Going to visit the doctor can feel like a chore sometimes for the average woman — clearing out your schedule, getting off of work, making an appointment, keeping a careful list of things that the doctor will ask about managed in your head — but it can be even more daunting if it concerns your reproductive health.
A sensitive topic to begin with, it can be a bit embarrassing to talk candidly about any pain or discomfort in your pelvic region. But if you're experiencing these three signs, there could be something wrong, and you should talk to your doctor as soon as possible.
Immobilizing Periods
Period cramps are no fun at all; they can come out of nowhere and make it hard to concentrate on whatever you're doing. But if those cramps are incapacitating you to the point that you can't go along your daily activities — or even get out of bed — then a visit to the doctor should be the next thing on your to-do list.
Incredibly painful cramps can be a sign of diseases like endometriosis or polycystic ovarian syndrome. Both are manageable conditions, but are also under-diagnosed because you assume the pain is natural. Remember, excessive pain, no matter what the cause, is never natural, and you should let your doctor know.
Excessive Bleeding
Bleeding during your period is, once again, normal, if a bit annoying as it puts outfits and peace-of-mind at risk. If your bleeding is so heavy as to cause you to change your tampon or pad every hour or two, however, something could be not quite right with your body.
The same goes for passing large blood clots or bleeding (not spotting; full-out bleeding) between your periods. Endometriosis is again a risk here; as one of the most common gynecological diseases (affecting a whopping 2-10% of women of reproductive age), your doctor should always be on the lookout for its symptoms.
Biting Pains
Cramps are one type of pain; the feeling that someone just stabbed you in the uterus with a pin is an entirely different feeling, and one that, should you be experiencing it, should be mentioned to your doctor immediately. This pain could be caused by a cyst in your uterus cracking, leading to intense, sharp pain in your pelvic region.
Cysts are one of the hallmarks of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which, though under-diagnosed, affects about 5-10% of the female population, and is one of the leading causes of infertility. If you're experiencing this or any other symptom, you should tell your doctor as soon as you can to get the pain — and the possible disease — managed. Contact local healthcare services for more information.
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