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Why would I get violently sick around my period? Will this be a problem again?

So before I started taking the combination pill, I used to get horrible episodes of vomiting right before my period and somewhere around ovulation. It was awful! It would be over within a day but would start completely out of the blue and last for anywhere from 6 to 12 hours. It was absolutely debilitating and the longer I was off birth control, the more regular these became.
It started as an occasional occurrence but quickly increased to happening twice a month around my period and ovulation times. I also started getting terrible migraines but I'm unsure if this was related since I can't remember if the migraines were around the time of my cycle.
I didn't have much period pain otherwise. I'd get occasional cramps, but nothing unbearable. It's mainly the hours of vomiting and lying on the bathroom floor that I'd rather not experience again.

To give you a better idea as well, this all started when I was 13 before I ever went on birth control. It occurred every few months. When I was 14, I went on birth control and it stopped. Between the ages of 21-23, I went off birth control again. I didn't have the problem for a while, but about 6 months to 1 year off the pill, it started again. Within 6 months of the symptoms starting, it had increased to twice a month, without fail. I went back on birth control and it stopped again.

I never got an answer as to what this was. When I told my doctor about it, she just said, well it seems like the birth control helps and never addressed it again.

Now (a few years later), my new doctor is having me switch from the combination pill to the progestin only pill for health reasons and I'm concerned that this will become a problem again. Since it was my first visit with her and she seemed kind of rushed, I didn't think to tell her about these episodes because I hadn't had to deal with them in years!

So my main question is: What caused these episodes? Is there a name for it?

Could this be a problem again since I won't have the added estrogen on the mini pill?

How can I talk with my doctor about this so she doesn't write it off as normal PMS? (it's definitely not!)

Any input would be more than helpful! Thank you!
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134578 tn?1693250592
COMMUNITY LEADER
Since the pill changed things, it sounds like the vomiting is associated with either the presence of or the lack of a hormone (changed hormone levels happen at the period and at ovulation, so it could be something about the changed amount).  I'm not sure why you are thinking it is the estrogen, though. It might be that your progesterone levels swung wildly with your cycle and that was what caused the vomiting. (After all, progesterone is what causes women to get morning sickness, it's even called "progesterone poisoning" in some circles.) Have you been pregnant before, and if so, did you have problems with morning sickness?

Anyway, if it is the progesterone, it's possible the new pill will not affect anything. If it fails to protect you from the vomiting, then you have further evidence that the problem is related to the estrogen, and you can get your doc to put you back on a combination pill.
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I would also recommend trying to find a doctor who has specialized in the study of hormones. A lot of ob/gyns have no clue about hormones. Occasionally you run into one who is interested in the topic. In my town there are three, two MDs and one naturopathic doctor, one is retired but will give some advice, one MD is working and her practice is busy because she knows about this stuff, and one, the naturopathic doctor, is the one all the other doctors in town recommend because she has written on the topic and is well respected. You should not be in the hands of a doctor who has never even heard of vomiting related to the menstrual cycle.
There is one other possibility: you mentioned migraines, and women often get migraines in relation to hormones. There is such a thing as an "abdominal migraine," its description sounds just like the vomiting you described. You might look it up. Even if the treatment is the same (i.e., relating to regulating your hormones, if they are what triggers it), you might be interested to read such a clear description of what you experienced. (It is also closely tied to something called "cyclic vomiting syndrome.") I am thinking that if it is migraine-related and if it comes back with the change of birth control, you might try solutions recommended for migraine, like taking vitamin B100 and magnesium.
This was incredibly helpful. I actually feel as though I have a direction to look in now, and I can't thank you enough for giving me that.
I have not been pregnant before, so I can't say as far as morning sickness, but I never knew that it's caused by higher than usual level of progesterone. But if my situation is related to progesterone, then it would make perfect sense as to why the birth control helped and gives me some comfort that I hopefully will be fine on the new pill.

I'll definitely look into the abdominal migraine as well and see if I can find a doctor who's more familiar with hormones. I suppose I thought that would be something ob/gyns would be familiar with.

Thank you again! Time to do a bit more research
** I just want to correct the higher than usual level of progesterone phrase.. I realize it could be higher or lower and would be related to some sort of fluctuation
Glad to help. Migraine as a topic is very complicated, my dad used to get them that were characterized by suddenly not being able to see, but no headache. Who knew? And I hadn't heard of abdominal migraine until I looked up cyclic vomiting, and it said abdominal migraine was much better understood and described in the medical literature. And there it was, and it sounds like just what you had. That made me think of the hormonal connection to migraine -- lots of women notice this -- and also that B100 and magnesium can take down the headache kind of migraine.

Ob/gyns were kind of warned off being curious about hormones about 20 years ago when everyone who had been recommending hormone replacement therapy was told that "new research" said it didn't help, or did more harm than good. This is being questioned today, but in the meantime a whole bunch of gyn's were trained to believe they should discourage hormone use (and by extension, they didn't need to know much about it). Ask around for a doctor who actually knows something about it. The naturopathic doctor who is well known for writing on the subject is in Portland, Oregon and is named Tori Hudson. You might come across some of her articles.

Good luck to you! Don't let your doctor who shrugged off your problems be your main source of advice on whether to go off or stay on an estrogen-based pill if you find that the vomiting comes back. She might not know that much about the topic.
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