How many women

Started by alchemist, June 14, 2017, 11:20:02 AM

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alchemist

who have been abused on this forum have pms symptoms?
I feel that abuse causes symptoms with our reproductive system because  the process of reproduction represents creating a child and we are constantly reminded of what we experienced as children. I know this is true for Me.  It has gotten better since I have done a lot of healing but I am still tired the first two days.  I have to take B12 shots and I leave work early because I don't sleep as well as I normally do.  I make myself as comfortable as possible.  I think it is so unfair that I have to be reminded of their abuse every month.

sanmagic7

interesting connection you make.  i didn't really start having trouble with pms until nearly 40.  that would coincide, however, with when there had been enough time for the abuse, tension, and stress to have built up to dangerous levels.  within another 5 yrs. i had started having breakdowns.  hmmm . . . 

i got a hysterctomy in my early 40's so that ended all that.  i don't know if it would have continued, gotten worse, or what.  glad i didn't have to find out.  i like your thought on this, alchemist.

Frederica

I definitely think it's all connected, trauma seems to like messing with the reproductive system, the worse my emotional stuff at the time, the worse the physical stuff gets. I have horrible hormones/PMS, sometimes I want to like, literally rip my uterus out, even with birth control leveling out the worst of it.  :dramaqueen:


Elphanigh

This is a really interesting post. I don't normally scroll down to this part of the forum, but this title caught my eye. It is a great observation.

I have always had terrible pms, and just in general terrible pain and symptoms during that time of month. Like sick, and puking kind of bad. It truly started getting bad about the time I was confronting the memories for the first time. I wasn't starting healing, but was certainly being forced to stop denying by my own brain.

I do wonder if you are right about this connection, I take medicine for mine so I am not sure if it gets better with my healing journey or not. Good observation

Overcaffeinated

I have constant cramps that feel like menstrual cramps, and I'm bloated often. I've wondered the same thing. I went off hormonal birth control a few months back and actually saw a lot of emotional and physical symptoms go away (not recommending, that's just been my experience) but unfortunately with that came a great deal of PMS symptoms I haven't had since I was a teenager. It's so annoying! But yeah, I have a couple of things that seem chronic and unrelated to my actual cycle. (I'm 35, if that helps.)

Libby12

This is so interesting ,  alchemist.  I think you have raised something that has maybe been overlooked.

I suffered from terrible PMS and period pain from the age of 11.  My nm did too and every month she would say that I had behaved especially badly because I knew she was pre-menstrual (I was five or six and knew nothing of these things when she started saying this) and so she would be extra mean and punish me even more. 

Right from the start I had awful period pain and looking back,  I probably had PMS from early on but became more aware as the years went by.  It certainly always mingled in with my depression.

After having my children,  both very traumatic births, I started experiencing what felt like PMS and pain, not associated with the actual cycle.  It seemed to last longer each month until there was no relief from it. Sounds like the feelings overcaffeinated describes. Hormones helped but not completely.   Looking back, I think this was all a symptom of my abusive relationship with nm and therefore depression /c-ptsd.  It was the first way the pain of my abuse showed itself in my body.   This went on for years and more types of pain were added on top (leg, shoulder, hip, back, digestive,  jaw) .   

It was all around the same time that I stood up to my parents and we went nc with each other,  that I stopped the hormone pills and found that I must have been through the menopause (a bit early at 45/46years) so never any more PMS.  Still have some of the associated pain feelings, in amongst all the other pain but so much better overall.  Can it all be a coincidence?

I don't know if this is a bit off topic,  but I can see now how big an issue menstruation was in my FOO.  For example,  my EF moaned constantly about the cost of sanitary products for a wife and two daughters.  I had to go to a local shop, with a note,  to buy sanitary towels for mother from a very young age.  It was all surrounded in secrecy,  with the product wrapped in brown paper.   I wasn't given an explanation but it all felt very wrong. There were other things but I think the worst was nm spending what seemed like hours,  trying to force tampons into me so that I could go swimming.  I hated swimming anyway,  but this was for a regular social event with another family and she was not going to let me spoil her evening.   By the way,  she never,  ever went swimming!   I have never told anyone about this,  but have wanted to as it felt so wrong so please forgive me rambling on.

Thanks for a really interesting thread that has provoked a lot of thought for me.

Libby







sinthia820

Interesting thought! I'm in the medical field so thinking my PMS and cramping is due to CPTSD is hard for me to grasp (maybe partly cause I hate giving CPTSD credit) but also maybe your PMS and your cycle could be a trigger. Or the excess hormones during that time could be causing your CPTSD to come to the surface? This is a very interesting thought...