PMS - Its not normal!

It always amazes me how many people suffer in silence, alone, I know I did for too long, and it has recently inspired me to share my story.

Growing up my PMS was bad fairly regularly, but every once in a while I would have months that were completely unbearable.. I have always referred to these unbearable moments as 'spells' that I would have when my period came.. I can remember one year my mother rushing home to scoop me up and take me to emerge because they thought something was seriously wrong.. Only to get to the hospital, rushed into a room and the doctor tell me that he thinks I just have bad PMS.

'Some people just get it really bad' he said as he gave me a prescription for T3s.

Well from there I can tell you it only got worse.. Once in a while 'spell' months turned into just about every single month. I was put onto birth control to 'regulate' my pimples and try to ease the PMS pain, which did help as long as I took the 15+ aleve's with each cycle.. Little did I know what I was actually doing to my body. sigh..

Did you know that every year you are on birth control it ages your vagina a year?

Did you know it has been said to take a minimum of two years for your body to recover from the damages of Birth Control?

Did you know it depletes your body of fertility essential nutrients like B2, B6, B12, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Magnesium and Zinc?

Did you know that most pain killers that are taken for PMS pain have detrimental effects on your liver and digestive system?

Did you know that your liver and digestive system play an ENORMOUS role in balancing your hormones?

Did you know that most doctors don't consider PMS to be abnormal?

Did you know the side effects of Birth Control don't usually show up until after years of being on it, or after stopping the medication?

Do you know the side effects of Birth Control? Cause they are pretty scary!! Especially since these things have not been studied long term and are now showing to effect womens health in such negative ways.

Did you know there is still a chance of getting pregnant on birth control?

Did you know there are other more effective ways of avoiding pregnancy?

Well neither did, I until I suffered from infertility for 4 years..

My husband and I were married in February of 2011 and I had stopped the birth control around or just before this time. It wasn't until a few years into our marriage when we thought we would start to try and get pregnant did I start to wonder just what was wrong with my body. These 'spells' were so frequent I had to plan to make sure that when my period came, I didn't have anything on my schedule for the day, because I knew I would not be functional.

Let me tell you.. I tried just about everything.. I had been on herbs for YEARS (the good potent stuff), I stuck with an ND (Naturopathic Doctor) for six plus months, then to a very intelligent Chinese herbalist and acupuncturist for about 2 years. After a visit to my gynaecologist, who did not think my pain was abnormal, we were referred to the Fertility Clinic at the hospital, but then ended up in the care of Fertility Care Toronto (which is where we are currently being helped now). It was with Fertility Care Toronto that our specialist referred me for a laser laparoscopy, only to confirm after 10 + years that I had endometriosis. I can't say I was surprised, but I just thought, why did it take this long, and this much 'work' to get here? If I had known 10 years ago that this was my issue I could have been fighting against it for all this time, not for it!! & who knows where my fertility would be..

So I want to share my story, to raise a voice that says PMS is NOT normal. So that maybe in the near future when a young women goes to their doctor looking for relief or information on why they are in pain, their will be a different protocol. I have to say that I am IMMENSELY thankful for the caring doctors, specialists, and surgeons who have helped me get to where I am over this past year, and I can only hope that more people will get answers like I did sooner rather than later.

If you have had a similar story or have questions, I want to hear from you! Comment below or send me an e-mail so we can spread the word together!

To read more about our Fertility Journey please see my Blog Post 'Fighting for Fertility'

Other resources for those with Endometriosis;

Pain, Endo & Prostaglandins; http://www.endo-resolved.com/prostaglandins.html

Raising Awareness for Endometriosis; https://theendo.co/

#Fertility #Hormones