since I was menstruating when I was nine. I had 28-day periods for about four months and was slowly dying of anemia.) Losing weight helped a lot more than the pill with the pain symptoms, but I still bleed enough to dip my iron levels noticeably. (I can't give blood during my periods. I hate it.)

    I ovulate from days 7-14 of my cycle (with day 1 set as the first day after menstruation). I get a major hunger rev-up for the whole week that I've been controlling with DDR, recently. Lots and lots of it. Because addiction to exercise is better than addiction to food, and unlike running, DDR doesn't make me feel like I'm starving after I'm done. :)

    One benefit of birth control is that I know exactly when my period will start (35 hours after I've taken the last hormone pill, I start bleeding, like clockwork). I currently spend two days in the brown/pink phase (which panty liners can deal with just fine), 3 days in the red zone (which is gushtastic and horrible), and 2 days winding down, where bleeding is dramatic but sporadic.

    Over the years I've taken steps to make all this easier. I have a Tushy (portable bidet that attaches to most toilets) and Tushy towels, which help with hygiene, and I have Thinx (blood-proof underwear), which helps with comfort, though I usually use cloth pads on days 1-2 of menstruation. Some use diva cups; I tried but my anatomical weirdnesses make them extremely uncomfortable for me.

  • hydechildcare
    hydechildcare Posts: 145 Member
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    question. I'm losing about 1 pound per week and eating an average of 1300 calories per day. My period is delayed by 2 weeks. i've taken 2 pregnancy tests and both were negative. I have been regular for a few years, so it is unusual. Is it a sign that I should slow down my weight loss or is it a normal byproduct of weight loss?

    I was late two weeks a few months ago (before I started MFP). I was changing jobs and family issues. I believe it was just stress. If you have a lot of stress find an outlet.
  • allangirl
    allangirl Posts: 56 Member
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    Does using a Diva Cup help with cramps? I found that using pads over tampons at the beginning of my period significantly decreased my cramps. Has anyone noticed this?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Has anybody had to use Provera in order to induce a period? If so, what was your experience with it?

    I'm on Day 85 of my cycle and if my period doesn't show up by early October, my OB would like me to do a round of Provera so that I have one. I have PCOS, which can often mean irregular periods, but this is the longest my cycle has ever been. When I was obese, it was pretty regular, around 32 days, give or take a couple of days. Now it averages 32 but usually ranges between 24 and 60-something. I'm 41 so my doc said that come October I could have bloodwork done to see if perimenopause is also at play but right now he's thinking it's the PCOS.

    If you've ever had Provera, I'd appreciate any input you may have :)
  • counting_kilojoules
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    allangirl wrote: »
    Does using a Diva Cup help with cramps? I found that using pads over tampons at the beginning of my period significantly decreased my cramps. Has anyone noticed this?

    I used to use a cup and didn't find it made a difference. Some people say it helped them though.
  • Archcurl
    Archcurl Posts: 239 Member
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    allangirl wrote: »
    Does using a Diva Cup help with cramps? I found that using pads over tampons at the beginning of my period significantly decreased my cramps. Has anyone noticed this?

    Yes! Definitely. I use a Meluna cup, not a diva but the principle is the same. I thought it was bulls at first and thought my cycle had just changed a bit, but last summer I went camping and with the zero hygiene factor I didn't feel comfortable to use my cups. So I used Tampax and some always pads for two periods and my last period, cup again, I couldn't believe the difference it actually made! I've been mostly using cups for about three? Years now and I really didn't think it'd make such a big difference.
    But for me it's actually constant horrible pain with "normal" period products and with cups I just have a few cramps, not nearly as bad as with and I have had days in which I actually forgot I was on my period while using cups. And going from not being able to breathe normally, let alone move, during my period is a mayor change.
    I wish you good luck! Also, for any Q look up precious stars pads on YouTube. She's older than she looks but knows everything about cups and about all the cups!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    allangirl wrote: »
    Does using a Diva Cup help with cramps? I found that using pads over tampons at the beginning of my period significantly decreased my cramps. Has anyone noticed this?

