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Extremely Painful Menstrual Cramps

Posted by MareRunsWild

Almost 5yrs ago I had the lining of my uterus removed as well as my tubes cauterized and had no bleeding for almost 4yrs. Then 1yr ago I started cramping very badly with heavy bleeding. I do have fibroid tumors as well. The pain is so bad I ended up in the ER 1 night. They could not do anything for me so now I just try and tough it out.

 I have tried ibuprofen, aleve and other OTC pain meds for women. But nothing seems to help. I also have Fybro but that normally effects my back, shoulders and neck. 

 Any ideas on what I can do? I'm 36 and have no plans on having kids. But I want to avoid surgery if I can help it. But I have a feeling the next step is to have my uterus removed. 


Answers (2)
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 Still looking for some answer, please.


Sounds like you had some sort of endometrial ablation, whether by heat or cold.  My first question is why?  I suspect for heavy prolonged bleeding, eg menometrorrhagia.  If I understand correctly, this has returned but now w/excrutiatingly painful cramps, too.  I agree that it's best to avoid surgery whenever possible but it sounds like you haven't been evaluated since except for that ER visit. 


I would suggest another (pelvic) ultrasound to evaluate the lining of your uterus.  It might have grown back, leading to the bleeding.  Obviously, you don't want to overlook any other more dangerous sources of bleeding, either. 


Assuming that your endometrial lining has grown back and perhaps your cervical os (the opening) is stenotic (tight), it might be difficult to get your menstrual products out which then leads to the cramps.  One solution then would be to undergo the same procedure (yes, I know, it's surgery) to remove the lining.  I'd try to avoid anything more than that, eg hysterectomy. 


A less invasive way to thin the lining of your uterus is w/hormonal contraception, whether oral or injectable/implantable.  There are ways to take your birth control pills such that you won't have a period and therefore no more painful menstrual cramps. 


Another possibility floating around is endometriosis.  This is a condition in which the lining of your uterus (the endometrium) exists somewhere outside your uterus and remains hormonally responsive to your ovaries.  Let's say this aberrant endometrium is attached to your bladder or bowel and then bleeds once a month.  Your abdomen finds blood very irritating which leads to painful cramps.  Laparoscopic surgery could help clean up & remove the visible areas but might miss a few.  Hormonal manipulation might be a better solution here.  Good luck!

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