Extremely Worn Out/tired During Period

Dear K.,
I am not a specialist of any sort but wanted offer some suggestions.
Two things - first, have you had your iron level checked lately? I have experienced in the past extreme fatigue that was due to low iron levels. Secondly, have you ever had your thyroid checked? The thyroid is like your thermostat of your body, it controls things such as your metabolism, etc. If it is hypo you can become extremely tired, have dry skin, lose more hair than normal, become grumpy, gain weight, your heart rate is slowed, etc. If it is hyper just the opposite happens - tons of energy, nails & hair grow very rapidly, you stay skinny no matter what you eat, your resting heartrate is excelerated, etc.
Both of can be determined through a simple blood test.
Again, I am not a doctor, but I have been anemic, had low iron levels, and am hypo-thyroidism.
It can be so frustrating trying to figure out exactly what's going on, but the best place to start is talk to your doctor and have him/her do a blood test.
Hope this helps :)

1 mom found this helpful

Hey K.!

Boy do I have good news for you! You are perfectly normal!!! Menstruation is the #1 cause of anemia in women. I guarantee if you were to start taking Iron and eating more red meats and spinach, you will feel a heck of a lot better. I would find the highest dose of Iron you can. If you go to your doctor he/she could prescribe a much higher dose.

L.

I understand what you are going through. I crave meat mostly. I completely agree with the other moms - iron sounds like you problem. Good advice from the others.

Hi K.:

Some women start experiencing pre-menopause symptoms from age 35 and up. I am one of those. I believe you were on the right track making lifestyle changes. Drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day, getting 8 hours of sleep a night, exercise (at least walking 3 x for 30 minutes a week), eating healthy (avoiding fatty and sugary foods), and taking vitamins that fill in the nutritional gaps in your diet. I'm a distributor for AdvoCare. www.advocare.com/05103683 There are specific vitamins that can help you in your situation. They are safe, inexpensive and effective. I know I can help you.

Making all of those changes may sound overwhelming. However, if you make small changes on a daily basis, you'll soon have those habits in place and it will make a tremendous difference in your mental and physical health. I know they've changed my life.

I hope this helps you. Have an awesome day!

S. R

Our moon time as it was called in Native American language or Menses have been a time of rest. It is a time that you are releasing and if you get into a more spiritual aspect of it a very powerful and wise time. Women were sequestered to a seperate tipi during their moon.

From a holistic point of view there are a couple of things that pop out for me. Blood is vitality and iron is a vital part of that vitality. During this time you may need to up your intake of iron or even iodine, for the thyroid and metablolism. So check that out. Also the moon time is a harmonal event and the harmones are connected to the emotions ie the psychie. You may need a rebalancing of the harmonal system. Drugs won't do this however they will make it worse. Search out some type of vibrational healing method such as light or sound. You can go to www.colorpuncture.com and see if there is a practitioner in your area. I KNOW this will work. Best of health D.

I have had the very same challenges. When I was teaching I would be a ragdoll in my rocking chair unable to do ANYTHING! Now at home I sleep too. The only time I found complete relief is when I went to an herbalist. When I encountered no symptoms I stopped and a year later the symptoms returned but I was no longer in touch with my herbalist and lost the list of herbs. Two days ago I started on a progesterone cream with many of the herbs included. I hope this will work. I look forward to reading the responses you get.

when they check your iron levels, make sure they test for ferritin. your iron levels can come back looking normal but your ferritin could be low and they don't always check for it.

i'm going through the same thing now. i may have fibroids which are causing excessive bleeding and thus anemia.

I take iron pills OTC stuff from walgreens, because of the same trouble.... but I really would go in and talk to your doctor about it. ( I did talk to my doctor about it) Because it's always best to know what is really going on...

have you tried an iron supplement?

My sister has to take alot of Iron during, and often when not having her cycle.
She has noticed a difference. But she did go to the doctor and have a blood workup. I think it should be taken serious, as it could be something that has nothing to do with you cycle, and be from something you would never think of on your own.
I would bring it up at your next OBGYN visit if not sooner. Goodluck and God Bless.

