i may be exaggerating but not by much. ive always had painful periods..about a year ago i had a really bad cramp. i was at school and i acctually collapsed from the pain , the ambulance was called for me. it ws the worst pain ive ever experienced in my life (and ive broken my wrist before). it wasn’t just my tummy, my legs were hurting, esp myknees, and my hips too. i couldnt breathe or talk.. i felt dizzy and nauseous… i thought i was going to die. the doctor at the hospital gave me some codeine and i felt better. she also gave me some birth control to make my periods more regular. the birth control helped a bit but my periods were still painful. so now i just skip the placebo tablets so that i don’t get periods at all. i havebt had one in 7 months (by choice). its great… but lately ive been reading some stuff about endometriosis and infertility. apparently period pain is a sign of endometriosis…. most people that get really bad cramps like me are infertile…. because of the scarring… or somethng like that… im really worried now. can someone help?
You are right in that there are many conditions, eg endometriosis, that can cause very painful periods. If you are concerned you should talk yo your Dr and set up an appointment for a full pelvic exam and further testing.
However, some women do just get really bad period pain unfortunately. It’s just something we have to put up with. My periods are agonising and i experience the same symptoms you described above(yes- much more painful than the multitude of other injuries like a broken leg that i’ve had)- and strong codeine is the only thing that gives me a little relief.
I have had all the usual pelvic checks and scans- there is nothing to explain the painful periods- it’s just one of those things. Few Doctors will prescribe strong painkillers for period pain unfortuantely- which is silly because some women really do get so much pain they can’t move. I get prescriptions for strong co-codamol for another condition (i have interstitial cystitis which is a condition that causes a painful bladder) I take these pain meds for my period pain too.
My advice is to talk to your Dr and get checked out. If your Dr won’t help- find another one! You are probably fine, but at least a Dr might take you seriously if you explain how concerned you are and prescribe some proper pain meds. Good luck honey- hope you’re feeling better soon.
By the way- you sound quite young- there is a good chance you might grow out of the painful periods. Womens cycles often change every few years. I was the opposite, i never had any trouble with my periods when i was younger, but 2 years ago when i turned 24 they became horrible. Hopefully, you’ll be the other way around 
Endometriosis, how could I have had children?
Suppose I have Endometrioses. How could I have had healthy children without any trouble?
I just read that I would have developed this in ( my mothers) womb.
Also, is infertility always ’set in stone’ and how about a hysterectomy?
I’m relatively young…
I haven’t been diagnosed.
there are special fertility doctors who can treat endometriosis. They also have knowledge in endocrinology which helps conquer this condition.
I do not have any symptoms, but I have heard that endometrosis causes infertility and I want to get pregnant next year. Should I go to the doctor to see if I have it or should I just wait?
Endometriosis most certainly does have a genetic component and hereditary link; this has been confirmed countless times in global research studies over and over and over again for the past 40 years. A woman with a family history of Endometriosis has a 6-fold increased risk of having the disease herself.
However, if you do not have any symptoms you may not need diagnosis and treatment intervention at this point (do you truly not have symptoms? Or do you have nonspecific pain/etc. that you attribute to other things? See http://www.endocenter.org/pdf/2007ScreeningEducationKit.pdf for an exhaustive symptom checklist).
Endo is a leading cause of female infertility, ranging upwards of 40%-60% in patients with the disease. If you are under 35 and have been trying for a year, then see the doc to talk about your family history and possible Endo-related infertility. If you are over 35 and have been trying for 6 mons., see the doc. If the disease does not bother you at all or cause infertility, etc., then there is not necessarily a need to treat it per se.
Some additional helpful links:
Familial Risk Among Patients with Endometriosis
http://www.springerlink.com/index/T322LH58X3445X48.pdf
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1843962.stm
http://www.centerforendo.com
http://www.endometriosissurgeon.com
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/erc
I was diagnosed with endometriosis, and apparently had it almost my whole life. I’m 27 now and it’s gotten so severe with the pain it causes that my doctor wants to take out my whole system. I asked for some more time though so we can conceive. Then we found out my fiance has infertility issues too. So we were told that we need IVF and ICSI, but we can’t afford it. Since we’re not married, and won’t be any time soon, his insurance won’t help us and mine doesn’t cover this treatment. Does anyone know of any place that does it for a fair value with high success rates? My fiance is an only child and the last of his family line so we really want one child from him. If you know of any place or have had a good experience some where please let me know. Thanks.
