Endometriosis - Could I have endo and should I do something about it soon if I'm to have babies ?

Author

Could I have endo and should I do something about it soon if I'm to have babies ?

Maelle

2004-08-03, 10:46 pm

Hi,

I'm 25 and I believe I may be suffering from endometriosis and I'd
like to hear about people's experiences. Sorry for the long post but
I'm pretty confused and worried at the moment and I'd like to talk to
other people about it.

The reason I am thinking that I may have endo is that I went to the
doctor recently because it seemed that my period was getting more
painful every month and I was wondering if this was normal, especially
since as a teenager, they used to be painless.
I was also going to the doctor because my husband and I have just
started trying for a baby and I wanted the doctor's advice on this as
well.

The doctor said that having painful periods could be normal and that
the reason they didn't hurt as a teenager may have been that I wasn't
ovulating then. Because of very abundant period, I have been on the
pill from age 16 to 24. At 24, I decided I wanted a break from it so I
stopped. This is when I first became aware that my period was painful.
Looking back on the time when I was on the pill, I can see that for
the last couple of years my period was not totally painfree, but the
symptoms were so mild that I thought nothing of them.

So the doctor said that painful periods could be normal, but that I
could also have endo. She said that in that case it may affect my
fertility and said to try for a while and if I didn't conceive, they
would do more extensive examinations to see if I had endo.

Well I tried to put it out of my mind for a couple of months, thinking
that there was no use worrying about maybe not being fertile before
even trying. But my period has been getting so much worse each month
that I looked on the net for the symptoms I was experiencing and I
keep finding results on the endo newsgroup. So finally I've researched
endo and it seems to me a lot of it sounds like me:

* my pain is noticeably worse every month: I feel the only reason I
can keep going to work is that I tried out Nurofen to see if it would
help and it does. But I'm already taking 6 Nurofen in 24hrs which is
the limit so if the pain keeps getting worse every month, it soon
won't be enough to provide some relief.

* my ovaries feel very cramped and painful during my period and I feel
mild twinges of pain throughout the month

* my lower back hurts a lot during my period

This month, my stomach felt disturbed before my period even began. I
thought maybe I was pregnant until my period came. Now I'm starting to
understand that it might well have to do with endo, and that I'm
probably going to feel my period coming much earlier that I used to.

Also, the last two times I went to a doctor (I've been moving round a
lot so for a while, I saw a different one everytime) for a pap smear,
they have told me I had a tipped uterus and that it was nothing to
worry about.

But while researching endo I saw some mention that endo could cause
the uterus to tip. When the doctor first mentioned I had a tipped
uterus I assumed that that had always been the case but now I wonder.
I guess if I had, all the doctors I saw before would have mentioned it
as well and if they didn't then it probably wasn't tipped before so it
could be yet another symptom.

Also I saw that endo can be caused by a too abundant period. Before I
went on the pill, my period used to last two weeks (I had a heavy flow
for a whole week and then a normal flow for another week). This is the
reason I went on the pill. Since I've come off the pill, the flow
seems normal to me, spotting the first day then heavy for two days,
then light for two or three days.

Anyway I plan to go to the doctor again in a few months if I don't
conceive and I'll ask her all my questions but meanwhile I'd
appreciate some feedback on whether it is likely that I have endo and
if I do what it will mean to me:

* Is there any other explanation than endo for period pain that gets
worse every month ?
* If I do have endo, is it likely that the longer it goes undiagnosed,
the more damage it will do ? My biggest worry is infertility. My
doctor told me that a lot of women who have endo still have babies but
I'm worried that the longer it goes undiagnosed, the more chance I
have that the damage will be irreversible.

Thanks a lot for reading that long post and sharing your experiences
and knowledge.

Linda Scheimann

2004-08-03, 10:46 pm

Hi, Maelle,
As for me I waited till 48 to have hyst complete and still sorry I could not
maintain, but not for everybody the amt of pain I suffered in the 90's.

