Thread: nausea, pain, hot flashes and a 23 yr old

'm glad that I've found this forum because my gyno seems very inexperienced with handling my symptoms. I would really appreciate it if any of you who has had similar symptoms could share some insight. FYI, I am a 23-yr old who is about seven pounds overweight; otherwise, I am healthy.

Here's my problem: During the last two years, almost every period, I have become incapacitated. Read- vomitting a good amount of food, having diarhea, suffering hot flashes, feeling as if I have some sort of very painful, sickening blood disease in my uterine area. I have tried not eating the day before my period starts, and that does not help. Regular exercise does not make a significant difference, either. Those symptoms happen during the first two days of my period. I do not suffer from cramps. When I did once suffer from cramps, it was my appendix bursting. During the two days I suffer those symptoms, the only way I stop myself from screaming bloody murder is staying in a warm bathtub, which helps some. I have had to miss Easter brunch with the family, skip studying for a mid-term college exam, and stay at home instead of going on a mini-retreat with friends because of those problems.

Here's the treatment: I was recently on Estrostep birth control to treat those symptoms for three or four months. It hardly helped; I still felt very sick and was incapacitated. The only difference was that in addition to the severe sickness, I felt a sharp pain where my right ovary is, the day or two before my period began. Now, I am on DeproVera. I recieved my first shot Sept. 8th. I am very worried about the mood swings and depression that some of you have complained of, as I think I have a pre-disposition to those. My gyno did not inform me of those when I asked about side effects. So far, I have not had any spotting.

Again, have any of you suffered similar symptoms? How have you coped? My gyno does not seem to have treated anyone with my symptoms, and she does not seem to make much of an effort to finding doctors who have successfully treated women with my symptoms or doing other research. I know every woman's body is different, but I would really appreciate reading others' experiences.

Thanks in advance!

The hormones that fluctuate during your cycles are the same hormones which cause pregnant women to become sick as you described with the vomitting. It sounds like you are having a high level of hormones just before and during your period. Have you had your hormone levels tested during the times that you are feeling sick? If not, I highly recommend doing that. Your hormones may be imbalanced.

However, it won't do you much good to get a hormone test until you stop taking the Depo Provera. Then you must stay off of it for at least a year before your hormones return back to the previous state.

I too started taking Depo when I was 16 because of the unbearable cramping and sickness. I kept missing school and things of that nature. I took it for 5 years and lived with the depression, mood swings, irritabillity, severe migraine headaches which caused me to be hospitalized, etc. After several years of being on Depo, my hair started to fall out in clumps to the point that I was balding in areas. My immune system went down hill and I was sick all the time. No one could figure out what was wrong with me. The doctors had no idea. One day I looked on the internet for information and realized that the Depo might be causing it all. So I stopped taking it immediately. It took a year to get my period back. Once it came back, I started to feel normal again. My headaches went away. I stopped getting sick. All my problems went away. It took about two years or so to see new hair growth on my head. Now the bald areas are pretty much filled in nicely although my hair is still fairly thin. It wasn't until after I stopped taking it for 5 years that they figured out it causes Osteoporosis and should not be taken for more then 2 years. A little late for that.

Anyway, I saw multiple doctors during that 5 years and none of them ever told me about the side effects of Depo. None of them ever thought that it could be the cause of my problems. So do NOT rely on the doctors to tell you important things like that. Listen to what other women are saying and what your body is trying to tell you.

I went back to dealing with my cramping and heavy periods, which sucked. But my health is more important so I dealt with it. Those side effects are unfortunately natural. You and I were just on the more extreme end of it. If you want to manage them, use something other then Depo.

It also sounds to me like you need to find a new gyno. Trust your gut instinct.

By the way, I am 28 now and my periods gradually became easier to manage so there is hope that things will get better on their own. It just takes time.