Womens Troubles

[helen.t]

Hi Folks, I was wondering if anyone has any information about Retroverted Womb problems ( womb tilting backwords towards the spine) and how it might affect the spine. My womb tilts back and I have suffered from a lot of severe low back pain for many years. I just wondered if this could be affecting my POTS sympoms and how much effect a tilting womb can have on the spine. Gyn. Docs that I've asked, seem to dimiss it as being a seperate issue but if there is pressure on the spine then surely that will affect circulation?

I would just like to know if I am just clutching at straws or if I should persevere in investigations about this. I am desperate to know why my POTS is getting worse and if there is a simple but unexplored reason for it. I had a Gyn appoint. yesterday but the doc I saw was new and wasn't my usual consultant and seemed very offhand and dismissive of me. Does anyone else have this problem or have info about it? I hope you guys are coping ok, Helen

[pat57]

there is an issue during pregnancy.

Dizziness and fainting during pregnancy

• Lying on your back In your second and third trimesters, your growing uterus can slow the circulation in your legs by compressing the inferior vena cava (the large vein that returns blood from the lower half of the body to the heart) and the pelvic veins.

Lying flat on your back can make this problem worse. In fact, about 8 percent of pregnant women in their second and third trimesters develop a condition called supine hypotensive syndrome: When they lie on their back, their heart rate increases, their blood pressure drops, and they feel anxious, lightheaded, and nauseated until they shift their position.

To avoid this problem, lie on your side instead of flat on your back. Either side is better than your back, although the left side is best. A pillow placed behind you or under your hip can help you stay on your side — or at least tilted enough to keep your uterus from compressing the vena cava.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_dizziness-and-...dInfo%40763e7dd

[Rachel]

Hello Helen,

I don't think a retroverted uterus could have any effect on POTS. About 20% of women have a tilted uterus, but it rarely causes problems. I actually had a tilted uterus, but I didn't have any symptoms, and my doctor was never concerned. After I became pregnant my uterus soon moved to the proper place.

Occasionally a retroverted uterus causes some symptoms of pain for some (usually during intercourse or menstruation). Has a cause for your lower back pain ever been found? Rarely does a retroverted uterus cause lower back pain. If your doctors are dismissive and you've never found a cause for your back pain, it might be worth trying to find another doctor who will sit down with you, listen, answer questions, do a thorough exam, and give you a detailed report.

As Pat said, there can be a circulation problem in pregnancy if you're past 20 weeks and you lie on your back (whether your uterus is tilted or not). The pressure of the baby, fluid, etc. can slow circulation. I've never heard or read of a tilted uterus (apart from pregnancy) causing circulation problems, though.

Here are two sites that give more details about a retroverted uterus, symptoms, etc. http://www.inletmedical.org/tipped_uterus.asp

http://www.womens-health.co.uk/retrover.asp

I'm sorry to hear that your POTS is getting worse. It can be frustrating and discouraging to have declining health for no known reason. Perhaps extensive blood tests could reveal something. Or perhaps a new med/med combo would offer some relief. I hope you can find some answers soon.

All the best,

Rachel

[dizzy]

Just wondering if you have EDS? EDS can cause a prolapsed uterus.....I think I read that somewhere.

[pastordari]

I would get your back checked.

Don't assume it is due to a tipped uterus. This isn't a normal symptom of that.

Generally a retroverted uterus doesn't cause any pain or anything. Can haave some implications during menses or pregnancy.

Not so much day to day.

I think any pain/stress could make POTS worse.

Dari

[jolineshope]

Hi,

I don't think your tipped uterus is the cause of your back problems. You see your uterus does not tilt back onto your spine. Behind your uterus is some of your colon and then your kidneys. I know this because I suffered with a severely tipped uterus until I had my hysterectomy. My tipped uterus never caused me problems unless I was having intercourse or during my pregnancy's. And even then I never had back pain I sufffered with severe cramping in the lower pelvic area. I never suffered from dysautonomia symptoms throughout my uterus years. However, the older i got and the more pregnancy's i had caused my uterus to become so weak that it finally collapsed on my colon and i was unable to have a bowel movement. That's how we knew what was wrong. It was at that point that the uterus was removed. And it was still another 12 years before my dysautonomia appeared. but even when the uterus fell completely backwards i never had back pain all my pain was located in the front lower pelvic area.

Maybe you should go back to your doctor and ask to have a back work-up done. To see if your back problem is related to a slip disc or even arthritis of the spine. I'm still not sure that even these things would cause your POTS, but that is something you could ask a back specialist or a neurologist.

As for the POTS getting worse with age, it may be from just getting older. I have read that in some people there symptoms can get worse as they age, and for others it can get better. Or maybe it is getting worse becasue of something that you are doing in your life at this point in time. It may also be because as we age our bodies change and the meds we have been taken for years may have to be adjusted to meet the changes taking place in our bodies. So, these maybe some things you may want to bring up to your doctor.

I hope you find your answers or at least get your back pain under control.

Best wishes to You,

Joline

[helen.t]

Thanks everyone for your replies. They have been very helpful! It explains why I had such pain during my pregnancies. I am interested in the connection between EDS and tilted womb though. Looking back I wonder if some of my other symptoms I've had to cope with, relate to EDS. I am not double jointed as such but I have muscles and ligaments which pull out very easily and have caused me extreme pain on exercise. I used to go over on my ankle a lot when I was young and could hardly walk on it but it was put down to having a weak ankle. My pelvic ligaments were so painful during pregnancy, I could barely walk, sleep or sit for the pain. I was in total agony but I have never really thought to associate this with EDS.

When I saw Prof. Mathias in London about my Pots, he said to me '' I take it you have hyper mobility/ loose joints,'' I said no to this as I have always felt myself to be more stiff and arthritic like. But thinking about it now, maybe I should have told him more about my past muscular/joint problems. I know this is going on to a different thread and I might have to post again but was wondering how EDS affects people here and do you have to be double jointed to have it? Thanks again, Helen