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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 9/28/2010 1:23 AM (GMT 0)
Am I the only one this happens to?
Every month since last December, around 2 days before my period starts, my crohns disease flares up.
It's not pms cramps I am having...It's crohns cramping.... What I refer to as "Oh God, kill me now" kind of pain.
The few times I have went to the ER for this pain, the tests have come back that it was, indeed a flare.
I am debating on going back on the birth control pill, to see if that helps....even though I had my tubes tied in 2003.
I just cannot go through this EVERY moth until I reach menopause....
Posted 9/28/2010 3:02 AM (GMT 0)
Totally agree that hormonal cycles make this illness hard to manage, more annoying and difficult to treat. Perhaps BCPs are the way to go! Not an option for me; but I have been hoping to get to menopause sooner rather than later so I can kiss that part of things goodbye.
Posted 9/28/2010 3:16 AM (GMT 0)
Please talk to your dr's about this. I was on the pill and recently they discovered a blood clot near my liver. I was then diagnosed with Crohn's. The dr's have done all kinds of blood work and everything is negative so, they believe the pill and the Crohn's have caused the clot. I'm now on coumadin and waiting for the clot to dissolve! I've extremely lucky that they found the clot before it caused a major problem! I was on the pill for medical reasons only and had to go off it right away. I am not a smoker and it was just a 'low dose' pill. Please be careful as the pill is known for causing clots and Crohn's too. Together, they can be very dangerous, I've learned.

(Just wanted to let you know my experience)
Posted 9/28/2010 4:36 AM (GMT 0)
I had blood clots go to my lungs, and so did a close friend of mine who has crohn's. I would definitely think twice before taking birth control. Crohn's patients are predisposed to clots, and being on birth control adds to that risk. There are many of us on this forum who have had clots, and none of us are allowed to take birth control or any other type of hormone again.

I talked to my GYN because I was having worse cramping around my periods, and she said that prozac used at a low dose helps relive some PMS symptoms. Maybe that would be worth trying before considering birth control?
Posted 9/28/2010 10:23 AM (GMT 0)
Hon, I've been going through this for more years than I care to remember and I keep hoping menopause gets here soon! I've not found a doc that completely believes in one affecting the other --- most just don't get it from my experience. I've even asked this question to so called experts in women & CD and all I got back was "everyone is different" BS! That's why I really really wish there were doctors out there who treated the whole set of CD symptoms from top to bottom. Sorry for my rant, I hope you find some relief by going to your gyn and if he/she doesn't listen try another. Remember you're not alone -- most women with CD have premenstrual flaring.
Posted 9/28/2010 12:36 PM (GMT 0)
I am in the same boat. I have been on the BC pill for years. In March I stopped it to get my cycles back to normal because we are thinking about trying to have a baby soon. I was flaring every month with my period, every time I got my symptoms back under control then I was close to starting my period again and started flaring again. I restarted the pill just recently because I needed to get off the prednisone, well that was a mistake. I have a small blood clot, right now it is minor just superficial phlebitis, but made me do some research and I realized that Crohn's is a risk factor for blood clots and so is BC. My doctors have never said anything, my GI knew I was on the pill. I have since stopped the pill.
Posted 9/28/2010 5:05 PM (GMT 0)
Nope, wiccanchick, it happens to me too. I get bad flares a couple days before and during my period. Every month. I've even been getting CD in my mouth for the last few months during the period time!!!

And my bleeding can get very heavy with big blood clots.

It's so bad between the periods and the CD and now my stricture has been bothering me and I'm going to see a surgeon. I will see if they will do a hysterectomy at the same time as the resection. Otherwise, my gyn suggests mirena IUD.

Do you have heavy bleeding too?
Posted 9/28/2010 6:50 PM (GMT 0)
I wouldn't go for mirena IUD. I had it done two months ago and the pain from the mirena lasted all month. Ultrasound showed mirena did not stay in one place so they removed it. They said my body is sort of rejected the bc!
Also, I'm wondering if other had the same problems I had: back in Feb I had the worst PMS and that lead me to go to ER with a blockage and during the stay, I got my period. That happened second time back in June so pretty much I feared periods because every month, periods and crohn's get in to the ugly battle! Technically, birth controls are bad? I have been on it since 2004 and everybody said I need to keep BC "in order to control" my periods for my crohn's. True?
Posted 9/28/2010 10:38 PM (GMT 0)
is it really that dangerous to be on the pill when you have Crohn's? before i went on birth control, my periods were extremely off the wall..i wouldn't get my period for a few months, then i'd have it one of two months in a row, then another few months without it..i like knowing when it's going to arrive.
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