Bladder spasm and aspartame and question about medication

[Trishy74]

Hello ladies. I haven't been on here in a while bc I had to take a break from trying to conceive bc my bladder has been spasming since I started trying to conceive 4 mos ago. I was being told it was an uti until I switched urologists and got the correct answers. I've been noticing that aspartame definitely makes it worse and I don't drink a lot of it. Maybe a glass every few days. However I started drinking crystal light when I started swaying pink. So I believe aspartame is just not good for me bc it affects the spasming to begin. So the dr wants to keep me on a medication called urelle which controls the spasms. The dr did tell me it isn't approved for pregnancy but she did say she had to keep a few of her patients on it during their pregnancies. I'm not a fan of that but I may have no choice. :(. However my question is does anyone know if the medication urelle sways boy or girl? I know most antibiotics sway boy but I'm not sure if urelle is really considered an antibiotic since it relaxes the bladder and not an illness per se. It's just my luck that this bladder thing has to start when I'm trying to get preggo. I'm almost 40 years old so I can't really say I can put ttc off at all. Between the holidays upon us, my 2 year old scheduled for a tonsillectomy in December and now my bladder I think I am destined to have another boy. Which wouldn't be terrible but if like to give myself a chance for a girl. So if anyone knows about bladder spasms and urelle...which way they sway that would be appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help.

[The Anchor]

I think it does have some antibiotic properties:
"This medication is used to relieve the discomfort, pain, frequent urge to urinate, and cramps/spasms of the urinary tract caused by an infection or a medical procedure. Methenamine is an antibiotic. Methylene blue is an antiseptic and is related to a group of drugs called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO inhibitors). Both methenamine and methylene blue help to prevent the growth of bacteria in the urine. Salicylate, which is related to aspirin, is a pain reliever. This product also contains an ingredient (such as sodium phosphate, benzoic acid) to make the urine more acidic, which helps methenamine work better. Hyoscyamine is an antispasmodic drug that relaxes the muscles of the urinary tract to relieve cramps/spasms."

Just out of curiosity, what happens when you drop aspartame altogether? Do the spasms stop? I know for a fact that I have terrible reactions to aspartame, screaming migraines and nausea, honestly I can't even sit at the same table as someone having a diet coke :)

[Trishy74]

Thanks for all that good info. I do remember the dr saying it has 4 properties to it. Didn't realize it has an antibiotic property. I stopped the med 2 weeks ago right before my period bc I wanted to see if id be ok bc id hate to be on it during pregnancy. The symptoms I'm getting if I drink even just 6 oz of crystal light are urgency, burning and more frequency of urinating. It's mimicking a uti. And this morning I was peeling blood which has happened before. The dr knows this. They say stress can trigger it and artificial sweeteners. I think mine is a combination bc my son has been running 105 fevers each month. They thought he has periodic fever syndrome. They find a tonsullectomy cures it most of the time, he was hospitalized in September for adult sized tonsils with a sore the size of a nickel on his tonsils and a 10 day crazy fever. So as you can tell I do have a lot of stress in my life right now which can also trigger bladder spasming but the symptoms really started once I added crystal light into my diet. I just started putting the two together of my spasms from aspartame. However I have gone like a week without the aspartame and the burning and frequency stop. Also I took Benadryl last night bc I have a cold and noticed this morning the spasms were so bad! I think bc I didn't drink much yesterday and im wondering if bc the Benadryl dries everything out if that is adding to the spasms. This is crazy but i also noticed in the past two mos with ttc that right after my period and around ovulation that the spasms are getting worse and all drs thought it was uti until last month. So I'm wondering if the hormone levels raising and lowering affect the bladder in a certain way as far as relaxing it. I know more frequent bd'ing started it also bc atomic told me due to my age and not getting preggo I should have more attempts. It's like everything all happened at the same time. But since I did not bd at all last month at the drs request and then noticing drinking aspartsme is triggering it now I realize I need to stop drinking that. I'm waiting for the urologist to call me back to see if I should start the urelle again and I have questions for her about hormones and relaxing bladder.