Hello K.!

Your symptoms seem to be identical to mine! I've always wondered about the dropping things bc/no one else I know complains about this.

Unfortunately, I have stopped talking with physicians about these symptoms bc/they were not terribly responsive. What I do try to do is take a "rest" every now and then. I can't nap--I never could--but lying down for 15 to 20 minutes can sometimes do wonders. Doing a light workout with lots of slow stretching helps to take the edge off me. Cutting salt, sugar, and caffeine has helped in the past, but I haven't been following my own advice lately, especially now that I'm back at work 5 days a week.

Of course, I have only one child, so my situation is entirely different from yours. To me, being at home was harder than working!

Hope you get the time to be nice to yourself.

Sounds like you've tried some valid things, and since that isn't working, you might start by mentioning them at your yearly. If that is too far away, then I think it is a worthy thing to go in for. Good luck!

Hi K.
I had the same problems... It was awful. You probably should go get checked to see if you are anemic or if there are any other problems. If it turns out all is well, then maybe it is your body's way of re-energizing itself for another month of activity.
My solution...was a hysterectomy although it was right for me, may not be the answer for everyone else.
As it turns out my adrenal glands were depleted and not functioning. Good luck. L.

I am so sorry that you are going through this. I am sure that western medicine would not be able to help you (will probably recommend anti-depressants and or pain pills---attribute fatigue is due to pain). I highly recommend homeopathy and acupuncture. To find a good homeopath and acupuncturist, just start asking around or go to your local health food store and ask who is the best acupuncturist and the best homeopath. It may end up costing you a bit "out of pocket", but it will be worth it.
Best of luck to you.

You could be anemic... that happened to me after my baby was born. The treatment was just iron supplements. But I would check with your dr.

Sounds like you might be anemic. You rdoc should be able to do a quick blood test that could tell you and then you could take or eat more Iron during this time frame.

If you do start taking iron supplements I would suggest taking Slow FE, or whatever brand you use that is a slow release form of iron so that it wont constipate you as bad.

My daughter in law who had been going through your symptoms, just went to the doctor for it. After blood work, they found out she was extremely vitamin D deficient. This came as a surprise, since she takes a good multi-vitamin each day, and eats extremely healthy. I don't know if this is your problem or not, I would see your doctor. BTW ~ My daughter in law has no children, and eats very well balanced meals. It got so bad she almost couldn't get up to go to work.

Get a doctor's appointment now! I'm not trying to scare you but this doesn't sound normal at all. It maybe something as simple as an iron deficiency. We Moms take care of everyone one else and forget about ourselves. E.

thanks for asking this question. I have the same problem but never thought to ask anyone else about it.

K., I get this way too and I would recommend you go see your OBGYN for sure. Your iron could be low or possibly you might have Fibromyalgia like me. This time of the month is hard enough on us when things are normal so feeling severe fatigue makes it very challenging. Good luck to you!

S.

It sounds like there is a strong possibility you could be anemic. These are all symptoms of anemia. I would see your doctor. If you do need to take iorn, be sure to ask your doctor to recommend one that is easy on your stomach. It make a tremendous difference in tolerating it.

Amy

A little about me:
I am early forties mom to 6 children. Ages 24, 23, 21, 19, 16, and 2.5. We have two girls, the first and last, and the middle four are boys.

I wondered this myself until I spoke to my sister and I plan on going in with her advise to the doctor. My sister suggested it may be pre-menopause. I know, I know 36 and menopause? But it could happen. I am 45 and I have a lot of those same symptoms, the blood lose is what got me. I would call the doctor and do ask questions.

I was also told I was anemic, so do check for this possibility of being anemic, low iron. And don't just assume low iron, you must be checked for this before taking a iron tablet because it must be taken with vitamin "C". Check out Webmd too www.webmd.com.

