How many other women never had a "reg" cycle until after they had tubes tied?

Question

I never was "reg" until I had my tubes tied.Now I'm like clock work,but every other month I have really bad cramps and BAD back aches,any other women have same problems after tubes where done?

Thought i might add also I have told my doctor about this and they said it was normal to feel this way for a while, but it has been almost 3 yrs now.

Answer 1

Hello. It seems that you have had some good quality of life from your decision to have tubal ligation - being regular in your cycles must be a relief for you - as well as having the stabilty of having made a good decision about your birth control after having had three children.

First of all - it is always important to maintain a good relationship with your GYN and to have yearly checkups. It is important to know that although Tubal ligation is a good method of birth control there are occasions that women have had ecoptic pregnancies - that is pregnancy outside of the uterus in the remainder of the tubes or completely outside of the uterus - sometimes GYNs don't let women know this - if you experience any sort of ongoing, extreme pain make sure that you go to the doctor immediately. I have had clients who have almost died from these - they have to be operated immediately.

Now to try to answer your question directly - all women and their hormone cycles are different. Tubal ligation often alters the hormonal balance or imbalance in certain women which can have good or bad results - many mainstream GYN's do not acknowledge this. There are many MD's who take a complimentary or integrative approach that combines traditional methods with natural and psychological approaches. One such place is Women to Women in Maine -
http://www.womentowomen.com/CLNHome.asp - they have a good supply of free articles, written by women gynocologists - who talk about various aspects of women's health care especially in regards to cycles and problems. Their newsletter is free.

Another good health site that you might find helpful for free articles is Dr. Joseph Mercola's site - www.mercola.com.

It is very important for you to know that you are an individual and you must consider what you are able to do and follow - in regards to lifestyle changes that will be suppportive for you. Being a mother of three and a wife is both rewarding and takes a good deal of your time - so some of the following suggestions may or may not work for you.

Whether they have had tubal ligation or not, many of my women clients and friends have found that cycles and pain - cramps and back aches - whether monthly or every other month - can be helped with good diet, excercise, stretching, breathing exercises, positive attitude, visualization and meditation. Therer are also herbal preparations, teas and other products that many women respond to. (Please be warned that some women have good response to soy products and others don't - there are a number of Integrative medicine specialists that now feel soy is not the best thing for people although it is currently being marketed heavily - see for yourself if you respond to it.) They also find that if they have their health care practitioner proscribe a natural progesterone creme that is applied to the skin for the first fifteen days of the cycle that their problems resolve within a few cycles. (Women to Women in Maine can give you this - or go on the net and search for doctors in your area that are using these cremes in their practices - they are made specifically for you by a compounding pharmacist. Dr. John Lee's site can be helpful - http://www.johnleemd.com/ ; another site is: http://www.drpettle.com/hormones1.htm - or do a SEARCH for other sites)

The thing to remember is that cramps and backaches can come every other month because of your own hormonal cycles. You may not be ovulating from one of your overies - so every other month you are not experiencing the pain. But for all menstrual challenges - go for overall lifestyle health.

Starting with diet - try to cut out as much sugar as you can. Remove junk food and sugar laden soft drinks as well as muffins, pies, pastries, candy, etc. Remember that there are hidden sugars that many people don't count - fruit juice is laden in sugar. Keep your caffeine as low as possible - no more than two cups of coffee daily - and if in a few months this doesn't help, then eliminate coffee all together. Many women find that switching to green tea gives them the caffeine they need but it does not effect their cycles - and it has the added benefit of antioxidents and many people find that by having no coffee and only drinking green tea for their caffeine urges that they actually lose weight. (If that is a concern for you."

Make sure that you are getting your 8 - 9 servings of fresh vegetables and fruit - with a higher emphais on the vegetables as they contain less sugar. High glycemic potatoes, rice, bread and pasta should be eaten in small quantities only as they convert to sugar in your body. Many women find that they feel better and their cycles are more comfortable, as well as their PMS eliminated when they keep their vegetable intake high and include two small to medium green leaffy salads a day - use olive oil and fresh apple cider vinegar and/or balsalmic vinegar for a dressing. Cut out fried foods.

