This month’s case study is 32 year old ‘Katy’ who came to the Clinic with painful periods

I started having my periods at the age of 12 and I have suffered with severe pain ever since. My mum took me to the doctor when I was about 15 and he put me on the Pill. At the time it was great because I went from being totally incapacitated for 2 days every month to being ‘normal’. I came off the Pill in my late twenties because I knew it was not good to be on long term. The pain seemed to be even worse having come off it. Each month I would be in so much pain that I would often be sick and faint. Although my work colleagues were very supportive, it was difficult if I was in an unfamiliar situation.

I went back to my doctor and he suggested I try a different type of Pill, so I said I wanted to explore other options. He sent me away with a prescription for mefenamic acid – a very strong painkiller. I was reluctant to take it but went off to get a supply as an emergency. I searched for ‘painful periods’ on the internet and came across a really interesting site…

Every month during the week before my period, my breasts would become swollen and very lumpy. This had started during my late twenties. They were extremely tender to touch and even rolling over in bed would be uncomfortable. I had become quite concerned about the lumps and went to see a doctor for an ultrasound scan who reassured me they were benign (non cancerous) but suggested that I could have them drained if they continued to be troublesome. I felt scared by this because I didn’t like the thought of having to go to hospital. The other option my doctor offered was to take the Pill to ‘balance’ my hormones but I was reluctant because of potential side effects.

 

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For the past year I had generally been feeling lethargic, my skin was dull, I felt bloated a lot of the time and I was gaining weight. I knew my diet could be better but never really got around to changing it. I worked long hours and often got home late so the last thing I wanted to do was prepare time consuming meals. A colleague at work had recently been to see a nutritionist at the Dr Marilyn Glenville Clinic who changed her diet and she was like a new person! I decided that a New Year meant a new me and I was the only person who could make the changes. I was fed up never feeling 100% healthy so I picked up the phone and booked my first appointment.

 

To read the rest of this article and for more information on ‘Natural News for Women’ please click here

To read the rest of this article and for more information on ‘Natural News for Women’ please click here

During my early twenties while I was at university my periods became quite erratic. I would often go 3 months without a period. All the time I was at university I put this down to stress as I had heard this can interfere with our menstrual cycles. It was actually quite nice not having too many periods! When I reached 30 I suddenly started being more aware of my periods and what was happening to my body. I noticed that I was also developing more hair around my chin and inner thighs. I had developed some acne on my back which was very unusual as I had always had such clear skin. I was putting on weight rapidly, particularly around my middle,  which was also distressing. I decided to go to my GP who said that I had a condition called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). I asked what this meant and all he said was it was a condition of hormone imbalance and it is linked high testosterone. He recommended I go on the Pill which he said would regulate my periods. I explained that I was not keen to take the Pill and would rather have more investigations. He was reluctant to recommend anything else apart from the Pill so I decided to do my own research.

 

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My skin had always been quite clear especially during my adolescent years when so many of my friends suffered with spots. However in the last 2 years I had started to develop spots which seemed to come before my period, but would then linger the rest of the month. Some of them were quite painful particularly around my chin and neck. I went to my doctor who recommended I take a course of antibiotics and some rather potent antibiotic cream to apply topically. I went away feeling disappointed with the advice and did not take the antibiotics because I knew they were not going to tackle the underlying cause.

 

 

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I had taken the contraceptive pill during my early twenties to regulate my periods which worked, but when I stopped taking it, my periods did not return. Three years on I still hadn’t had a period and I went back to my doctor because I was worried about the longer term effects on not having periods. I had read that I might experience difficulties conceiving and the risk of developing osteoporosis may be increased. I went to my doctor to discuss this and he dismissed these concerns and just recommended I go back on the Pill to bring a cycle back. I knew this was only going to give me a ‘false’ period and it would only mask any underlying hormone imbalance so I decided against it. I asked to be referred for further investigation. I had an ultrasound scan which showed I had polycystic ovaries, but it was all very vague and I had no real explanation as to what it meant. I had also stated to gain weight around my middle which I found distressing.

 

I was talking to a work colleague who had mentioned that she had been to see a nutritionist at The Dr Marilyn Glenville Clinic for natural support to help her irregular periods and she had made changes to her diet and taken vitamins and minerals and herbal remedies. Within six months her cycle had regulated without having to take the Pill as recommended by her doctor.

 

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Stephanie’s Story

For the last year my periods had become more irregular to the point of not knowing when they would arrive. I was experiencing hot flushes throughout the day which I had never had before. It just felt like a wave of heat coming through my body – almost like a ‘furnace’. The night sweats were also a nuisance because I was waking up several times to change my night clothes which were drenched. I decided to go to my GP because I thought I needed to have some checks to see what was happening.  He ran a simple blood test to check my hormone FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) which he explained was an indicator of egg reserve. The higher the FSH, the lower the egg reserve and the closer to the menopause you are. The normal range is between 4 and 10 and mine was 98.7. He told me I was likely to be in my ‘peri menopause’ which means the function of the ovaries declines, periods become irregular and symptoms like hot flushes and sweats can be experienced. I asked why I was going through the menopause now as I understood it was something that happened towards the age of 50. He explained that women are born with a certain number of eggs and some are born with less so they are more likely to enter the menopause at an earlier age. My GP recommended I go on HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) because not only would it stop my symptoms it would protect my bones because I had a higher risk of developing osteoporosis (bone thinning condition).

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I had been to my doctor for a routine check up because I had not been feeling too well. I was constantly tired, to the point of finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning and falling asleep on the sofa at night. I had noticed that my hair was becoming thinner and drier and my skin looked dry and pale. I just put this down to the menopause, but when my blood results came back it showed that I had borderline low thyroid function (hypothyroid). My doctor recommended that I should address this by taking a drug called thyroxine. I was reluctant to take this because I had always tried to live a natural life and only used medication as a last resort. He said that if I didn’t thyroxine my weight would continue to increase and my hair loss would be more prominent. I went away to think about what I wanted to do.

 

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