Lower abdominal pain

If you are a teenager with a gynaecology question, or a parent of a teenager, please ask our experts your questions here.

Moderator: talkhealth

Locked
2 posts
IHaveMySpys
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:09 pm
Quote

by IHaveMySpys on Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:35 pm

Lower abdominal pain

I'm a 17 year old girl and, for the last year, I have been experiencing increasing pain in the lower left side of my abdomen.
I have been to my GP since the pain has started and have had many tests conducted. As of July 2011, after an ultrasound scan, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, with several cysts found in both ovaries. After this diagnosis, I went several months without experiencing any substantial pain except small niggling pains here and there. But, as of January 2012, the pain in my lower left abdomen started again and was worse than before, I went back to my GP who said that the PCOS diagnosis doesn't have any connection to my pain. He then conducted another blood and urine test, the urine test came back normal but the blood results showed an imbalance in my FHS & LH levels - with the LH level being higher than the FHS level but the testosterone level was normal.

In terms of symptoms, I've been experiencing quite a lot of pain in my lower left abdomen which is a dull & heavy pain if I sit/lay normally but I can have sharp pain if I sit/lay on my side or if I'm in an awkward position. I have also had a trouble during bowel movements, spending from 20-60 minutes on the toilet - it's not painful just difficult! I have also spent periods of time eating very little. My periods are also irregular, the most extreme case being I went 9 weeks without one.

Any ideas what may be the problem?

User avatar
Mr. Hugh Byrne, MRCOG
Posts: 186
Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2012 12:21 pm
Quote

by Mr. Hugh Byrne, MRCOG on Mon Mar 26, 2012 11:50 pm

Re: Lower abdominal pain

Although the ovary contains numerous cysts in PCOS, these are small and don't generally cause pain. On the left side rests the colon, and taking into account your toilet troubles it may mean that your bowel is the cause of your pain. You could try an anti-spasmodic like buscopan but referall to a gastroenterologist or colorectal surgeon may help. This advice comes with a warning though - often non-gynae doctors tend to blame all your problems on your hormones/ovaries/periods etc which can be really frustrating for you!
Mr Hugh Byrne
Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
St Georges Hospital

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/online_clinics/experts/mr_hugh_byrne.php

Locked
2 posts