Lower Abdomen Swelling After Childbirth: Causes & Concerns

Question
Hi I delivered my first baby on Aug 22 2005 and I am not wanting another child for at least a few years but I am not on birth contron becasue I had a lot of hair lose issues with the pill.  However I do use condoms.  usually my period is about 35 days apart but a few months ago I had a lot of lower back paing and then my period came early for like 2 day and then went away then it can on time but the lower back pain was unbearable and I still get it on and off through out the month.  And I had severe cramping like labor pains last period and this period I just had was normal but 5 days eary.  Lately I have noticed that my lower abdom seems to be a little rounder than normal like when I was about 3 months pregnant.  I also get little sharp shooting pains through out the month too.  Could this be prgnancy with a period, or cysts, or fibriods?  Thanks for your time!  

Answer
Hi Amanda,

It doesn't sound like you are pregnant, however, the only way to rule that out is through a transvaginal ultrasound, which probably needs to be done anyway to have a better look at what is going on inside your uterus.  It could be a number of things...ovarian cysts, fibroids, or endometriosis to name a few.  It could also be an infection.  The best thing to do is to make an appointment with your OB/GYN to see what is going on.  Good luck!