Women find that emphasizing healthy oils and eliminating bad fats can both support for stress and help with any menstrual problems. That is why you want to cut out junk food and fried food. The extra virgin olive oil on your salads help with the omega nines and add anti-oxegens that are helpful. A side benefit is that most people find that their dry skin problems go away. (See Dr. Peracone's work - the dermatologist from Yale who often has specials on Public Broadcasting stations, as well as a number of books.) Using cod liver oil adds a good source of Omega three - I know that it is "yucky" tasting but the oil is the best value and least expensive - keep it in the refrigerator and work up to a tablespoon a day.

Also for both all over health and omega three try to get salmon and tuna into your diet a few times a week. Protein at each meal is very important for building up your body and balancing your hormones.

Drinking eight to ten glasses of water a day helps to keep your body well hydrated and running well - and again helps to balance your hormones. It will help in keeping your healthy for overall well being.

For exercise - if you aren't - try to take daily walks. Start out at fifteen minutes a day - and add five to ten minutes each week. You should be aiming for walking 45 minutes to an hour - five to seven days a week. For women - who have the good and bad stress of taking care of children and others - this is a good, natural method of destressing. Most women find that they start feeling "good" - better than they have been feeling - shortly after starting a walking program. But the long term benefits are cumulative in regards to a woman's balancing her hormones - most cramps and PMS and aches start to abate after six weeks of walking regularly if they are eating properly and limiting their caffeine intake. Regular exercise gets your natural "antidepressent" and pain relievers going - the endorphins. Walking also seems to help women give a natural "massage" to their inner pelvic organs which will help to releive pains and backaches after four to eight weeks.

There are many different types of yoga - many offer good exercises that help to tone the body and inner organs. You can investigate local classes or get a good DVD from Amazon - consider your level of fitness and then read the reviews to see which teacher is offering something that appeals to you. You can do searches on yoga sites and look for exercises that specifically help with cramps and back pain - http://www.yogajournal.com/ is a good one for this and has a free newletter that teaches various poses. Basically find something that is regularly stretching your back and toning your abdominal area.

Many women find that deep breathing exercises help them to keep centered during their busy day, and, once learned, can be done more often during times when they are experiencing pain of any sort, including during times of their periods. A very simple one is to first stretch and then to sit or stand comfortably. Allow your breath to flow as deeply as it can - without straining. As you focus on your breath invite it to go deeper and deeper as if it is going all the way down to your pelvic area. If you start out tense - it will take a few minutes for you to relax - but it will become easier and easier as you gently focus. Once it flows easily just watch it going in and out for about ten counts. Do this three times a day - and any time that you feel tense or are having pain or cramps. (Some women use answering the phone to remind them to breathe deeply and sitting at red lights.) This sort of relaxation has cumulative effects if you are persistent for all areas of your life and health - as well as usually having a good effect in relieving cramps and back aches.

An herbalist or Naturopathic Doctor can help you find herbs like Black Cohosh, Raspberry leaf tea and other preparations that might help if the above things don't succeed for you. If you continue to have problems when you are eating and exercising properly - or if you cannot do all that you can be doing - then accupuncture and/or accupressure treatments can help to balance the hormones and relieve pain.

Massage just before your period can be very helpful in relieving pain or eliminating it before it becomes a problem. It is also a great way of pampering you and helping you to have some well deserved "just Mom" time.

Depending on your personal beliefs - Meditation and prayer can also be helpful in both finding balance, centering and overall health and well being. Look for courses in your area, books and tapes that you feel fit into your own world view and religious beliefs.

I hope that some of the above can be useful to you. You are taking the right approach in taking responsibility for your health - working with you doctor and searching for solutions. I am sure that your doctor is great - but three years is really too long to have had pain and aches. Many doctors are not up on all the approaches that will support and compliment their medical practice - so search them out and try the safe ones - diet and exercise - to see how they work. For the herbal and natural hormonal approaches make sure that you let your doctor know what you are doing so that he or she can support you.

Good Fortune with this! Remember that making lifestyle choices that are healthy will not only help with your back aches and period pains - it will help you to have overall good health and be useful in keeping other possible conditions at bay as you are aging.

Answer 2

no mine worked the other way i have had mine tied for 2 yrs now and my cycle is all off i can go 1 to 2 months with out a period .....im very grouchy when i dont get one ....and then when it finally comes it sucksssssss