Once a month, every month.

[DelphiAlt]

Every month, about a week before my menstrual period starts, I get severe constipation. It started about two years ago, but it wasn't so bad as it has been in the past three months. I'm almost twenty and my menstrual cycle sometimes changes, but this could also be influenced by my high testosterone level. I have lived in three places my whole life, three different states, but moving around back and fourth doesn't seem to correlate with anything.

About two months ago, it got so bad, I had to buy a suppository laxative... It helps a lot, but it still is a pain. I also get diarrhea a couple of days later, but it's not as painful or as bad as the constipation. Outside of these times, I usually can go every day or every two days.

I eat foods with lots of fiber, changing my diet, and I can never predict when this will happen. I have the classic symptoms of IBS, like bloating, feeling like my abdomen is stuffy, and after finishing, I usually feel like I need to go more.

Like I said, it happens every month, and I'm tired of this feeling and situation.

My questions are... could this really be IBS and how can I fix this?

[PPhelps]

Endo Specialist specializes in the endocrine system, and if you look into the endocrine system, the ovaries are part of that system. I would just ask her for a referral. Is this a GP or GYN?  
I mentioned PCOS because High Testostrone is a symptom of PCOS.
I hate it when insurance companies dictate who you can see. With my insurance I can go see any specialist without a referral, my boss got it that way because she hates having to have a referral too.

[FurballsMom]

My doctor has never suggested an endocrinologist.  She keeps insisting that the birth control pills that we already tried are the only thing that can be tried.  I can't understand why she doesn't send me to an endocrinologist, because I have reason to suspect PCOS or Cushings.  One of the visible signs I have is A LOT of hirsutism.  That's just the visible or outward sign that people would see more of, if I weren't so vigilant about getting that hair off of my face.  What can I do that would convince my doctor that a referral to an endocrinologist (for the sake of insurance coverage) is in my best interests?  She is actually a really good doctor, too.

[PPhelps]

You mentioned a high testostrone level. Do you know why it is high? An endocrinologist just might be what you need. Maybe look into PCOS.

[junie37]

Hi, When in my 30's ( I think it was ) I began having what your describing. At 22 I had abdominal exploratory surgery , to find that I had an Adrenal Cyst in one Fallopian Tube. Periods started out with hard cramping and inability to easily pass BM's. It almost felt as if there was a blockage. From that it would move into heavy flow , passing large clots, then taper off after abt 6 days. Tho I don't know that it would be considerd Hemmoraghing ( sp ? ) it would sometimes be in my shoes. One Dr. told me he thought i had Endometreosis. I also retained a lot of fluid. Later on, in my 40's this continued except I gradually went into a prolonged period, lasting for 21 days, tho again not heavy flow after the first 5  days, just more like spotting that drug on and on. During that time I had several D&Cs. which ony slowed things down for a while. Eventually, I ended up with a complete hysterectomy at 46. It was not Cancer but at the point where cells were changing and there was the possibility of its going into that.
     I was never given a real diagnosis as to a specific cause but " I think " that  at the root
of it all, may have been an endocrine problem. I was also on meds for Low Thyroid since my late 20's. Gyns tried Birth control pills in hopes of regulating things.
     In the last 8 years i have been diagnosed with IBS and again have this constipation problem,  similar in feeling to that of years ago. Was up for 4 hrs last night with vy hard cramping and inability to pass BMs until the very last, fell as legs just collapsed on standing and feeling faint .  I now wonder if, I could have had the IBM along with everything else tho at that time it was never mentioned and not something familiar to me.
     I might add that my youngest daughter, while not experiencing everything I did, has PMS and borderline Low Thyroid & a Cyst so don't know if its a hereditary thing , at least in part.
     The only thing I would suggest --- if whomever your seeing now cannot help you, go to a Gyn and if that doesn't help , see an Endocrinologist ----- might save you years of misery.
                                            wishing you Good health,
                                                                                 PJ
PS:  Always think considering going the natural way with herbs & vitamins etc. is worth a try.

[FurballsMom]

I know what you're talking about through experience.  Miserable.

Do you also experience miserable periods, like really bad cramps and those giant blood clots?

I used to have the unpredictability with everything in the gut, whether it was IBS or the menstruation myself.

Then, when I got to the point that I decided that I just had to stop eating all gluten, I got a pleasant and unexpected benefit.  In just a few months, I no longer had severe cramps with my period.  I had just a few cramps that didn't even last the whole first day.  I've also noticed one reason was that I wasn't developing those giant blood clots either.  Ahhh, clearly I was on the right track!

Yes, IBS is affected by your cycle and vice versa.  It's well-documented.

My chiropractor's office has at least one accupuncturist working there.  I haven't actually had a chance to consult with him, but we have talked when he wasn't busy with someone else.  I told him my experience with my improved periods after eliminating all gluten from my diet.  Oh, by the way, the misery is called dysmenorhea.  Who would've thought that a food sensitivity would dramatically affect my cycle?