Good luck

Good Evening K.,

I just got around to checking my email, sorry. I did have many of your systems for at least 2 years. I thought I was just being lazy. Come to find out I needed a hysterectomy and was severely anemic (they say blood loss, but I was not bleeding heavy all the time). I had that done about 4 years ago and now at the age of 43, I feel so much better. I am not tired like I was before. I have more energy. Have you spoken to your doctor? It may not be what is going on with you, but it sounds so similar to what was happening with me. Hope this helps. I hope you feel better soon.

I would guess that your symptoms are from a chemical/nutrient imbalance. BUT just taken multivitamins, which are balance, won't focus on your deficiency. it might be iron, it might be some obscure thing like manganese, or selenium. I can recommend an amazing naturopath that treated me for chronic fatigue it came from malnutrition. Dr Milner, 39th & Hawthorne. Center for Natural Healing, I think.

Thank fully you have the freedom to just go lie down now, & a supportive husband those are wonderful things! Still, you are loosing days of your life, that may not be necessary.

Good luck.

Hi K.:
I would like to recommend that you try Chinese medicine. You could receive acupuncture treatments and the practitioner would prescribe an herbal formula for you to nourish and tonify your body and over-all wellness. Your practitioner would ask you a series of questions to determine a diagnosis. Chinese medicine achieves great results with gynecological symptoms.
Enjoy your weekend.
with peace,
P. M.

I have the same symptoms, I haven't been to the doctor but I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone. Here's a couple of links you might find helpful http://en.allexperts.com/q/Alternative-Medicine-991/Tired... http://www.4woman.gov/faq/pms.htm

Sounds like you are probably anemic. Meaning you are low on iron and maybe even folic acid. Try eating foods high in iron like peanuts,raisins,meat. Also you can cook with an iron cast pot. I usually find mine at goodwill. Folic acid can cause fatigue, and memory problems and if you are really low even seizures. I have celiac so my intestines don't absorb vitamins like they should. I have my vitamin levels checked alot.

Also Have you B vitamin levels checked. B 6 tabs could give you more energy. Possibly thyroid problems. I have hypothyroidism and struggle with energy alot.

Hope this might help

A.

i have had the same problem, my chiropractor ( who practices holistic medicine) reccomended i take a range of differant supplements, i now take Iron a good brand that you can find at your local health foods store not just from the grocery store shelves, I also take good brands of Fish Oil as well as a digestive enzyme. i really feel alot better after a couple of months of taking these things. everywoman over 30 should be taking fish oil (carlsens is a good brand) and many of us dont realize we need to take an iron supplement. im not sure if you see a chiro but they are great for reccomending holistic ways to better care for yourself. hugs to you mama, i hope you feel better soon.

I discovered a similiar issue and found that my stomach did not absorb B12 from the foods I ate. Worth checking out, it is a different test then Iron deficiency.

I think you are doing everything possible. see a specialist about pms symtoms

I think your first order of business should be to go ahead and make that appointment with your doctor. We women seem to be trained to not want to bother the doc unless we think there is something seriously wrong. Your life is being seriously affected, so go and don't worry about what others might think. It could be you just need iron, but why chance it? Sounds like you have a great family--take care of yourself so you can have more quality time with them.
p.s. have them check your thyroid if it hasn't already been done. Enjoy your life!

If you try iron pills, make sure it is ferrous sulfate. Couple that with fiber-rich foods and lots of water. ;-)

Hi K., I suffer the same kind of fatigue. It was worse before I had my partial hysterectomy. I had my blood checked for iron deficiency since that is common when there is a loss of blood. I was severely anemic. I have to take iron supplements daily or else I revert back into being anemic and suffer from that kind of debilitating fatigue. Your doctor can determine if you are anemic and how much iron you need to supplement with. I would advise you to get that checked out.

S.

It sounds like you may be anemic. I would go in to see your OBGYN and s/he can probably recommend iron supplements. In the mean time, take care of yourself--if you need rest, take it!