Love,
Linda

"Maelle" <newsgroupgirl@yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
news:5kvo80p4k7mfa93hh1p4tpijl62dr6hjr6@4ax.com...
> Hi,
>
> I'm 25 and I believe I may be suffering from endometriosis and I'd
> like to hear about people's experiences. Sorry for the long post but
> I'm pretty confused and worried at the moment and I'd like to talk to
> other people about it.
>
> The reason I am thinking that I may have endo is that I went to the
> doctor recently because it seemed that my period was getting more
> painful every month and I was wondering if this was normal, especially
> since as a teenager, they used to be painless.
> I was also going to the doctor because my husband and I have just
> started trying for a baby and I wanted the doctor's advice on this as
> well.
>
> The doctor said that having painful periods could be normal and that
> the reason they didn't hurt as a teenager may have been that I wasn't
> ovulating then. Because of very abundant period, I have been on the
> pill from age 16 to 24. At 24, I decided I wanted a break from it so I
> stopped. This is when I first became aware that my period was painful.
> Looking back on the time when I was on the pill, I can see that for
> the last couple of years my period was not totally painfree, but the
> symptoms were so mild that I thought nothing of them.
>
> So the doctor said that painful periods could be normal, but that I
> could also have endo. She said that in that case it may affect my
> fertility and said to try for a while and if I didn't conceive, they
> would do more extensive examinations to see if I had endo.
>
> Well I tried to put it out of my mind for a couple of months, thinking
> that there was no use worrying about maybe not being fertile before
> even trying. But my period has been getting so much worse each month
> that I looked on the net for the symptoms I was experiencing and I
> keep finding results on the endo newsgroup. So finally I've researched
> endo and it seems to me a lot of it sounds like me:
>
> * my pain is noticeably worse every month: I feel the only reason I
> can keep going to work is that I tried out Nurofen to see if it would
> help and it does. But I'm already taking 6 Nurofen in 24hrs which is
> the limit so if the pain keeps getting worse every month, it soon
> won't be enough to provide some relief.
>
> * my ovaries feel very cramped and painful during my period and I feel
> mild twinges of pain throughout the month
>
> * my lower back hurts a lot during my period
>
> This month, my stomach felt disturbed before my period even began. I
> thought maybe I was pregnant until my period came. Now I'm starting to
> understand that it might well have to do with endo, and that I'm
> probably going to feel my period coming much earlier that I used to.
>
> Also, the last two times I went to a doctor (I've been moving round a
> lot so for a while, I saw a different one everytime) for a pap smear,
> they have told me I had a tipped uterus and that it was nothing to
> worry about.
>
> But while researching endo I saw some mention that endo could cause
> the uterus to tip. When the doctor first mentioned I had a tipped
> uterus I assumed that that had always been the case but now I wonder.
> I guess if I had, all the doctors I saw before would have mentioned it
> as well and if they didn't then it probably wasn't tipped before so it
> could be yet another symptom.
>
> Also I saw that endo can be caused by a too abundant period. Before I
> went on the pill, my period used to last two weeks (I had a heavy flow
> for a whole week and then a normal flow for another week). This is the
> reason I went on the pill. Since I've come off the pill, the flow
> seems normal to me, spotting the first day then heavy for two days,
> then light for two or three days.
>
> Anyway I plan to go to the doctor again in a few months if I don't
> conceive and I'll ask her all my questions but meanwhile I'd
> appreciate some feedback on whether it is likely that I have endo and
> if I do what it will mean to me:
>
> * Is there any other explanation than endo for period pain that gets
> worse every month ?
> * If I do have endo, is it likely that the longer it goes undiagnosed,
> the more damage it will do ? My biggest worry is infertility. My
> doctor told me that a lot of women who have endo still have babies but
> I'm worried that the longer it goes undiagnosed, the more chance I
> have that the damage will be irreversible.
>
> Thanks a lot for reading that long post and sharing your experiences
> and knowledge.
>

Susan

2004-08-03, 10:46 pm

There are many, many reasons that a woman might have painful menstruation, and
not all of the reasons can be traced to endometriosis. It is unfortunate that
as endometriosis awareness increases and this tongue-tangling diagnostic term
becomes a household word, many people are assuming that any kind of female
trouble is appropriately called endometriosis. But endometriosis is not a fancy
word for menstrual cramps. Endometriosis is a very specific diagnosis, and only
one of many illnesses which can cause similar symptoms.

Okay, my tirade is over!

Pain throughout the month is actually more of an indication of endometriosis
than menstraul cramps. Pain which begins before the menstrual flow and
continutes after the menstrual flow can be a symptom of endometriosis.

Endometriosis is not caused by heavy menstrual flow. This idea probably refers
to "Sampson's Theory" that endometriosis is caused by menstrual fluid spilling
out the fallopian tubes into the pelvis. Menstrual flow doesn't have to be
heavy to spill out the fallopian tubes, and plenty of women experience this
"menstrual backflow" without developing endometriosis. Although Sampson's
theory is popular, it has never been proven and there is a lot of evidence that
this theory may not even be relevant. I would be more concerned about what
caused the heavy and abnormally lengthy menstrual flow. This may point to
something other than endometriosis.

Pain which gets worse each month may also point to something other than (or in
addition to) endometriosis. Many endometriosis patients find that the pain gets
worse from year to year, but if you are noticing that every month is worse, the
pain is really increasing quickly. Maybe it's due to endometriosis -- but maybe
something else.

