Abdominal Pain

  I've had abdominal problems for some time now.  Menstruation is painful
  but never used to be.  Now, cycles are not quite as regular. I am usually a couple of days early/late, and have had cycles as close as 2 weeks between them during a very stressful time in college. My flow
  stops for a day or so in the middle of my period, I have a mucus-like discharge 1/2 way through each cycle, pain just
  below and to the side (the side alternates with monthly) of my navel,
  and some cramping before starting my period. At times, it hurts to
  sit down.  Sitting sends sharp pains up from where the chair puts
  pressure on my bottom side most times, but at other times just hurts
  from the pressure on my bottom side.  At times, the pain across my lower
  abdomen is so severe that I can't bend over or move.  A lot of times, I
  a feeling of wetness, as if the discharge is a
  contant thing, which it isn't.  Also, I have an urgency to use the
  restroom right after I use it and am unable to wait to use thhe restroom
  a lot of times that I have to go.  Sometimes there is burning and pain
  when I use the restroom.  I am not sexually active.  My only sexual
  contact is masturbation, and these symptoms do not occur if I am not
  engaging in that contact.
  
  Each of these symptoms has appeared but has ended, with the exception of slight pain in the center and lower right area of my abdomen.  I am a college student with a very irregular schedule and a lot of stress, so I'm wondering how much of this is from stress and worry over what's wrong, and how much is actually wrong.
Dear Stoney:
Symptoms that appear and then vanish generally do not signify a problem. The symptoms that only occur with masturbation reflect local irritation.
Menstrual cycles do vary in normal women and it is common for normal women to skip cycles intermittently or to have two menses close together. These episodes ususally reflect isolated "failure to ovulate". Ovulation disorders are more common in college students: stress, living on your own, diet, sleep patterns, and experimentation with chemicals all will contribute to anovulation.
Menstrual cycle pain varies across a woman's reproductive life. Discomfort that responds to simple analegic medications, such as Tylenol, Advil, Aleve, generally does not reflect a disease. Rather, it reflects the normal working of the reproductive system and in 30% of women, that normal function causes pain that requires medication.
All women experience a clear, watery, midcycle vaginal discharge. When it is very heavy, it requires increased personal hygeine. This is not a disease.
Keywords: menstrual cycle
This information is provided for general purposes only and is not a medical consultation. If you have specific questions, please contact your physician.