If his insurance will cover it, I would consider getting married. Even if you could afford it - why would you do it when insurance would pay? You could take the savings and put it towards your future and that of your child. If you are planning/ saving for your dream wedding, then I would even consider just getting married at city hall so that you can get the insurance coverage and then have the wedding of your dreams later.
Even if someone knows of a clinic that does IVF and ICSI at less expensive prices, you would need to factor in travel and lodging as there are numerous appointments for bloodwork and ultrasounds. You can check success rates at:
http://www.sart.org/find_frm.html
If you cannot find insurance coverage here are some other suggestions:
1) Start with the RE - most doctors have a team that can help you with finding ways to pay for your treatment - they are amazing at figuring out your insurance benefits, coming up payment plans and may even be able to recommend medical studies / clinical trials that you may be able to participate in. Here is a link to some clinical trials:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=ivf&recr=Open
2) Grants -there are groups out there that fund raise for fertility treatments - you need to apply and cross your fingers.
http://www.nobabyonboard.com/options.html
3) Loans - banks and credit card companies (my friend used Capital One) offer fertility loans with fair interest rates and payment plans. Maybe see if you can borrow from a family member.
4) Serious budgeting - I also know couples who have taken part time / seasonal jobs to save up for treatments, sold things on ebay etc . . .
5) Move to one of the 15 states that do mandate coverage and find a job there . . . Massachusetts has wonderful coverage - my medications and procedures were all covered with just my co-pays. I had 6 unsuccessful IUI cycles - 3 with clomid and 3 with injectibles and finally a successful IVF cycle. I would have had coverage for up to 6 attempts at IVF. Easier to do if you are neighboring one of the states that require coverage
6) See if your employer has a a medical flexible spending account - you contribute your money pre-tax (which helps a little) and you can use it towards anything medical related including IVF
Good luck!
I seem to spot every once in a while after sex with my husband. We are each others only sexual partners. We waited until we were married 3 years ago to have sex so I know that it is not an STD. We have an awesome marriage and have been trying to have a baby for 15 months or so with no luck. The doctors checked me out about 9 months ago and said nothing was wrong that they can see!
Well, like I said I spot sometimes after having sex with my husband and I am just wondering if any others have experienced this. I am worried about endometriosis because of the spotting and infertility. Also I have IBS and don’t know if it is related to the spotting or its if its actually endometriosis causing ibs. On average I have regular period flows for about 4-5 days and only bad cramps the first day of my period. its better than when I was a teen which was heavy and painful periods for 7 days. I had the spotting since we have been married and the gyno never found anything strange, but if its endometriosis its hard to find right?
The only other possible thing I can think of is that its around my ovulation time and i am one of the rare women that spot during ovulation if I have sex around that time because its already sensitive in there.
Please give me advice if you know anything about this or have experienced it. I KNOW I NEED TO GO TO THE DOCTOR! I AM MAKING AN APPOINTMENT. Just happened to be online and thought i would ask for advice here on yahoo.
A lot of women spot during ovulation, so that is very likely. Also, your cervical height changes during your cycle. In the first half of the cycle your cervix is lower. Certain sexual positions can cause more banging against the cervix, and could be why you are spotting (although that is less likely).
Here is a link to a site which can help you learn more of your body’s signals that you are ovulating, which may help you plan your sexual activity more effectively.
http://www.ovulation-calculator.com/fertility-signs.htm
Also, 50% of fertility problems are with the man. Make sure that your husband gets checked out, and that he is taking a daily vitamin to make his sperm healthier.
Good luck!
I’m 24 and have been married for 7 months. My husband and I both know that we want children, but until recently had planned to wait a few years before having a baby. This week however, I found out that I have endometriosis. This disease can cause infertility problems in it’s advanced stages. My condition was labeled as stage 1 and all endometrial tissue was removed during surgery. However, there is no cure for the disease, and the tissue will grow back over time. My husband and I now have to make a decision: have a baby now while we know that we can, or take the chance and wait, hoping that the tissue doesn’t grow back quickly, or on vital pregnancy organs. We’re having trouble deciding what to do because we feel that we are not as finacially stable as we would like to be. Also, we were hoping to buy a house before having a baby, and if we got pregnant now, all the money we’ve been saving would go towards the baby instead of the house. I keep going back and forth…any advice?
