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Suggest Remedies For Abdominal Pain, Nausea And Bloating After Menstrual Bleeding
Question: I am 49 years old and still having regular periods. When I was younger I would occasionally get pain and bloating in my abdomen around ovulation about a week to 10 days after my period. In the past year or so it seems that after every period I can count on at least 3 days of severe abdominal pain, nausea, and ridiculous bloating to the point that I look pregnant. This is way worse than my periods. But, it always reconciles within a few days and the bloating goes away. Is this the new normal because of my age? Is there anything I can do? OTC pain relievers do absolutely nothing to ease the symptoms. I have started dreading not only that time of the month but now I have this to look forward to as well.
Brief Answer:
Ovarian cysts, perimenopausal period
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for your query.
I'm Dr. Shuba Hariprasad and will be answering your query today.
Based on your symptoms I would like to primarily rule out ovarian cysts, perimenopausal period.
Would you please clarify a few things for me?
1) do you have any excessive bleeding /clots or cramping during your period.? Or are they mild/lighter?
2)does the bloating occur right after your period or at the middle of the cycle? How long are your cycles?how long does bleeding last?
3) have you noticed any association with certain food types like meal rich in carbohydrates /fiber?
4)do you have any discomfort while passing urine or stools? Or just prior to these
5)do you have any other health issues? Any other medications?
I would-
-get a detailed medical, personal and family history
- do routine blood investigation (hormone levels, blood count, calcium levels)
-do an ultrasound of the abdomen to look for ovarian cysts.
My recommendations:
- take daily calcium supplement in combination with vitamin D3
-take vitamin C 500mg one a day, three days before when the bloating would start and continue for a 10 days. See how this helps with your symptoms. Try this for two months
-maintain a diary to see which foods may exacerbate the symptoms (common culprits are half cooked lentils, starchy foods like potatoes, beans, cabbage, chickpeas)
-drink plenty of water especially during that time of the month.
- Have a lot of green leafy vegetables
- crush fresh ginger, add little water and take the concentrated extract. Mix half a teaspoon of this with a little honey and just swallow it. You may dilute with a tablespoon of water, if required
Perimenopausal period is when you are approach menopause and can be associated with hormonal fluctuations that can result in your symptoms.
Your OBGYN will be able to help you with that based on the above blood tests and ultrasound.
Antispasmodic agents will help (like dicyclomine, hyoscine) compared to pain killers..
You would need a prescription for these though.
Hope this helps. Please let me know if I can help you further.
I wish you well.
Regards,
Dr. Shuba Hariprasad
Ovarian cysts, perimenopausal period
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for your query.
I'm Dr. Shuba Hariprasad and will be answering your query today.
Based on your symptoms I would like to primarily rule out ovarian cysts, perimenopausal period.
Would you please clarify a few things for me?
1) do you have any excessive bleeding /clots or cramping during your period.? Or are they mild/lighter?
2)does the bloating occur right after your period or at the middle of the cycle? How long are your cycles?how long does bleeding last?
3) have you noticed any association with certain food types like meal rich in carbohydrates /fiber?
4)do you have any discomfort while passing urine or stools? Or just prior to these
5)do you have any other health issues? Any other medications?
I would-
-get a detailed medical, personal and family history
- do routine blood investigation (hormone levels, blood count, calcium levels)
-do an ultrasound of the abdomen to look for ovarian cysts.
My recommendations:
- take daily calcium supplement in combination with vitamin D3
-take vitamin C 500mg one a day, three days before when the bloating would start and continue for a 10 days. See how this helps with your symptoms. Try this for two months
-maintain a diary to see which foods may exacerbate the symptoms (common culprits are half cooked lentils, starchy foods like potatoes, beans, cabbage, chickpeas)
-drink plenty of water especially during that time of the month.
- Have a lot of green leafy vegetables
- crush fresh ginger, add little water and take the concentrated extract. Mix half a teaspoon of this with a little honey and just swallow it. You may dilute with a tablespoon of water, if required
Perimenopausal period is when you are approach menopause and can be associated with hormonal fluctuations that can result in your symptoms.
Your OBGYN will be able to help you with that based on the above blood tests and ultrasound.
Antispasmodic agents will help (like dicyclomine, hyoscine) compared to pain killers..
You would need a prescription for these though.
Hope this helps. Please let me know if I can help you further.
I wish you well.
