So, I finally turned the corner of being wiped out fatigued with headache...must have ovulated or atleast body made a good attempt to
No that I feel great with energy again, I've slipped right back into the ovarian pain/contraction/cramp feeling
I am on day 14 of my cycle....boobs are sore and swollen and tummy is as bloated as it gets....

For those that feel like their "period is about to come" knowing it is no way time for it, how soon do you get these cramps in your cycle?
This has been going on for about a year now but for whatever reason, this has been a challenging month from a-z.

One more thing...I've noticed the last couple of months that I seem to get a rather watery discharge many times during my cycle. No pain, no, excuse me, odor or anything just something much new to me.

I have had the symptoms you are referring to,and it seems I am getting them twice a month now.Once when my period actually comes,and once about two weeks later.I hate feeling bloaty and my breasts ache.Evening primrose helps me some,so maybe try that?GOD-bless

So is this the start of a 2 weeks PMS? lol!!! I'm not much of a PMS-er...I'm a post-period-er. Ask my Girls!!! I guess the choice nowadays is either Phys. and mentally deranged or just phys. with mental power. Would be nice to be mentally AND physically fit all on the same day again!
The cramps are with me all the time. Had virtually no bleeding this past month. I think I need a real good one this month to straighten me out.

Yes, I too have experienced a change in the consistency of vaginal discharge - too very watery. I'd almost describe it as - continuously weeping.

OMG! Too funny...I'm weeping! Best part about it is that is the best analogy. Sad, but true!

Hi girlsmom, I too have been feeling just as you describe this month. My boobs have not been painful, but oh my, the tummy pains, swollen and bloated. Ovarian pain too. Mine started day 11 of my cycle and continues as we speak, I am now on day 15. I too get the excessive discharge, which happens any time during my cycle. Its not consistent it just happens, then goes away for a few days. I did speak to my dr about it and was checked out, I was told it was normal

At the moment the ovarian pain bloated tummy etc seems to be happenning every other month for me - so at least I get some let up from it. It sure hurts when its here though! I try and reduce what I eat during these times particularly dairy, sugary snacks, spicy foods - and drink more water and peppermint tea - which sort of helps, temporarily.

Hope you get some relief soon.

Jackie

Hi Girlsmom,

I can have cramping before a period up to 3 weeks before it arrives(my periods are irregular and I also have endometriosis, so that doesn't help!). As for the discharge, I get that too but have not seen a pattern to it(I do not pay enough attention). It seems quite common.......do not worry too much about it. Panty liners or pads help sometimes or it has for me.

Take care babe......

Michah

I realize it is not easy to get "graphic" when it comes to vaginal discharge, but gosh isn't it comforting to take that risk, put it out there and get responses back affirming that you are not alone in your experience. I have been recently diagnosed with severe adrenal fatigue and I am early in my Adrenal recovery program. I mention it because of the Fatigue portion of your post. When you have the spare time delve into the subject of adrenal fatigue...fascinating stuff right here on power surge open menopause forum Adrenal Fatigue (thread started back in Feb 07).

I am 49 and in the throes of perimenopause - everything is changing reproductively. Skipped a few cycles, had a few delayed cycles, experiencing pretty significant changes in vagina flora. Between cycles, watery. No odour just thin and slightly off-colour. This is likely due to my low cortisol production, but also the imbalance in the sex hormones, then the periods themselves, not a high volume but thick, mucus-like. yikes...

But the more threads I read on this forum, the less frightening the body sensations and physical changes become.

To borrow a phrase from a fellow PSer - the ovaries really are "sputtering" and spewing out some pretty odd looking stuff as they take their final gasps.

Wow 2morrow!!!
I just told my Dr last week that when I have another bout with that sort of fatigue, I want him to check my cortisol levels checked for adrenal fatigue!
I am always tired but have a few days that I am full with energy too (but I pay for that energy with double the amount of down time after
My thyroid and all other blood tests were fine, as I expected. Must have had a major hormone shift this month.
Funny thing is, I am less than a week (6 days)n away from my next period and my uterus is relaxed?!? Go figure. Post-period-mid cycle pms-er I guess

I never claimed to be normal

How deep did you drill on thyroid? TSH plus Free T3 and Free T4 and antibodies??? I really had to push for a complete thyroid profile. Here they only test TSH. My TSH was within the normal range. I had to search for a physician who would test my FT4 and FT3 and antibodies and had to pay for these additional tests. But of course it was worthwhile because with severe adrenal fatigue at peri/meno my FT3 was way below the normal range. Hence hypothyroid symptoms. I shiver all the time, my hair shed dramatically, body aches and muscle spasms, too many symptoms to mention. I also had to pay for a Ferritin level check. They don't typically test for that either. I am way too low on ferritin and symptoms overlap. I just wanted to re-affirm what you have likely read on Power Surge and that is the need for the full Thyroid panel, and other tests like Ferritin to find the root cause of your fatigue.

The crushing fatigue was truly frightening before the AF/hypo/ferritin issues where undercovered. Eventhough it is a struggle each day and will be for months maybe a year or two more, at least some of the fear about it all has diminished.

Girlsmom... I only read your post, am at work and didn't have time to read the others, so if this is redundant, I'm sorry

The last 12 months or so of my periods (I am now post) I had cramping 24/7. I went to the doctor for it a couple times, and they did an ultrasound (twice) looking for fibroids. Nothing. Fibroids are the most common reason for cramping, and happen often in peri.

I just lived with it, not knowing why it happened. I still don't. All I know is once my periods stopped, so did the cramping.

Even after I stopped having periods, I would have pms like symptoms and cramping. Every month I expected a period, but each month it would not come. I even kept using tampons and pads (at night) around the time I should have gotten my period just in case....I felt like it was coming.

I'm post now about 16 months and still get the odd period like cramp here and there.

Have any of you ever heard of an herbal remedy called "Cramplex"? My NP recommended it and it does tend to work as long as the cramps aren't real bad. If they are just sort of a nuisance or annoying it worked, not if they were really what one would call painful. Just curious if anyone else had tried it and if it had worked for you.

This is how my periods go i have pms for a week before actual period my periods are light to regular last like 3-4 days no cramps until last day of period then boom i get cramps and clots maybe one time and it goes away. As a matter of fact today was my cramp day lasted an hour and now its gone and tomorrow my period will be gone. this month i was five days early and noticed more of watery bleeding then normal. i am hoping its getting ready to quit lol.

Hi Girlsmom
I seem to get pain during ovulation (cramping etc), I also get bloating (I look like I am pregnant) and gassy feeling and I feel WIPED OUT.
After/duringovulation, I get a discharge, milky sometimes a bit brown (I have ovarian cysts). Other times I have a clear sticky discharge (LOL..honestly I think it's great we can talk about these things..because after all it is natural).

HUGS
Maura

hi girlsmom, i have been experiencing the bloating a lot lately, I literally feel like a big air filled balloon, lol. I have also felt very gassy, don't know if it is from black kohosh or cranberry supplements i have been taking, or just that good ole period and peri. after i had my daughter, twenty three years ago, i have always had a lower back pain that was unreal sometimes. This was/is the result of the shot given to numb my lower half to have tubes tied. An epideral (sp). I always got that pain just before my period, now I have it quite a bit more and it is unbearable at times. Cramps are easy one month and hard the next, with what seems a normal flow one time, and big clots the next. I also have down time after my period for about a week, just feel awful. Doctor has told me all is well and normal. I have noticed with my cramps, that a couple of times they were so bad, I was curling up on the bed crying, I have never had that before. All had been on schedule and generally no severity in cramps, those I couldn't handle that is. Keep in touch,,,Belinda