So since reading what the urelle contains would u say sways more girl or boy? I notice it says it contains aspirin which I think sways girl. I have to be honest I'm not doing a hard sway bc of my age but thought the aspartsme would help but can't use it at all now. I usually just drink water so i guess ill have to stick with that.

Funny, I'm a huge migraine sufferer and can honestly say the aspartame didn't affect me at all with them. Sorry to hear your effects from it. Migraines are the worst!

Sorry this reply is so long. I get very chatty at times. Lol.


I think it does have some antibiotic properties:
"This medication is used to relieve the discomfort, pain, frequent urge to urinate, and cramps/spasms of the urinary tract caused by an infection or a medical procedure. Methenamine is an antibiotic. Methylene blue is an antiseptic and is related to a group of drugs called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO inhibitors). Both methenamine and methylene blue help to prevent the growth of bacteria in the urine. Salicylate, which is related to aspirin, is a pain reliever. This product also contains an ingredient (such as sodium phosphate, benzoic acid) to make the urine more acidic, which helps methenamine work better. Hyoscyamine is an antispasmodic drug that relaxes the muscles of the urinary tract to relieve cramps/spasms."

Just out of curiosity, what happens when you drop aspartame altogether? Do the spasms stop? I know for a fact that I have terrible reactions to aspartame, screaming migraines and nausea, honestly I can't even sit at the same table as someone having a diet coke :)

[The Anchor]

I'm sorry to hear about your son...that must be immensely stressful! 105 is a pretty serious fever.

You aren't ~required~ to consume aspartame, and I would say drop it if you think it has anything to do with your condition.

We're not entirely convinced that antibiotics sway at all. And yes the aspirin is believed to sway girl.

[Trishy74]

Thanks again for your response. Yeah those fevers aren't a joke. It's very scary. Last time he had them they were 2 weeks apart and this is the first time in a long time he hasn't had a fever in 35 days. It's amazing! But I'm sure we will deal with it again soon. It's terrible bc he vomits for 10 hours with them and throat is always infected. His surgery is scheduled for mid December. I'm praying it helps with his throat infections and fevers.

Yes I'm going to def drop the aspartsme. I'm glad to hear you don't think meds sway much. That's good news. Thanks for all your help. Appreciate it



I'm sorry to hear about your son...that must be immensely stressful! 105 is a pretty serious fever.

You aren't ~required~ to consume aspartame, and I would say drop it if you think it has anything to do with your condition.

We're not entirely convinced that antibiotics sway at all. And yes the aspirin is believed to sway girl.

[atomic sagebrush]

I think it does have some antibiotic properties:
"This medication is used to relieve the discomfort, pain, frequent urge to urinate, and cramps/spasms of the urinary tract caused by an infection or a medical procedure. Methenamine is an antibiotic. Methylene blue is an antiseptic and is related to a group of drugs called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO inhibitors). Both methenamine and methylene blue help to prevent the growth of bacteria in the urine. Salicylate, which is related to aspirin, is a pain reliever. This product also contains an ingredient (such as sodium phosphate, benzoic acid) to make the urine more acidic, which helps methenamine work better. Hyoscyamine is an antispasmodic drug that relaxes the muscles of the urinary tract to relieve cramps/spasms."

Just out of curiosity, what happens when you drop aspartame altogether? Do the spasms stop? I know for a fact that I have terrible reactions to aspartame, screaming migraines and nausea, honestly I can't even sit at the same table as someone having a diet coke :)

:bowdown: thank you so much!!

[atomic sagebrush]

This is one of those things where it doesn't matter if it sways pink, blue, or plaid, if you need them for your health that's what matters. Swaying, even "perfect sways" produce opposites all the time and I do not want anyone spending any time at all miserably in agony not taking something that helps them feel better. I personally don't think antibiotics sway much if at all, I've never seen ANY quality science supporting it and I think you just need to take the meds if they help so you can enjoy life!!!

