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Got Early Period With Headache, Nausea, Heartburn And Menstrual Pain. Cause For Concern?
Posted on
Tue, 2 Apr 2013
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Tue, 2 Apr 2013
Answered on
Tue, 23 Apr 2013
Last reviewed on
Question : I got my period last Thursday which was 5 days early and it only went for 3 days. My cycle is usually VERY regular and my period normally lasts between 6 and 8 days. I suffer from debilitating menstrual pain every cycle but this time seemed worse than usual (had to take 2 days off work and stay in bed) and I also had headaches, heartburn and nausea. I stopped bleeding 2.5 days ago but am still having fairly intense pains. Please help
Hello XXXXXX.
Thank you for your query.
You have had an irregular period ( by your normal period pattern ).
You have dysmenorrhoea ( menstrual pain ) every month, but this cycle seems much worse as you described.
I can think of a list of possibilities -
1. If you are sexually active, pregnancy and pregnancy related complications is the first thing that comes to mind. It could be an early pregnancy, that has miscarried, or rarely, it could be an ectopic pregnancy ( pregnancy outside the uterus ). A home pregnancy test would not be very reliable in this scenario, because circulating hormone levels would be low. A blood pregnancy test or a pelvic transvaginal ultrasound would clarify the diagnosis.
2. Once in a while, a slightly erratic and more painful period could be normal. Nothing to worry about, but you need to rule out the rest of the conditions to be assured totally.
3. You could be having endometriosis, uterine fibroids or cysts in the ovaries which causes such severe pain and an early period this time.
4. Anxiety, stress, emotional turbulence, frequent travelling, recent and significant fluctuations in weight - all are culprits. Thyroid hormone levels need to be assessed.
5. Intake of hormone containing medications could be an issue. The Implanon was removed quite some time back so that could not be a reason. Anti depressants do contribute to irregular cycles, and stopping them also could influence the periods for a couple of cycles.
I would ask you to do the following :
Get an appointment with a gynecologist at the earliest.
Have a thorough XXXXXXX check up, and appropriate tests and an ultrasound if indicated by the findings.
Please take care, and feel free to ask for further clarifications.
Be well.
Thank you for your query.
You have had an irregular period ( by your normal period pattern ).
You have dysmenorrhoea ( menstrual pain ) every month, but this cycle seems much worse as you described.
I can think of a list of possibilities -
1. If you are sexually active, pregnancy and pregnancy related complications is the first thing that comes to mind. It could be an early pregnancy, that has miscarried, or rarely, it could be an ectopic pregnancy ( pregnancy outside the uterus ). A home pregnancy test would not be very reliable in this scenario, because circulating hormone levels would be low. A blood pregnancy test or a pelvic transvaginal ultrasound would clarify the diagnosis.
2. Once in a while, a slightly erratic and more painful period could be normal. Nothing to worry about, but you need to rule out the rest of the conditions to be assured totally.
3. You could be having endometriosis, uterine fibroids or cysts in the ovaries which causes such severe pain and an early period this time.
4. Anxiety, stress, emotional turbulence, frequent travelling, recent and significant fluctuations in weight - all are culprits. Thyroid hormone levels need to be assessed.
5. Intake of hormone containing medications could be an issue. The Implanon was removed quite some time back so that could not be a reason. Anti depressants do contribute to irregular cycles, and stopping them also could influence the periods for a couple of cycles.
I would ask you to do the following :
Get an appointment with a gynecologist at the earliest.
Have a thorough XXXXXXX check up, and appropriate tests and an ultrasound if indicated by the findings.
Please take care, and feel free to ask for further clarifications.
Be well.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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