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A question for the ladies

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 3/14/2010 5:49 PM (GMT 0)
Ladies, I have this strange thing going on and it's starting to become commonplace for me.

To back up a little, I've had intestinal issues during my period (loose bowel) for most of my menstruating life. I'm 38. I started having Crohn's symptoms about 3 years ago after giving birth to my daughter and was officially diagnosed in 2009.

I have been doing great for many months except for one day out of each month, each time I have my period. Last night, I was literally leaning over my 3 year old daughter's bed giving her a goodnight kiss when all of a sudden it hit me - I knew I only had seconds to get to the bathroom (no warning at all) and I ended up having a watery bowel explosion. This happened last month, and the month before, and the month before. Just one time, one day during my menstrual cycle. Does this happen to anyone else? I don't know if it's technically a flare or if my bowel is just overly-irritated from the cramps? I felt fine before it happened and I feel fine now.

What the heck?
Posted 3/14/2010 6:08 PM (GMT 0)
I have only  had 1 period since my Crohn's symptoms started, and it was awful!  I awoke at about 4 a.m. with the worst cramping pain and had to rush to the bathroom just as you described.  I think somehow the hormones play a role in all of this. 
Posted 3/14/2010 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
This happens to me every couple months or so. I also have allot more cramping and pain than I used to have. I turned 40 when I was diagnosed and I don't know if that has anything to do with it. I have met a couple other women in the Crohn's meeting I go to which have similar problems. When I spoke to my gyn about it--he said when I was ready he would do the hysterectomy but I really don't think that is something I want.
Posted 3/14/2010 7:10 PM (GMT 0)
Yep! In fact the periods before I had my first Crohns flare whenever I had a period I'd get a really bad stomach with it and have to miss about 3 days off school, I got put on the Pill after a year and that seemed to help though the pains were still horrific. Then when I was diagnosed with Crohn's they mentioned periods really effect it and it was like "ooohhh THATS why they always sucked!" I'm now on the implanon implant - I didn't get any periods with the first one and now I only get them every couple of months but they don't give me a bad stomach with it luckily. The doctors did tell me that going on some form of birth control is good idea if periods effect the Crohn's which is quite common.
Posted 3/14/2010 7:28 PM (GMT 0)
Man, I've always had it waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy worse during the curse.
Eating anything would cause problems. I wouldn't want to go anywhere.
My waistline felt super expanded. My sternum to my junk was just in pain.
To make matters worse, having a BM did not make things better for me like it usually did.
You just learn to live with it like everything else.
Posted 3/14/2010 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
YES!!!  That's something that I just noticed last month as a possible pattern, and have started to track it.  But during my period for the past two months I had one day, and only one hour, where I couldn't get off the pot.  Wow!!!  Glad to hear that it's not just in my head!!!
Posted 3/14/2010 8:42 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all the input ladies! Good to know it's not just me but sorry to hear you have issues with this too... :(
Posted 3/14/2010 10:48 PM (GMT 0)
What you're experiancing pinkflipflops is very normal for female crohnies....hormones are strongly linked to exacerbating IBD symptoms during "that time of the month", for me it can start happening a week to a few days before "it" arrives, during and a few days or up to a week after "it's" gone. Not all women notice this exacerbation of symptoms but plenty of us do, and I didn't always notice this issue since being sick for the last 19 yrs, but more often than not it has been noticable for me.


If you tend to get really bad menstral cramps, drink chamomile tea, it's scientifically proven to aid with menstral cramps....so long as you're not allergic to ragweed.  Chamomile tea can be drank daily regardless of menstral cramps, it's a natural antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory....so you may find it helpful with your CD symptoms in general.


:)

Posted 3/14/2010 10:57 PM (GMT 0)
I read somewhere that there is some research to suggest that having a period causes inflamation, so it would follow that it could make more pressure on the surrounding area...
Posted 3/15/2010 2:17 AM (GMT 0)
I've never had much symptoms before during that time of the month, but I will say that I would get diarrhea that time of the month on and off over the years. I wasn't dgn'd crohn's then, nor think I had it or anything, but I always thought it was odd.
Posted 3/15/2010 5:45 AM (GMT 0)
My GP explained that many women (even those without bowel issues) notice a change in the bowel habits just before, during and/or after their periods...he says basically that with hormonal changes and swelling from the uterus during menstration time it can cause these changes, but some women don't really notice any differences and some are more sensitive to it....he says without a doubt the women with IBS and/or IBD it's more common for it to be an issue...makes sense.

I've just had crohn's for so long that I hardly remember what things were like in the poop dept during my periods before I got sick with CD (and then IBS aprox 8 yrs after CD).

:)
Posted 3/15/2010 9:13 AM (GMT 0)
Every month when I am due to start my period I am on the loo ALOT. I hate it,but its predictable,even my partner knows when I'm just about to have my period because with out fail the loose movements are there and they dont stop until I'm nearly finished my period.
I don't know if us crohnies can take anything to stop our periods as it is so bad some months and the cramps become unbearable as then I get the flaring pains and the period pains wih it too.
Atleast if we didnt have periods we would only be suffering the inflamation cramps and nothing else!!
Posted 3/15/2010 2:50 PM (GMT 0)
I was miserable 3 weeks out of every month because of my periods. I finally ended up getting a hysterectomy at 36 (I was done having kids) because I was so miserable all the time. At least for me, that was one of the best decisions I ever made:)
Posted 3/15/2010 3:17 PM (GMT 0)
I also have ALOT of bowel trouble just before my period. I always get bad cramps and D for 2-3 days before my period and it's been like that even before I was diagnosed with Crohns :( At times like those I really wish we could take some of those pain killers aimed at periods, but alas it's just tylenol which hardly works.
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