[atomic sagebrush]

Thanks again for your response. Yeah those fevers aren't a joke. It's very scary. Last time he had them they were 2 weeks apart and this is the first time in a long time he hasn't had a fever in 35 days. It's amazing! But I'm sure we will deal with it again soon. It's terrible bc he vomits for 10 hours with them and throat is always infected. His surgery is scheduled for mid December. I'm praying it helps with his throat infections and fevers.

Yes I'm going to def drop the aspartsme. I'm glad to hear you don't think meds sway much. That's good news. Thanks for all your help. Appreciate it

I'm not sure if you know Mom2RJA from Ingender but two of her kiddos had periodic fever syndrome and both fully recovered after having their tonsils out. I don't know if she goes on there much any more but you may want to message her!!

[atomic sagebrush]

Thanks for all that good info. I do remember the dr saying it has 4 properties to it. Didn't realize it has an antibiotic property. I stopped the med 2 weeks ago right before my period bc I wanted to see if id be ok bc id hate to be on it during pregnancy. The symptoms I'm getting if I drink even just 6 oz of crystal light are urgency, burning and more frequency of urinating. It's mimicking a uti. And this morning I was peeling blood which has happened before. The dr knows this. They say stress can trigger it and artificial sweeteners. I think mine is a combination bc my son has been running 105 fevers each month. They thought he has periodic fever syndrome. They find a tonsullectomy cures it most of the time, he was hospitalized in September for adult sized tonsils with a sore the size of a nickel on his tonsils and a 10 day crazy fever. So as you can tell I do have a lot of stress in my life right now which can also trigger bladder spasming but the symptoms really started once I added crystal light into my diet. I just started putting the two together of my spasms from aspartame. However I have gone like a week without the aspartame and the burning and frequency stop. Also I took Benadryl last night bc I have a cold and noticed this morning the spasms were so bad! I think bc I didn't drink much yesterday and im wondering if bc the Benadryl dries everything out if that is adding to the spasms. This is crazy but i also noticed in the past two mos with ttc that right after my period and around ovulation that the spasms are getting worse and all drs thought it was uti until last month. So I'm wondering if the hormone levels raising and lowering affect the bladder in a certain way as far as relaxing it. I know more frequent bd'ing started it also bc atomic told me due to my age and not getting preggo I should have more attempts. It's like everything all happened at the same time. But since I did not bd at all last month at the drs request and then noticing drinking aspartsme is triggering it now I realize I need to stop drinking that. I'm waiting for the urologist to call me back to see if I should start the urelle again and I have questions for her about hormones and relaxing bladder.

So since reading what the urelle contains would u say sways more girl or boy? I notice it says it contains aspirin which I think sways girl. I have to be honest I'm not doing a hard sway bc of my age but thought the aspartsme would help but can't use it at all now. I usually just drink water so i guess ill have to stick with that.

Funny, I'm a huge migraine sufferer and can honestly say the aspartame didn't affect me at all with them. Sorry to hear your effects from it. Migraines are the worst!

Sorry this reply is so long. I get very chatty at times. Lol.

I doubt aspartame does much either, I've seen people get opposites while drinking truly insane amounts of it and I just don't think it's worth any level of discomfort or risk whatsoever.

Just to clarify for people who may be reading this thread, the reason why i have Trishy and her hubs. doing several attempts is because they need to conceive quickly and her husband also has lower count due to health reasons. It's not my standard advice for the average swayer, even in late 30's, but I do think it's best for Trishy's situation...just didn't want anyone to get confused!

