Stomach issues due to monthly cycle?

emgracewrites
emgracewrites Posts: 478 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi. New here. My goal is to gain weight, but I also have issues with my stomach not being able to tolerate much of anything during and immediately before I start my cycle. I am trying to find a doctor to talk to about this, but any tips to relieve the misery in the meantime? I only managed to eat 700 calories today and I really don’t want to lose more weight but everything I put in my stomach makes me feel miserable. Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • Idontcareyoupick
    Idontcareyoupick Posts: 2,854 Member
    I'd stick with whatever you can keep down or what you'd eat if you had the stomach flu or were sick. If you can get anything down, try for higher calorie dense things, peanut butter, bread, noodles, junk food Sorry can't be of much help but hope it's ends quickly and you find some answers with a doctor.
  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 921 Member
    Is this nausea related to really bad/painful cramping? Or this is a separate symptom of it's own?

    Great idea getting in to see your doc as ultimately they will be the best resource to find out what's actually going on. However, I fear they will simply want to prescribe something like an SSRI or BC (unless you are already taking those things). I'm not sure how differential diagnosis for stuff like this works since often times (even with female OB/GYNs) women aren't really taken seriously sometimes when they complain about symptoms -- especially symptoms related to their menstrual cycle.

    As far as at home stuff --- ginger or peppermint tea (or candies) can help. Cinnamon is another (but don't go eating too too much). Bland foods (think the BRAT diet or something similar...easy to digest, not highly flavored foods). Keep hydrated at the very least as much as you can.
  • emgracewrites
    emgracewrites Posts: 478 Member
    @westrich20940 My cramps are definitely intense, but now I’m getting diarrhea and nausea about a week before my cycle even starts. I’ve had stomach issues off and on for years but never connected it to my cycle before so it may be something else entirely. And every doctor I’ve been to in the past has basically just told me to drink more water and try to manage my stress better, so I’ve never even been tested for anything - I just get ignored like you said. I have an appointment next week with a new provider so hopefully she’ll actually take me seriously. Thanks for the advice about the home remedies.
  • 88AViva
    88AViva Posts: 499 Member
    Hi 👋🏼
    I understand what it feels like to be in the 70% of women who suffer more severe pains on their monthly cycle. At 20 I had a doctor note that it was dysmenorrhea.
    I was lucky to have a GP that was thorough, asked a lot of questions and didn't dismiss it as just regular pains. I got my first period at 16 so the few docs I saw before the right one just used to say that "you started late and it will normalize eventually, it will get better" but it didn't really.

    I suggest reading some about dysmenorrhea and endometriosis
    to have an idea of what it is and see if your symptoms match but don't panic 🙂 I hope you find the doctor you need who will take the time to understand the situation and give you the right solutions. Wishing you health 🌼
  • papercut2k
    papercut2k Posts: 83 Member
    I really hope you find some help. I understand the feeling. For many years, I couldn't eat much of anything while on my period without fear of it coming back up or getting crazy diarrhea. Sometimes, I had to deal with the vomiting and diarrhea at the same time -those were "fun" mornings.

    If I had the money, I would've just went with the hysterectomy because it would have an elective surgery. I've seen doctors and all of them were dismissive. One did offered birth control pills when I mentioned the blood clots. The pills didn't work for me. Thankfully the severity of the monthly sickness has lessened over time.

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