PMS???

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-01-2003
PMS???
4
Fri, 05-21-2004 - 1:23pm
Just a quick question....

In regards to PMS symptoms, typically I get cramps the first day of my period. Well it's a week before my period and I have had cramping and constipation this week...nothing severe and they come and go. Now, I am on BCP and I take them correctly but my fiance and I use that as our protection. Do you think I just have PMS symptoms (my period is due Wednesday) or should I be worried about something else? Part of my think's it is just me being paranoid and my mom agrees with me. What are your thoughts?

For some reason, ever since I found this board I have become so paranoid about my pills! I take them the same time everday (I set an alarm so I remember) and yet all you read about are the ones who get pregnant while on the pill! Are they really that effective?

Thanks, Katie







Edited 5/21/2004 1:25 pm ET ET by klo1335

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-14-2000
In reply to: klo1335
Fri, 05-21-2004 - 1:28pm
You probably don't have anything to worry about. It could be just a simple digestive upset. Have you changed your diet lately, for better or worse? It sounds funny, but when I get on one of my jags where I try to eat better, my PMS symptoms change or vary until my body adjusts.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
In reply to: klo1335
Fri, 05-21-2004 - 3:50pm
Which pills are you on?

When I was on ortho tri cyclen the last week (strongest progstin levels) i was crampy and constipated all week, particularly the last few days, then the first few days of my off week into the beginning of my period. It wasn't like this at first, but over the course of a few years that pattern became predictable and consistent. I figure it just had something to do with my body's changing response to the higher progestin levels. Are you on a triphasic pill? your body could be going through the same thing mine did.

For the record, i switched to seasonale, which has a more potent progestin than ortho tri cyclen. so, i'm always irritable and constipated! i'm adjusting my diet accordingly to fix that, though. ;)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: klo1335
Sat, 05-22-2004 - 10:39pm
My money would be on a digestive issue... ;) Some months I get cramps earlier, some months I don't get them at all, and I'm using Nuvaring, which has extremely consistent hormone levels. You've got a lot of stuff in your abdomen from your ribcage to your pubic bone, it might well be something else. Bad food choices? Change how you take your vitamins? Eating different vegetables? Changing exercise habits? Any of these things can give me cramps and stop me up, you might think back to whether there's anything else that would seem as likely as early cramps (which shouldn't be a big deal either, right?).

Realistically, millions of women use the pill around the world, and they really are up to 99% effective --if they're taken properly--. The pill manufacturers can't just make up that figure, they have to perform clinical trials using at least a couple of thousand women to prove that their pill formulation is effective at preventing pregnancy. Another thing to keep in mind too, are women who are doing well with their pills and not having any troubles going to start hunting up message boards for support? Not as often as women who are having troubles!

Good luck, I hope you feel better!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-01-2003
In reply to: klo1335
Sun, 05-23-2004 - 8:30am
Thanks! And it's funny cause the more I think about it I realize that these are my typical PMS symptoms but for some reason this month I just freaked out more or something. I have been taking my pills correctly...I was taken CoEnzyme Q10 but I decided to stop taking that cause I didn't know how it would affect my pills. My Fiance does pull out because he is paranoid like me. Maybe I am talking myself into symptoms that I don't really have. the cramps have subsided today yet it's like a constant pressure even when I take Advil...but that could also be my mind talking.