[Trishy74]

Thank you Atomic for your answer. Oh no, if I need to take it, that's what I'm going to have to do. No if's ands or buts about it. I'm not taking it now b/c I have an appt with urologist next Thursday and spoke with her. She believes hormones can play a role as well with the bladder spasming b/c I seem to be getting it more right before ovulation or right when my period ends. Strange. Do you know which hormone levels drop or go up right after our period or right before ovulation? I know progesterone raises at ovulation but not sure how they play out after our period or right before ovulation. I think estrogen rises before ovulation but I could be wrong. Also, sorry to bombard you with questions but I know you have a wealth full of knowledge here. I get some really intense migraines either right when I'm ovulating or right after it's taking place. I'm getting very interested in my hormones due to this b/c it's like clockwork and they are the most intense during that time of the month! I have to double up on my fioricet meds always. I used to get Botox for my migraines but stopped about a year ago b/c of wanting to TTC. Around ovulation, when progesterone rises, does estrogen drop or does it typically remain the same level and the progesterone just rises that much? I got a blood test done on CD20 (b/c CD21 was on a Sunday) and it said my progesterone number was 100. I assume that's a strong ovulation number? I'm hoping so so we can conceive some time soon.

Thanks again for your help. I'm thinking of taking something called Prelief in the meantime when I eat foods which affect my bladder to spasm but got concerned b/c the ingredients are as follows:

Calcium Glycerophosphate , Magnesium Stearate
Calcium 130 mg 15
Phosphorus 100 mg 10

It's an over the counter supplement which is by choice to take. Once I saw calcium in it, I got a little worried that it may sway boy b/c I know I was told calcium may sway boy now. If it was mandatory to take it, I would but it's not. Do you know if phosphorus affects a sway?


This is one of those things where it doesn't matter if it sways pink, blue, or plaid, if you need them for your health that's what matters. Swaying, even "perfect sways" produce opposites all the time and I do not want anyone spending any time at all miserably in agony not taking something that helps them feel better. I personally don't think antibiotics sway much if at all, I've never seen ANY quality science supporting it and I think you just need to take the meds if they help so you can enjoy life!!!

[Trishy74]

I'm not sure if you know Mom2RJA from Ingender but two of her kiddos had periodic fever syndrome and both fully recovered after having their tonsils out. I don't know if she goes on there much any more but you may want to message her!!


No, I was never on Ingender. I only found your wonderful site while doing my research. I mean ingender did pop up but I didn't join. Once I found your site, I just had a feeling this was the site to go with.

I just saw the Infectious Disease dr on Monday for my son. My son hasn't had a fever in 48 days as of today (thank the Lord!). However, he pretty much ruled out periodic fever syndrome. They had set up the tonsillectomy b/c in Sept. he was hospitalized with tonsils the size of an adults and a huge sore on it and he did keep getting 104 or above fevers on and off from August to October. However, since he has been fever free, it looks like I am cancelling his tonsillectomy unless he gets sick again. I've been told by 3 doctors if he gets sick again with a high fever and tonsils, then it's a no brainer. It's a difficult surgery for a 2 year old b/c they don't understand things...like why he wouldn't be able to have his straw cup or cheerios. I've been told it's 7-10 miserable days. If he had the periodic fever syndrome, I would totally get the surgery done. Since April he has had like 4 cases of tonsillitis and always had white patches in his throat every month since April (more amount of times than the tonsillitis cases). However, they want me to try to put it on hold b/c the ID dr feels that my sons immune system was just over reacting to illnesses. When the kids in daycare are getting runny noses, my son is getting 105 fevers with totally different symptoms. So they are hopeful this is a sign his immune system has slowed down a bit b/c he recently had a cold with no fever and I know it was a legitimate cold bc me and my mother both caught it from him. LOL.

Periodic fever syndrome is such a strange syndrome. I had no idea it even existed until I started dealing with the fevers and the hospitalization. So maybe now that I am going to cancel his surgery, I am hoping I can try to be better on the diet b/c I've been stressed and worried and couldnt' skip breakfast for the past month or so and I've just been really bad with sweets. This time of year is always hard for me b/c there are Godiva chocolates on my desk almost every day. :( If I become pregnant this month with a boy, I won't be surprised. LOL. I'd be happy, love my little boy that I have now but it just would be nice to have a little girly in our family.

