[hotgluegun]

I was diagnosed with IBS-A in June. My periods have always been irregular. From June to now, I've only had one normal period. The past two months I had no period. Then I finally got it yesterday. I feel like I've been hit by a truck. My lower back hurts, my abdomen is tender, my hips are screaming and I have leg pain.Is that normal for an IBS period?

 

[Kathleen M.]

Sometimes people find periods are worse with IBS, but periods can be bad all on their own, whether you are regular or not, but I thought it was more common for people with irregular periods to have more problems with them.If it is way out of your usual range for either IBS pain or period pain, or this is a lot more irregular than usual it is probably worth getting a check up.

 

[Amitha]

I am 26 years old.My Periods too have always been irregular. My cycle lasts anywhere from 40 to 60 days.During a year, they can be regular for a few months and then I would belive that I have finally been cured. But, the very next month they would go haywire again. I have been to two different gynaec for this problem. They gave me heavy hormone pills that would that would aggravate my problem of diarrohea. Even after 6 months of hormone therapy, my hormone levels were stillupside down and so my periods were still irregular. The doctor advised me to do "breathing exercises" and try to relax. It seemed to me like she was at her wits' end. So, I stopped going to her after that. I needed a break from the medicines anyways.I have noticed that in months when my IBS symptoms are more, my periods are thrown off schedule. I have started taking care of what I eat and try to have only home-cooked food (though it is not possible all the time.) . I have to miss several outings with my friends because of these lifestyle choices that I have made.I exercise about 3-4 days a week. I have started meditating to reduce stress levels. ( I have a tendency to worry a lot ).Its been a year since I made all these lifestyle changes. Still my periods are as irregular as ever.I start worrying about how this will affect my ability to get pregnant because I am going to marry next year. Then, I remind myself that worrying about this problem only makes it worse.

 

[RKM06]

I have had horrible periods and cramps my entire life and I have been on birth controls pills ever since I started my period. Since being diagnosed with IBS-A I am in bed for 2 days with horrible pain, D and exhaustion. My doctor put me on Seasonale so I will only have 4 periods a year. I just started so I am hoping this will help me. During this time of the month is the only time I cannot control my IBS symptoms so I am hoping making it go away will help.

 

[Jennifer Havens]

Thanks for posting this. I am recently diagnose with IBS, and it was due to a surgery. Prior to IBS onset my periods were regular and normal, but now they are 40-60 days apart and painful as all hades. My spouse and I are trying to get pregnant and I also worry this will impact it.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Well stress (even physical stress like having pain from something like IBS) can effect your periods. I'm getting to an age where my periods are not as regular as they used to be and when my cycle is longer the period is heavier.However heavy periods with more pain that typical is something I had a few years ago and that was from a fibroid. (while my periods are uneven, now, the pain level is the same as it was before the fibroid).Some fibroids can impact fertility. The one I had was in a location that would have interfered with getting pregnant (had I been trying), luckily it was pretty easy to remove and remove in a way that usually restores fertility (which I didn't test as I wasn't looking to get pregnant anyway, but one of the docs for my surgery happened to be a fertility doc as he knows how to remove these things and keep the uterus in good shape for having kids).It probably is worth getting a check up with the gynecologist and see if anything is going on that might be a problem. Especially if you have been trying for 6 months or more already. If it is just stress related and nothing else is going on it may be worth tracking your basal temperature or using one of the kits that help you determine when you are ovulating as it may not be as easy to predict as when your periods are a typical length and things seem to be cycling on that scheduled.