Endometriosis and/or female reproductive concerns...
@Weasel_Sponge (1069)
Canada
November 26, 2006 3:49pm CST
Does anyone here suffer from endometriosis or a similar condition, or have friends or relatives with it? I was diagnosed with endometriosis more than 10 years ago, and for a while birth control pills and pain medication regulated it and allowed me to live my life relatively normally. However, recently (about the past year and a half) every month seems to be getting progressively worse. I've stopped taking BC pills because they were no longer helping and the various brands I tried to switch to were causing too much break-through bleeding. For reasons I won't go into, I can't take Lupron or similar drugs for endometriosis, and I hate taking the heavy-duty narcotics I'm prescribed for pain. (They upset my stomach and make me stupid and dopey.) I'm wondering if anyone has gone through this and found relief in treatments I haven't tried yet-I'm willing to try anything at this point. It's not like anything could make it worse...
4 people like this
11 responses
@helpful_ideas (1620)
• United States
30 Nov 06
My family has it in spades.
2 of the 4 of us who have been diagnosed ended up getting full hysterectomies, one is now going through menopause, and I am just dealing with it long enough to have one more child. Tramadol is my friend.
@Weasel_Sponge (1069)
• Canada
6 Jan 07
I was just recently prescribed Tramadol and itworks for me, but unfortunately has some horrible interactions with another med that I CAN'T stop taking...I'm glad it works for some people though. Often people who don't have endo don't realize just how painful it can be!
2 people like this
@Alloy42 (372)
• United States
17 Jan 08
Actually if you recall, helpful, when you started taking it they said there would be an interaction with an anti-depressant that had been temporarily prescribed. The Tramadol was a great painkiller and anti-depressant in one for you.
@Withoutwings (6992)
• United States
28 Dec 06
My cousin has really bad endometriosis. They recently had her on some kind of pill that created an artificial menopause. She and her mother were going through menopause at the same time. Kind of funny... but it was pretty bad for her.
1 person likes this
@bhchy1 (6047)
• United States
30 Nov 06
I had problem with that for years. I finally got relief after having a uterine ablation. They laseer out the inside of your uterus, no more monthly periods. However, I was past having more kids at that time. So for me it was a good option. If you still want kids..it's not an option.
@margieanneart (26423)
• United States
30 Nov 06
I had it long before it was known of. I suffered all my young life. At 32, I had to have a complete hyst. That put a stop to the pain, but, there must be something nowadays that they can do. It's hard to concieve a child too. So, if you want kids, try before you do anything drastic. Soaking in a warm tub can help some of the cramps and low backache. Good luck. I feel for you.
1 person likes this
@Ridgydidge (558)
• Australia
28 Nov 06
I too have had endo, Mine has been kept under control with the pill & doing withdrawal bleeds every 3 - 4 mths.. so far so good.. Sorry I can't be more help. They say having a child helps... I had one, havn't noticed a big change, I don't think I am as bad now as once was tho.. good luck.
@Weasel_Sponge (1069)
• Canada
29 Nov 06
Thanks for your response-it's more helpful than you think! I am wanting to have children within the next 2 years (I'm "planning" already by making sure that I'm eating properly and I'm taking the appropriate supplements; I am vitamin B12 dependant and I've upped my injections to ensure that any child I have is at a lowered risk of neural tube defects.) Anyway, if you don't mind me asking, one of my concerns about my endo is that I won't be able to conceive. Did you you have any difficulty getting pregnant? I have had more than one miscarriage (before learning that I needed the vitamin B12 injections) so my husband and I decided to wait and allow my body time to recover and get me as healthy as I possibly can be (and in the meantime, I'm completing school.) I am on medication that I can take during pregnancy, but I would prefer to be completely off everything before tryng to get pregnant again, but I can't afford (health-wise) to be off them for an extended period of time, so we're *hoping* that when we try, it'll happen sooner rather than later. Anyway, perhaps I have gone into more detail than you wanted to hear...I have a tendancy to ramble! But again, thank you for your response. I may try the BC pill again in a while and see if it "takes" again.
