painful bowel movement during period

I don't think age is a factor I have had this pain for years all of the same symptoms and I brushed it off as normal until I read an article about endo and I'm only 19

Me too. Im actually experincing one rightnow. I hope there is a drug for this. Its so unbearable

Thank you for this! One of the most helpful/hopeful posts I've read.

I have the same exact problem and it is very painful :/ I'm afraid it might be endometriosis, but you'll need to go see your OB/GYN to know for sure. I hope that everything is okay!!!

Thank you for your very detailed post. It was helpful to me and You are helping many people!

Ive been having this! The week leading upto mine and when they are here its actually awful the pain

I also been having extreme sharp and shooting pain in my rectum and abdomen ONLY on my period when having a bowel movement or passing gas. It's excruciating and I've had this for 6 years now.

After seeing many colon and gyno specialists we are now on the assumption that it is endometriosis where it has fused to the rectum (even though the MRI did not pick up anything), and now I take the combined pill (Ovranette) continuously so I don't need to have any periods if I don't want. This has worked amazingly for me and I have few side effects from the pill, when I do have a period it is MUCH lighter and less painful, and becomes even lighter the longer I leave the gap between periods. Research so far shows no benefit of having breaks for periods on the pill as opposed to taking it continuously - if it works for you to take the pill I would encourage you to just stop having periods.

I have been advised that if I want children then I should come off the pill and come back to the doctor if I'm not pregnant within a year. As my problem is likely to be endometriosis this luckily means that symptoms would subside whilst pregnant!

Thank you for this post. Did you ever discover a great diet for you?

It shocks me how much endometriosis is such a crippling problem, fairly common, and yet doctors seem to have such a hard time diagnosing yet. To everyone on here, it is VERY difficult to see endo on an ultrasound. Demand a different level of testing.

Furthermore, go on the pill if you can. Look up an endometriosis diet. And, honestly, one thing that really helped me, both for the pain and overall improvement of my period related problems was taking a tablespoon of ACV every day. I put it in tea or water to dull it. And yes, it tastes horrible but you get used to it. Honestly, I don't know what the heck it is about ACV but it has nearly cured so many ailments... I don't even fully understand what it does or how it does it. I don't normally go around spouting miracle cures but man, when you go from horrific bm pain where you'd rather be impaled on a hot poker in the gut all the way to feeling completely normal.... the word miracle definitely comes to mind.

Also, I don't know if this is the case for some women, but to ease your fears it MAY not be endometriosis yet or at all. If you have a tilter uterus, basically, your uterus is angled back towards your rectum. During your period, your uterus is very sensitive and you get cramps. But think of it this way, when you pass a large BM and it bulges past your uterus (because its tilted back), it will irritate an already sensitive part of your body and cause pain. For some of you, this may be the case.

Lastly, try eliminating dairy. I know it sounds insane. But I'm telling you, there is so much hormones in dairy these days and so much of the worlds population is lactose intolerant and you know what... there is a reason for that. Humans are not meant to consume this much dairy. For two months, try not eating dairy. And I mean... really eliminate it. Sure it will be tough, but there are tons of vegan dairy-free options for things like cheese and mayo. Almond milk is a great alternative for almost all milk related needs, including baking. You'll be surprised how much food has milk in it. Chips, crackers, almost everything. It won't be easy. But feeling like you want to die when you go number 2 isn't fun either.

Thank you for this post. I have all the pain listed and just had laparoscopic surgery last week and have no endometriosis. Everything looks good. I am going to ask my Dr if my uterus is tilted. I kept reading and almost everyone mentioned endo which I know I don't have.

How did u find out did u have to get scans done or wat coz i have all da symptoms

same prob here!

Am going through the same problem and have been suffering it for last 3 months during my menstrual. I am sacred and i need to know what is causing this pain

I have the same issue. Sharp pain, like an 8 or 9, during a bowel movement while I’m having my period. Neither my gastroenterologist nor my gynecologist had ever heard of this before. But reading all your posts, I see that it is common. I believe my uterus is tilted and when I have my period it is very sensitive to the movements of my colon. But now I’m going to explore the possibility of endometriosis.

Good news is the the birth control pill completely eliminates the problem for me. Every so often I will go off the pill, and on about my third period, the pain returns. The pill has risks of its own and not everyone can take it. But for me it has worked wonders.

Just to address some of the other theories on this post: I have IBS , but this feels very different. I don’t have allergies. I didn’t have early menstration. I am vegan and therefore don’t eat dairy, this started for me in my early thirties after I had my kids. I’m 45 now. I had an IUD that shifted and hadn’t to be removed.

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your experiences. I don’t feel so alone anymore.

This is interesting about dairy. I most likely have endometriosis. I have the horrible periods along with painful BM’s during my period. I gave up dairy 7 years ago, and my period pain is not as bad as it use to be (still horrible compared to a regular period) just not as bad, and I’ve wondered if taking dairy out of my diet did have an affect on in.