    I haven't had cramps in almost 20 years, which is about the time I abandoned the Standard American Diet.

    Most of my life I used OB tampons as primary, with pads as backup when needed.

    Now I use a moon cup for lighter days and the XO Flo for heavy days: https://gladrags.com/product/451/XO-Flo.html

    Looks like gladrags doesn't carry the moon cup anymore. I think they were getting seriously undercut on Amazon.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    Has anybody had to use Provera in order to induce a period? If so, what was your experience with it?

    I'm on Day 85 of my cycle and if my period doesn't show up by early October, my OB would like me to do a round of Provera so that I have one. I have PCOS, which can often mean irregular periods, but this is the longest my cycle has ever been. When I was obese, it was pretty regular, around 32 days, give or take a couple of days. Now it averages 32 but usually ranges between 24 and 60-something. I'm 41 so my doc said that come October I could have bloodwork done to see if perimenopause is also at play but right now he's thinking it's the PCOS.

    If you've ever had Provera, I'd appreciate any input you may have :)

    May I ask why your doctor wants you to have one? I am just curious as a person who has trouble with periods as well.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    I finally bit the bullet and got birth control today. The doctor said I might have endometriosis but we will see if the BC decreases my conditions first.

    So I'm an idiot. I am pretty sure my period is going to come very soon...like tomorrow. So I just popped a pill tonight to stop it because I hate my period. But I'm not going to take my pills at night normally. I don't know what's wrong with me.

    Anyway, I told the doc that I am in extreme pain during ovulation and the cramping is terrible during my period. I also tend to get sad easily. I started Loestrin 1/20. Hopefully it does it's job and doesn't make me a crazy *kitten*. Also I hate condoms so not getting pregnant would be awesome too.
  • pookey26
    pookey26 Posts: 42 Member
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    This is great thank you.
    I've just hit the hungry PMS stage and decided to just eat at maintenance and go with it , and it's paid off. Really trying to listen to my body and instead of denying myself and then caving with a giant binge I've had two maintenance days and the urge has now passed and I'm back to my deficit and hopefully come out the other side still on a downward weight trend .
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    bbell1985 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    Has anybody had to use Provera in order to induce a period? If so, what was your experience with it?

    I'm on Day 85 of my cycle and if my period doesn't show up by early October, my OB would like me to do a round of Provera so that I have one. I have PCOS, which can often mean irregular periods, but this is the longest my cycle has ever been. When I was obese, it was pretty regular, around 32 days, give or take a couple of days. Now it averages 32 but usually ranges between 24 and 60-something. I'm 41 so my doc said that come October I could have bloodwork done to see if perimenopause is also at play but right now he's thinking it's the PCOS.

    If you've ever had Provera, I'd appreciate any input you may have :)

    May I ask why your doctor wants you to have one? I am just curious as a person who has trouble with periods as well.

    Sure, I don't mind the question. I have PCOS and he is concerned with uterine overgrowth as it can sometimes lead to cancer. Here is some info:

    https://m.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Endometrial-Hyperplasia?IsMobileSet=true

    Oh, and as luck would have it, I posted this question a couple of days ago and started my period the next day. Should have posted a month ago :)
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Feels like this could use a bump.

    fist-pump.gif
  • kdbulger
    kdbulger Posts: 396 Member
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    Just read up on this because I'm looking to find out whether others experience their weight loss primarily between ovulation and their period. I almost never lose an ounce during the first half of my cycle, and then drop it all in the two weeks before my period. That seems very...backwards compared to others?
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
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    kdbulger wrote: »
    Just read up on this because I'm looking to find out whether others experience their weight loss primarily between ovulation and their period. I almost never lose an ounce during the first half of my cycle, and then drop it all in the two weeks before my period. That seems very...backwards compared to others?

    I'm similar - my whoosh always happens right before my period. I'll nickle and dime the rest of the month, hit a new low a day or so before my period starts, then bloat again. I have noticed that when I am on point though, the low weight I hit before my period is about what I can expect my trend to end up at the following month.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Just giving this a bump back to the top.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Just had a 3 week cycle... again. I swear I'm either starving all the time or horribly bloated... I'm so over this!