2 people like this
@Ridgydidge (558)
• Australia
16 Dec 06
I had to have one tube removed because it had to much endo around it to clean it up. After going back to the doctors & told it I may never have childen they were giving me a 5 year window to fall pregnant. We came home from the Doctor sat together & talked about our future. We started planning a life without children. Going back to education, better jobs & being rich Aunt & Uncles to spoil our future nephew & neices.... How wrong we were....
We took the pressure off ourselfs to fall pregnant... Next month we were pregnant... well we found out about 3 mths later.. we are now the proud parents of a 10 year old girl.
I was getting worried the endo was playing up again, but after a scan I Now will be heading back to have an inch long galstone to be removed. The joy of the public health system.
@car0811 (184)
• Philippines
28 Dec 06
Wow, you guys are so fortunate! I fervently pray I would also have even one child because I,myself, also have endometriosis for years and I stopped going to the doctors now.
@xLiz711x (14)
• United States
29 Nov 06
I was just diagnosed a little over two weeks ago. But I think I was misdiagnosed a few years back with IBS irritable bowel syndrom. Upon reading more information of symptoms of endo I've noticed that they coenside with IBS. So I've most likely had it for about 4 years now. But didn't find out until my recent hospital stay and exploratory lap that removed scar tissue.
1 person likes this
@anaisnin (77)
• United States
21 Dec 06
thank you for posting this, very helpful...i have endo and i am seventeen, i've heard having a child helps but..that's not really on my list right now.
i was on the pill for six weeks, all of those i was on my period, too.
then i got off the pill and was on my period for one more week...
seven weeks of lovely pain and everything else.
it was the worst part of my life..
the pain was so terrible.
it's been getting worse lately so, i look for treatment, too.
there are a lot of holistic methods out there that i'm looking into..
vitamin b complex is very helpful.
as well as evening primrose oil...
hope you feel better!
@kellyp513 (63)
• United States
3 Jan 07
I had endo with no problems, but had my uterus removed due to uterine cancer. Even though I have no uterus, I still have pockets of endo that cause a little monthly discharge. So even having a hysterectomy doesn't mean the end of endometriosis. It can attach itself just about anywhere and to any organs.
@geekwidow (88)
• United States
23 Jan 07
I am an endometriosis sufferer. I have tried several forms of birth control with different results. The last one I tried was the nuva ring on a continuous cycle. That didn't work because I got a ton of break through bleeding. I finally tried Yaz (Yasmine) it has a diuretic which seems to help even though I'm not worried about weight gain, it really relives the bloating. Plus, there are only 4 sugar pills instead of 7 and the hormones are a low dose, so there isn't this huge transition. My periods are shorter and less painful and heavy, and my migraines have become more predictable and less frequent. I don't know if you have tried it yet, if not I highly reccommend it. Granted I have not been suffering as long, and my last laproscopy was less than two years ago, so your results could be completely different. Nonetheless, I feel for you! Good luck!
@owensmom (23)
• United States
19 Mar 07
I myself do not have it, but my sister does actually all the women in my family do except for me. I have a sort of theory about it being caused by birth control. I have never taken it because I have a fear of pills. My sister started having problems right after she started taking birth control. I just think that I am the only one in my family that does not have it and am the only one to never take birth control means that maybe birth control is what starts it in the first place. It may just be that I was lucky or I may still get it but its something to think about. I am sorry that you are going thorough this I do not know of anything you could do. My sister doctor told her that if she wanted to have a baby she should try now and sometimes that helps it go away but there was no guarentee he also suggested a historectomy but she was 17 at the time and does not want that. She got a book that teaches you a diet to follow that helps it and she says its working.
@asawanialvin0611 (1877)
• Philippines
27 Apr 08
if medical amanagement will not help, the option is surgery.If you have problems, try www.intimetv.com.There are medical breakthroughs they discuss
