For the women.... stomach cramps/menstrual cramps???

Ok I hope this is not just me.  Everytime I get my period and I have cramps, I get stomach cramps.  I have been on Pentasa and my stomach cramps are pretty much gone except on that lovely time of the month.  My period lasts 6 days so you can imagine how I feel with 4-5 days of cramps!  Everytime my cramps start, I have to run to the bathroom.  I'm going for the third time today and it's not even watery.  Geezes Bageezes! =)

I had such a bad time with my cramping and pain around my period, it felt like every period started a flare! The doctor had to put me on seasonale birth control to minimize my periods- it's the 4 periods a year pill. Since then I have only had one period- this was in jan of this year. I highly recommend it to any woman suffering with bad periods ESP to those with Crohn's!!!!

When I first presented 10 years ago with pain that felt exactly like menstrual pain my gyn told me that most menstrual pain is really bowel pain. He told me he was sure I had "something like crohn's" Unfortunately he has since died so I can't tell him it looks like he was right. The reason I consulted him was because it *did* feel exactly like menstrual pain so that was what I thought - don't laugh- even though I no longer had a uterus. That is what it felt like (minus the nausea)

I'm wondering if it is prostaglandins attacking the bowel, causing diarrhea etc. My daughter has terrible problems from this. Her doctor put her on the Seasonale type pill also. If she isn't on them she has to take NSAIDS by the handful and they work on prostaglandins.

I just did some research on this and apparently it is "prostaglandin-2" that is the culprit. When the uterine lining first breaks down, it releases this stuff into the bloodstream. It affects the bowel causing cramping, diarrhea, and also fainting, sweating, etc. (there are other prostaglandins and some are beneficial like the ones that maintain the integrity of the stomach lining- that's why NSAIDS are so bad for the stomach, they block all prostaglandins) So, if you have an intestinal ailment i.e. CD to begin with, you can see why it would be even worse but even normal women can have this problem. (they use to tell us it was either in our heads or an adjustment problem)

It seems the only two drug options are NSAIDS which are out for CD patients and birth control pills which, by preventing ovulation, do not let the uterine lining build up the same way. With continuous pills, there would be no breakdown and with the seasonale type, infrequent but even those are different, without ovulation.

The really interesting part is what I read about the dietary approach to treatment. It seems that animal fats are involved in the process of making these prostaglandins and the recommendation is to cut out meat and dairy products. My daughter is already a vegetarian but eats a lot of dairy products, especially the full fat ones (she doesn't have a cholesterol or weight problem) There is also something about the Omega 3 vs Omega 6 fats that is involved- you should limit your Omega 6's?

Since so many CD people seem to have a problem with dairy, it might be helpful to try eliminating that and see if it helps if it is really bothersome. It would also be interesting to know if the women who already eliminate or reduce dairy have this problem to the same degree

I am expecting my period today, and just went from terrible constipation to the dreaded diarrhea! I am also in the middle of tapering prednisone, and was also taking lots of metamucil for the constipation. The worst thing is, I'm analytical by nature, and try as I might, there are so many complicating variables, that it seems impossible to figure out!!! I know for sure though, that I've always had diarrhea before my menstrual cycle...long before I had the Crohn's disease. Good luck. It does help though to hear I'm not all alone out there!

I read that you can't just eliminate dairy for a few days before expected problems. You have to eliminate it entirely. Its similar with NSAIDS- you have to take them for up to a week before your period is due to start for them to have the desired effect. It may not work that well (eliminating dairy that is) because of other factors i.e. the amount of other animal fat you eat in meat etc. Then there's that omega-3 vs omega-6

Gumby, I analyze everything also. I also run experiments and research projects on myself and its very hard to control the variables. I haven't done too much experimenting with crohn's though.

i think for me the worse part is having the period cramps on top of crohn's crampy pain.  it's like a double whammy.  since the pains are both in the same area, it's twice as bad.  i'm just starting that seasonquie birth control that reduces your period's down to 4 a year.  maybe that will help i hope

Coincidentally my daughter was telling me that she let her seasonique type bc pills run out and she was very sorry. She has a horrible problem with prostaglandins but she doesn't have crohn's (as far as she knows) She is already a vegetarian but eats a lot of full fat dairy. So, I did some research for her and it was just at the time this thread got going. I told her what I found and she said no way was she cutting out dairy, she'll stay on the seasonique.

I was getting really bad cramps and i too was put on seasonique.. I just started because every month i risked a flare up.. and about every 3 periods i was getting one for months at a time. i felt like i had no relief. so now only 4 times a year im gonna have to risk it.. I think its really worth it to reduce that uncomfortable pain...