Regards,
Dr. Shuba Hariprasad
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Naveen Kumar
Thank you for your reply. There is no abnormal bleeding outside of my regular period. I usually bleed for about 2 days now that I am older and I would not say it is excessive or heavier than normal. I also maintain a reasonable weight ( I am 5' 6" and weigh 128) And I follow a low carb diet as a general rule and try to maintain a somewhat healthy diet. I have no other XXXXXXX issues and with the exception of the OTC pain relievers do not take any medications. The bloating generally starts about a week to 10 days after my period starts. So, I get a short reprieve from that then the tenderness and bloating starts for about 3 days. My mother had issues with fibroid tumors but I have not been told I have these. I have no serious discomfort with passing stools or urine while this occurs except that my abdomen is tender and I feel pressure on my bladder during this time causing me to have to urinate frequently and of course straining can exacerbate the tenderness. Also, if one had cysts or even fibroid tumors present would they not cause pain/tenderness on a consistent basis and not just temporarily each cycle? I will certainly follow the recommendation for supplements. I will mention that I had an emergency appendectomy last April if that has any relevance?
Brief Answer:
Cyclical cysts, adhesions
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for the follow up.
Fibroids are asymptomatic unless they are quite big or cause heavy bleeding. I don't not think you have fibroids (based on your symptoms), even though you have a genetic predisposition.
Ovarian cysts can arise more frequently as age advances and ovarian reserve diminishes. When nearing menopause the body tells the ovaries to recruit or develop more follicles to match the fall in hormone levels. This can cause cystic and bulky ovaries which coincide with your ovulation time causing extra discomfort (due to pressure and hormonal effects) and then disappear when the cysts rupture. This repeats cyclically
I am glad that you mentioned an emergency appendectomy as this can worsen the situation.
Any abdominal surgery can result in adhesions (sticking together of organs due to the inflammation caused during a surgery), more so in an infection especially if your appendix had ruptured.
This can worsen the problem. I don't think it is the primary cause as it would be there most of the time, not just during a particular time of the month.
I advice you to get an ultrasound done when you start to have these pains to check for cysts.
Am happy to note that you maintain a healthy diet. However, excess gas formation can also aggravate symptoms. The hormones secreted during that time of the month affects how the intestine moves.
So the foods that you usually eat also can cause bloating. Make a conscious effort to chew your food more thoroughly during that time to lessen digestion effort in the stomach and quicken transition into the colon, thus reducing gas formation.
I would also recommend some basic yoga postures to improve these symptoms (vajra adana, for instance)
Hope I've been of help.
If you any further questions, I'd be happy to help.
Wish you good health.
Regards,
Dr. Shuba Hariprasad
Cyclical cysts, adhesions
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for the follow up.
Fibroids are asymptomatic unless they are quite big or cause heavy bleeding. I don't not think you have fibroids (based on your symptoms), even though you have a genetic predisposition.
Ovarian cysts can arise more frequently as age advances and ovarian reserve diminishes. When nearing menopause the body tells the ovaries to recruit or develop more follicles to match the fall in hormone levels. This can cause cystic and bulky ovaries which coincide with your ovulation time causing extra discomfort (due to pressure and hormonal effects) and then disappear when the cysts rupture. This repeats cyclically
I am glad that you mentioned an emergency appendectomy as this can worsen the situation.
Any abdominal surgery can result in adhesions (sticking together of organs due to the inflammation caused during a surgery), more so in an infection especially if your appendix had ruptured.
This can worsen the problem. I don't think it is the primary cause as it would be there most of the time, not just during a particular time of the month.
I advice you to get an ultrasound done when you start to have these pains to check for cysts.
Am happy to note that you maintain a healthy diet. However, excess gas formation can also aggravate symptoms. The hormones secreted during that time of the month affects how the intestine moves.
So the foods that you usually eat also can cause bloating. Make a conscious effort to chew your food more thoroughly during that time to lessen digestion effort in the stomach and quicken transition into the colon, thus reducing gas formation.
I would also recommend some basic yoga postures to improve these symptoms (vajra adana, for instance)
Hope I've been of help.
If you any further questions, I'd be happy to help.
Wish you good health.
Regards,
Dr. Shuba Hariprasad
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Naveen Kumar
Thank you for your response. I sincerely appreciate your sound advice and recommendations.
Brief Answer:
I wish you well
Detailed Answer:
You are most welcome and I sincerely hope you feel better
Take care,
Dr. Shuba Hariprasad
I wish you well
Detailed Answer:
You are most welcome and I sincerely hope you feel better
Take care,
Dr. Shuba Hariprasad
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
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