I started having terrible pain just before my 48th birthday last October, in my urinary tract. It comes and goes but I also have had constant anal itching, another symptom I have never had before. I thought maybe I had a clogged liver causing these imbalances, or hormonal imbalances were causing them but I do not want to supplement with hormones because the last time I did in my early forties, I gained a huge amount of weight in a short period of time and it took me a long time to lose it. I also have bouts of abdominal pain right at the top of my stomach and lately, I have to run to get to the bathroom in time for bowel movements which are loose -- not always. I started drinking lemon water to refresh my liver but it triggered urinary pain. I don t urinate frequently but I do feel pain in my urinary tract intermittently. There is a burning sensation also when I first start my period, for the first day. it seems complicated and I have tried to get things under control with natural supplements like D-Mannose but it seems like I m stuck in this cycle of bloating, stomach pain, bladder and pain in urethra, hot urine or gas. . .nothing life threatening but annoying and disruptive to my busy career as a family provider and mother and wife. I think I just need to go to the doctor to run tests to see what is going on but I have a feeling this is kind of nebulous. . .from what I m reading, antiobiotics aren t going to help if it s my liver . . .or interstitial cystitis which is not well understood . . .I am normally very healthy, have healthy periods, eat fairly healthily and drink water.