Bloating, Back Pain, Taken Lactulose, Tired, Heavy, Painful Periods

Posted on Sun, 10 Apr 2011

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 Answered on

Thu, 17 May 2012 Last reviewed on

Question : Sometimes my stomach bloats up and I feel full and bloated, I also get lower back pain, I also visited my Dr as I was unable to go to the toilet, they prescribed Lactulose and now I find I can't go unless I take it every day, I'm also extremely tired most days, I'm a 40 year old women, weigh 9 stone and have had 2 previous laparoscopies to remove endometriosis, my periods always last for 2 weeks and are very heavy and painful so I don't know if this is related

Answered by Dr. Rhea Chanda (2 hours later)

Hello

Thanks for your query.

The periods and symptoms of constipation may or may not be related. If your periods have always been prolonged then I doubt that the two are related.

1.Your prolonged periods could be due to a pathology like a fibroid,endometriosis or due to hormonal imbalance like thyroid.You should get that tested.
Hypothyroidism could explain the symptoms of constipation, lethargy, fatigue and increased body weight too.

2.The bloating and constipation could be unrelated to the previous problem. It could be caused by absence of enough water and dietary fibre.
Don't get hooked on laxatives. Instead increase XXXXXXX veggies in your diet and drink at least 2-3 lit water a day.You can also try antacids.

If you are bleeding too much, then you anemia could be possible.That could be a cause of the lethargy/tiredness.

Consult a doctor who can guide you with the necessary evaluation. You may start off with Thyroid functions tests, ultrasound scans and pelvic examination.

I hope I have answered your query adequately.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar