[Fiona 123]

HiI have been told I have IBS, or GI. Had all the tests and clear.The thing is, I get bloated, and still have cramp pains. I am worried that it might be my ovaries ,womb or tubes. I have done IVF, and worry that the drugs have set something off.I have heard of a blood test called CA125?. what is that for pleaseFiona

 

[BQ]

Fiona if you are that concerned about it..then by all means... go to your OB/GYN Dr. and have them rule out anything else that you think it might be. Here is info on the test:http://www.labtestsonline.org/understandin...ca125/test.htmlAlso Fiona did you see the thread thumbtacked right above us here on the Women's Forum entitled:"IBS vs Ovarian Cancer"?? Read that thread too for more info.

 

[Kathleen M.]

While gyn issues can cause GI symptoms they usually have a different pattern. Did the bloating have a pretty sudden onset, it occurs all the time and it is very severe.That is usually the bloating you see with ovarian issues. With IBS the bloating tends to come and go and may not have just suddenly been there in a severe way all at once.Anyway, the blood test is for a marker you sometimes see when the ovaries are having problems. It has a pretty high false positive rate so they don't use it for general screening. It is typically used in women with a family history of ovarian cancer. They see something on an ultrasound and they are figuring out what they are looking at, or they are monitoring your treatment to get rid of cancer.Some women insist on getting it as a cancer screening test, but be prepared that it will be abnormal and nothing will be wrong. Your doctor may want to do other tests first and not immediately do the blood test because they want to know it will be worth doing before just doing it.Getting regular female check ups is important for anyone, and if you get a big change in your IBS symptoms it is also worth getting that checked at that time in case something has happened since your last check up. Now ovarian cysts can cause a whole lot of problems, it isn't healthy or cancer, there are other things that go wrong.

A CA 125 test isn't accurate enough to use for cancer screening in all women, especially premenopausal women, because many other conditions can cause your level of CA 125 to rise. These include endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease and cirrhosis, as well as pregnancy and normal menstruation.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ca-125-test/MY00590 and http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ca-125/HQ00366 for info on who should get this test and why some women shouldn't.

 

[salbur]

fiona if your periods are heavier than they were and the bloating is worsening, get the gp to refer you for an ultasound. i have just discovered i have fibroids despite having having all the symptoms for 17 years which various gp's have missed along with other problems which i wont go into here as its just to upsetting for me right now. the ibs label was slapped on me and that was that. ibs is a very easy label for gp's to use as it relieves gp's responsibilities of searching for other possibilities. if your gp is reluctant to investigate your gynae worries futher ask them to compile the evidence they have that nothing gynae is going on and if your not satisfied with their evidence ask for a second opinion.

 

[TanaG]

don't be scared, please! fear will just make your IBS ( if you really have that) worse if you still get bloated and have pains it is rather normal. I don;t really understand from your post if you have pains and gas all the time or you just thought they would go away in a short period of time and yet it didn't...and so you are scared....But if this (last possibility in there)is the case....then you should know that it might not just go away that easily

...I am not an expert, just somebody who's trying to find out a way to live with it so...all I can say is...do not freak out, see a gyno, by all means it cannot be bad (best thing for a woman is to see a gynaecologist every 6 months anyway) and then calm down...and try to take life as it is...and it does sucks sometimes but hey, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger right?

 

[Fiona 123]

Hi and thanks for your posts.My cramping and bloating is intermitten after food. But I have a constant ache is my stomach.I have had all the tests and my consultant has put it down to stress and anxiety, and I am on Buspar and Nortriptyline 30mg per day. to calm my nerves in my stomach down. Been on them 3 weeks now.I have Constipation with the nortriptyline.. I have spoken to my Fertility clinic who will do a scan to check things out, so I am pleased at that. I am due my period anyday and my IBS is worse, inturn which makes me anxious!..Fiona