Lower back and rectum pain during menstruation

by Alex
(Australia)

I've been having pain during menstruation for years and I have really irregular periods. I was sometimes getting my period every 2 weeks, then I wouldn't get it again for 3 months. I always get spotting between periods, and can never predict when I'm going to get my period.

My gynaecologist initially tried oestrogen tablets, which gave me a constant period for over a month with agonising stomach pain. I also got terrible pain symptoms in my lower back and what felt like my rectum. If I sat down then I would get awful stabbing pains through my rectum, and sometimes I wouldn't even be doing anything and I would just get agonising pain.

While on the oestrogen I also got pain symptoms in the right of my stomach area, around where the appendix is, for weeks. The absolute worst pain I'd ever felt in my life.

The next thing she tried was progesterone tablets, which did absolutely nothing. Afterwards she tried the implanon rod which caused me to have a constant period for 12 months straight until she took it out.

When I do get my period now, it still lasts for random periods of time, 3-12 days, and are generally heavy with lots of clotting.

I also get stabbing pains around the front of my hips/pelvis, lower back pain and severe pain in the rectum, both while defecating and then just whenever my body feels like it. I also get really gassy and have to defecate more than I normally do.

I'm mainly wondering if this is normal, or if this sounds like endometriosis. I'm really just over the pain.