Wow. This is a very difficult decision. I don’t know that I can actually answer this for you but I’ll share my story.
My husband and I waited until we had a home and were financially secure. We’re now in our early 30’s, 5 years into marriage and TTC for 8 months and no pregnancy. I wasn’t aware that I had any issues but I now know that I have low progesterone. If I knew then what I know now……we would have started earlier.
I have a friend that has PCOS and they are wanting to start their family while they are renting and worry about a home down the road.
You will really have to look at the worst possibilities on both sides of the coin. If you wait…you may never have a baby. You may be able to adopt though. Will that be enough for you?
If you did get pregnant right away, could you afford it? Is renting really that bad? Do you rent in a nice area, good school district, etc.?
Will you be putting money into actively TTC (IVF treatments, meds, etc.) and after what amount of time?
It’s such a hard decision. I wish I had a better answer for you.
All I can say is good luck and many blessings to you!
My mother had it and it caused infertility for 8 years.
My aunt had it and it developed into cancer (she’s in remission now).
I have always had severe cramps ever since the age of about 13. When I say ’severe’, I mean cramps strong enough to wake me from a sound sleep. I mistook them for appendicitis once when my period came early.
Other than that I don’t think I have any other symptoms, but I want to have children someday. I am almost 24.
It seems every doctor I see does not want to treat the root of the problem. I had a doctor get irate with me and a gynecologist get miffed because I refuse to go on the pill…. because I don’t think it gets to the root of the problem.
I am going to my gyno to demand a scope and a dye to see if its really endo and if it is to get rid of it.
It seems to me that the health care system doesn’t want to identify endometriosis until it develops into infertility problems or cancer. I am frustrated with the docs in my area, but I think I’m doing the right thing.
Does anybody who has endo think this is the right course of action? Anybody have any experience they don’t mind sharing?
Thanks in advance-
the drs have to follow care pathways and dont want to go straight to invasive interventions
options to show endo may include:
transvaginal ultrasound
abdominal ultrasound (both at same time)
hope this helps
Have you heard of Bee Propolis?
"One isolated study had tested the benefit of propolis on women with infertility and endometriosis. The study indicated that consumption of 500mg of propolis twice daily resulted in pregnancy rate of 60% as opposed to 20% for women not given propolis.
How propolis would give this effect is still unclear."
It’s got to be worth a go… It’s completely natural - homeopathic. Google it.
That’s crazy but anything is worth a try when you have been TTC for a while.
I just found out that I may have endometriosis and don’t know too much about it. I know it causes infertility, but I already have two kids so I’m not too worried abou that. Does anyone have this or know someone who has it that could give me some info. on it?
All the endometriosis organization websites are helpful. I was diagnosed 3 years ago at 20, but I was having symptoms when I was about 16-17. My symptoms are bad pelvic cramping pains all throughout the month, bowel issues, and pain during exercise/sex.
Laparoscopic surgery is the only sure way to find out if you have it, and if you do, they can laser it out so the pain stops for a bit.
Do tampons cause endometriosis and infertility. Thanks for your help!!
No one knows - because tampon companies are under no legal obligation to disclose the ingredients in their products, tampon companies are self-regulated, and tampons are not independently safety tested - thus there is no way to know for sure if there is a link there or not. Got to love everyone saying ‘No’ with such certainty when they don’t know, also as a note just because not all women who use tampons have endometriosis does not mean there is no link.
Tampons WERE linked with endometriosis and infertility, along with other health problems, due to their containing dioxin as a result of chlorine gas bleaching - this was banned in 1997 after a lot of pressure put on the government to ban the use of this method on paper products by women as a result of WEN’s action. There is still a serious concern, as tampon companies knowingly used this manufacturing method despite it’s uge health risks there is nothing to say that the chemicals they are using currently are any safer. There is also a concern in terms of tampons negative effect on vaginal health possibly effecting vaginal health long-term.
These sites discuss it a little, otherwise I’ve no sites bookmarked on it, unfortunatly Ruth’s Endometriosis page no longer exists, it discussed the links between endometriosis and tampons at length.
http://spotsite.org/archives.html
http://www.center4research.org/wmnshlth/2005/tamponsafety.html
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