I have been having consistent pain in my lower left pelvic ...

Hi Customer (name blocked for privacy)-

Do you have regular bowel movements?

Does the pain ever come and go, or seem worse at times (e.g., a week after your period has ended)?

How long have you been experiencing this pain?

Thanks,
Emily

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Yes I have regular bowel movements. The pain does come and go, and seems to be more consistent when I am about to start my period. I have had the pain two days out of the last seven for example, and finished my period about a week ago. I have had this pain for at least the three months, I may have had it for longer, but I have not thought much of it until recently. Hope this helps, thanks.

Thanks for the information.

The reason why I asked about your bowel movements was because often when people complain of pain on the lower left side of their abdomen, there is an issue with their lower intestine (e.g., they may be suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome or constipation). If you have regular bowel movements, this is less likely to be the cause of your pain.

Instead, it sounds like you are dealing with a problem along the lines of endometriosis (for more information, see: http://www.4woman.gov/faq/endomet.htm) or mittelschmerz (for more information, see: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mittelschmerz/DS00507). Typically with mittelschmerz, the pain will only occur for a week or so each month - most often a week or so after you stop bleeding (where you are right now).

For a proper diagnosis, you will need to be seen by your doctor. He/she may refer you to an OB/GYN specalist for further evaluations. Best of luck!

Sincerely,
Emily

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Would either of the two problems interfere with my being able to get pregnant successfully? Also, could the pain not be related to anything, just something my body does- if that makes any sense?

First- Endometriosis may affect your ability to have children. Mittelschmerz would not. Don't start to worry about this, though, until you've been evaluated by a doctor. Endometriosis is quite common in women and many people with the disorder have gone on to have many children.

Second- the pain may just be your body, but typically pain is a sign of something wrong. It may not be anything serious (e.g., it COULD just be constipation or your bowel cramping, even though you have normal bowel movements), but it definitely is worth checking things out with your doctor to be on the safe side.

Bottom line: Try not to worry too much about the pain, but go in to your doctor as soon as possible to get evaluated. Be thorough with your doctor, and try to remember what days/dates the pain tends to be worse - this may help in the diagnosis.

Best Regards,
Emily

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One final question, I was using Nuvaring for about a year and stopped using it is April. Could this be related? I appreciate all of your advice, it has been very helpful to me.

I'm happy to give advice!

It's interesting that the you stopped the Nuvaring coincides with when you seem to have started experiencing the pain - leading one to suspect the two are some how related. If what you are experiencing is related to Mittelschmerz, there may be a connection, albeit a slight one (it could possibly be due to a hormone shift in your body, leading to painful ovulation). Endometriosis would not be related to the Nuvaring use, nor would any bowel or intestional causes.

Best Regards,
Emily

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