Endometriosis can result in infertility, and yes, as time goes on endometriosis
can do more damage, increasing the risk to fertility the longer it goes
untreated.

Especially if you are hoping to conceive, I think it is really important to find
a doctor who will listen carefully and take your symptoms seriously. What you
have reported seems to me to be good reason for a thorough investigation, so
that whatever is causing your symptoms can be addressed. Don't accept an answer
of, "Well, work on getting pregnant and after you have a baby we'll see about a
hysterectomy." You will be more likely to have a successful pregnancy if your
health issues are treated promptly.

Let us know if you have other questions and we'll try to help. Take care!

--Susan Strandskov

In article <5kvo80p4k7mfa93hh1p4tpijl62dr6hjr6@4ax.com>, Maelle says...
>
>Hi,
>
>I'm 25 and I believe I may be suffering from endometriosis and I'd
>like to hear about people's experiences. Sorry for the long post but
>I'm pretty confused and worried at the moment and I'd like to talk to
>other people about it.
>
>The reason I am thinking that I may have endo is that I went to the
>doctor recently because it seemed that my period was getting more
>painful every month and I was wondering if this was normal, especially
>since as a teenager, they used to be painless.
>I was also going to the doctor because my husband and I have just
>started trying for a baby and I wanted the doctor's advice on this as
>well.
>
>The doctor said that having painful periods could be normal and that
>the reason they didn't hurt as a teenager may have been that I wasn't
>ovulating then. Because of very abundant period, I have been on the
>pill from age 16 to 24. At 24, I decided I wanted a break from it so I
>stopped. This is when I first became aware that my period was painful.
>Looking back on the time when I was on the pill, I can see that for
>the last couple of years my period was not totally painfree, but the
>symptoms were so mild that I thought nothing of them.
>
>So the doctor said that painful periods could be normal, but that I
>could also have endo. She said that in that case it may affect my
>fertility and said to try for a while and if I didn't conceive, they
>would do more extensive examinations to see if I had endo.
>
>Well I tried to put it out of my mind for a couple of months, thinking
>that there was no use worrying about maybe not being fertile before
>even trying. But my period has been getting so much worse each month
>that I looked on the net for the symptoms I was experiencing and I
>keep finding results on the endo newsgroup. So finally I've researched
>endo and it seems to me a lot of it sounds like me:
>
>* my pain is noticeably worse every month: I feel the only reason I
>can keep going to work is that I tried out Nurofen to see if it would
>help and it does. But I'm already taking 6 Nurofen in 24hrs which is
>the limit so if the pain keeps getting worse every month, it soon
>won't be enough to provide some relief.
>
>* my ovaries feel very cramped and painful during my period and I feel
>mild twinges of pain throughout the month
>
>* my lower back hurts a lot during my period
>
>This month, my stomach felt disturbed before my period even began. I
>thought maybe I was pregnant until my period came. Now I'm starting to
>understand that it might well have to do with endo, and that I'm
>probably going to feel my period coming much earlier that I used to.
>
>Also, the last two times I went to a doctor (I've been moving round a
>lot so for a while, I saw a different one everytime) for a pap smear,
>they have told me I had a tipped uterus and that it was nothing to
>worry about.
>
>But while researching endo I saw some mention that endo could cause
>the uterus to tip. When the doctor first mentioned I had a tipped
>uterus I assumed that that had always been the case but now I wonder.
>I guess if I had, all the doctors I saw before would have mentioned it
>as well and if they didn't then it probably wasn't tipped before so it
>could be yet another symptom.
>
>Also I saw that endo can be caused by a too abundant period. Before I
>went on the pill, my period used to last two weeks (I had a heavy flow
>for a whole week and then a normal flow for another week). This is the
>reason I went on the pill. Since I've come off the pill, the flow
>seems normal to me, spotting the first day then heavy for two days,
>then light for two or three days.
>
>Anyway I plan to go to the doctor again in a few months if I don't
>conceive and I'll ask her all my questions but meanwhile I'd
>appreciate some feedback on whether it is likely that I have endo and
>if I do what it will mean to me:
>
>* Is there any other explanation than endo for period pain that gets
>worse every month ?
>* If I do have endo, is it likely that the longer it goes undiagnosed,
>the more damage it will do ? My biggest worry is infertility. My
>doctor told me that a lot of women who have endo still have babies but
>I'm worried that the longer it goes undiagnosed, the more chance I
>have that the damage will be irreversible.
>
>Thanks a lot for reading that long post and sharing your experiences
>and knowledge.
>