Endometriosis

Hi Sindhi


I discovered I had endo about 6 years ago. There isn't a cure and Drs don't even know for sure what causes it. Treatment wise I have gone through monthly injections for a course of 6 months at a time which stop your period so stops the endo getting any worse and hopefully it heals itself when not being added to every month. The drugs are a bit like a fake menopause so you get hot flushes and they can have an impact on bone density so HRT addback therapy is recommended. I had two sets of these with a gap of about a year in between although think it was unusual to get 2 lots. Another option is to continually take the pill for months without a break under Drs supervision, just getting blood pressure, weight, etc checked regularly. The treatments have all made it easier for a while. I have to admit that forcing myself to exercise even when I have pain does seem to help. The other "treatment" is to have a baby, this has been known to clear your system of the endo, a bit drastic if you are not at that stage in your life - and easier said than done if you are!


Your post was a bit vague as to what you wanted to know, hope the above helps and let me know if you need any more info.

SC, I have endometriosis too.


It is a neverending saga. It never really goes away until you approach menapause. Pregnancy temporarily regresses it but it comes back - eg. in my case.


They treat it with medicine but if you are trying to get pregnant, they sometimes recommend laparoscopic surgery instead (like in my case).


I know a lady who had a hysterectomy because the pain was so bad and even after it, she's not cured.


The surgery is meant to remove as many scar tissues as possible and any endo cysts - I've been told I have a 2cm endo cyst. Sometimes I wonder how possible it is to remove scarring from endo .... will they remove just enough to allow a pregnancy to occur? If so, then how much is enough? I heard the laparoscopy surgery is quite minor with minimal pain.


If infertility isn't your issue, they usually prescribe medication.


A friend of mine (not married) has been diagnosed with mild endo by various gynaes and she's been told to do nothing.


Best to talk to your dr on what he thinks is the best solution for you.


Good luck. Endo is horrible to have. It's agonising for us and there's no cure. It still comes back.


When I was younger, I took birth control pills and they lessened my period cramps. Well once I have all the children I need (I pray that I can have more children), I will probably go back on birth control pills. My endo cramps are 100 times worse than my c-section.

acupuncture and chinese medicine could also be help for endo :


http://www.endo-resolved.com/acupuncture.html


the service directory of AsiaXpat shows a list of TCM practitioner for your selection :


http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/atoz.asp?cat=201&id=44

hey count me in the endo club. I've been told there's nothing I could do because my symptoms are not excruciating. (i.e controlled by painkillers)


It is frustrating when the gynaes think you are 'imagining'.I have almost ALL the symptoms listed in the endo signs and symptoms list and I know my pain is not the normal sort.


Am worried about my fertility but it's not yet the right time to get pregnant for me so this is another ??? for the time being

Balzac, how frustrating that no one takes you seriously!!! I've had the same problem when I was younger too. My mother and all the drs just said to take panadols and live with it..... that period cramps are a normal part of a woman's life.


I didn't get a proper diagnosis until 2 months ago and due to difficulty with trying to conceive.


If you are NOT trying to get pregnant, you could try going on birth control pills. Get the dr to prescribe you some (or I think you can get them from the pharmacy here without prescription?). That helped my cramps in the past and is a suggested treatment for endo.


Good luck.