I have been doing lots of research on cramps lately because mine are horrible and I hate ob/gyn's but I finally went after the doctor who told me "some women are just crampy" (who got a Stern Letter), I'm getting a diagnostic laproscopy on Friday to see if I have endometriosis. my surgeon says "everyone deserves a look" when they are having symptoms that disrupt their quality of life. apparently, for surgeries he performs to see if people have endometriosis (so, self-selecting group of "people who have insurance and have found him which involves probably some hoops of other doctors and/or other tests to make sure it's not something else"), 50-66% of patients he operates on DO have endometriosis.
(if I *don't* and I still have the pain and fuckton of symptoms I have other options, including did you know there are pelvic pain clinics? and also that apparently if your muscles are clenched -- because of pain or injury or whatever -- then there are special exercises you can do to relax them, and actually doing core strengthening before dealing with it can ~make the pain and tightness worse~? YUP that's a thing too!)
fwiw this is a thread in which a lot about endo in the comments. it's in my "medical shit" access filter, which I can add you to if you want and you're not in it already.
other resources (based mostly on what I have dealt with and thus know things about):
endometriosis.org -- note that severity of cramps/pain is not an indicator of how much endometrial tissue is in your body. (I'm getting the surgery partly because I'm having "wth other body systems" involvement acting up with my period, which is apparently not a good thing because [scary things I won't share unless you really want me to].)
The Guardian recently ran a special section on endometriosis
I also have PMDD (which means I have ~srs~ mood swings around my period). There is *one* doctor in my area who treats it, and until recently she did not take insurance. This place in Boston pioneers a lot of research on women's mental health (including PMDD, fertility and mental health, menopause, etc). If that may be a thing for you as well (for me it's always "why do i feel so terrible?!? the world is ending!" *looks at calendar* "ahhhh ffff not again.")
I probably also have PCOS, although that hasn't been diagnosed with anything other than symptomatic things versus an abdominal ultrasound. (But you don't *have* to have cysts to have it.) I'm on Metformin, a diabetes drug, as PCOS is linked to insulin resistance and Metformin-with-PCOS can help prevent you from developing Type II Diabetes apparently. Also for me it stopped the "eight months without a period" things, which sucks in a way but also having your uterine lining get super thick is also not a good plan?
no subject
(if I *don't* and I still have the pain and fuckton of symptoms I have other options, including did you know there are pelvic pain clinics? and also that apparently if your muscles are clenched -- because of pain or injury or whatever -- then there are special exercises you can do to relax them, and actually doing core strengthening before dealing with it can ~make the pain and tightness worse~? YUP that's a thing too!)
fwiw this is a thread in which a lot about endo in the comments. it's in my "medical shit" access filter, which I can add you to if you want and you're not in it already.
other resources (based mostly on what I have dealt with and thus know things about):
endometriosis.org -- note that severity of cramps/pain is not an indicator of how much endometrial tissue is in your body. (I'm getting the surgery partly because I'm having "wth other body systems" involvement acting up with my period, which is apparently not a good thing because [scary things I won't share unless you really want me to].)
this book looks good but it might make me see flames:
Googling endometriosis: the lost centuries
The Guardian recently ran a special section on endometriosis
I also have PMDD (which means I have ~srs~ mood swings around my period). There is *one* doctor in my area who treats it, and until recently she did not take insurance. This place in Boston pioneers a lot of research on women's mental health (including PMDD, fertility and mental health, menopause, etc). If that may be a thing for you as well (for me it's always "why do i feel so terrible?!? the world is ending!" *looks at calendar* "ahhhh ffff not again.")
I probably also have PCOS, although that hasn't been diagnosed with anything other than symptomatic things versus an abdominal ultrasound. (But you don't *have* to have cysts to have it.) I'm on Metformin, a diabetes drug, as PCOS is linked to insulin resistance and Metformin-with-PCOS can help prevent you from developing Type II Diabetes apparently. Also for me it stopped the "eight months without a period" things, which sucks in a way but also having your uterine lining get super thick is also not a good plan?