Thanks again for the info on Mom2RJA. If Matthew had this syndrome, I would definitely have sent her a message. My heart goes out to the families who have to deal with those high fevers all the time. I know it was rough with what I had to go through. It's def nervewracking!

[atomic sagebrush]

Oh poor bug, I hope he grows out of it soon!! (((hugs)))

[atomic sagebrush]

Thank you Atomic for your answer. Oh no, if I need to take it, that's what I'm going to have to do. No if's ands or buts about it. I'm not taking it now b/c I have an appt with urologist next Thursday and spoke with her. She believes hormones can play a role as well with the bladder spasming b/c I seem to be getting it more right before ovulation or right when my period ends. Strange. Do you know which hormone levels drop or go up right after our period or right before ovulation? I know progesterone raises at ovulation but not sure how they play out after our period or right before ovulation. I think estrogen rises before ovulation but I could be wrong. Also, sorry to bombard you with questions but I know you have a wealth full of knowledge here. I get some really intense migraines either right when I'm ovulating or right after it's taking place. I'm getting very interested in my hormones due to this b/c it's like clockwork and they are the most intense during that time of the month! I have to double up on my fioricet meds always. I used to get Botox for my migraines but stopped about a year ago b/c of wanting to TTC. Around ovulation, when progesterone rises, does estrogen drop or does it typically remain the same level and the progesterone just rises that much? I got a blood test done on CD20 (b/c CD21 was on a Sunday) and it said my progesterone number was 100. I assume that's a strong ovulation number? I'm hoping so so we can conceive some time soon.

Thanks again for your help. I'm thinking of taking something called Prelief in the meantime when I eat foods which affect my bladder to spasm but got concerned b/c the ingredients are as follows:

Calcium Glycerophosphate , Magnesium Stearate
Calcium 130 mg 15
Phosphorus 100 mg 10

It's an over the counter supplement which is by choice to take. Once I saw calcium in it, I got a little worried that it may sway boy b/c I know I was told calcium may sway boy now. If it was mandatory to take it, I would but it's not. Do you know if phosphorus affects a sway?

trishy I just wanted to let you know I have seen this, I'm away from home and just doing short q's on my mother-in-law's computer, please bump this so I can reply when I have a little more time.

[Trishy74]

Atomic, bumping per your request. Thanks.

[Trishy74]

Bumping this per atomic. Hopefully you see it so everyone doesnt think I'm crazy for bumping the same thread again. Lol.


trishy I just wanted to let you know I have seen this, I'm away from home and just doing short q's on my mother-in-law's computer, please bump this so I can reply when I have a little more time.

[atomic sagebrush]

no not at all, I desperately need you guys to bump, bump, bump because I have to pick my times to answer longer posts due to children. :) it's very helpful for me

[atomic sagebrush]

I think that you can't look at hormones and say "this hormone goes up or down so this is what is causing my bladder spasms". It is the change in hormones, any change, that affects things. So it may happen when E goes up and when E goes down.

To answer your question, E is high and prog is low at ovulation and LH is surging. Just before AF, both are low and there is no LH. By the time your period ends, E levels will be on the rise but nowhere near where they are just rpior to ovulation there is a handy graphic here. Menstrual cycle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_cycle) but don't be surprised if you really can't see any obvious correlation, I don't think it is as cut and dry like that.

Hormonal migraines are also super common (get em myself) but again it's not so cut and dry, for example some people have fewer migraines during pregnancy when their hormone levels are high and others who never have them, get them for the first (only) time. The body is a very complex and weird system so we can't always look at one thing in isolation and say "oh it must be estrogen" or whatever, it's the whole package working together.

I can't tell about your prog number, sometimes they use different measurements than the ones I am familiar with. It seems extremely high (pregnancy levels) but it may be that they measured it using some other measurement that I am unfamiliar with.Serum progesterone: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003714.htm)

If the Prelief will help, I'd give it a try, no sense in being miserable. Phosphorous helps calcium to work better which is why it would be included.