hi, I have recently found out I could be suffering from endometriosis- i saw my gynae and had a scan and it revealed my right ovary has moved behind my uterus- i'venever screamed so much when he touched it! now he says i could have endo- i'm only 17 but pretty scared of the effects on fertility- the pain in really bad but i can deal with that as long as i have the chance of having children- sorry to be so deep but i'm really worriesd about this- i have my laproscopy in November, and i'm so scared. is there any other women out there with this condition ?? if so could you give me some info on what happens in the op and also the chances of infertility, my gynae din't want ot discuss it! thank you i appriciate any answers.x.
I'm sorry you are feeling so scared right now. I know this can be a scary experience. I personally have not been through this but a very close friend of mine was diagnosed when we were 17 (we're both 23 now). I know the gyno told her she would most likely still be able to have kids. The gyno put my friend on the pill and she just takes it year-round — she skips her period every month so she hasn't had a period since she was 17. When she is ready to start a family, she will go off the pill and it should be fine. When she is done having kids, they recommended a hysterectomy for her.
Please find another gyno. Your doctor should be willing to discuss any and everything with you. They should be able to tell you all of your options and possible risks. You will feel better having a doctor who is completely honest with you and able to inform you better. Do some research online on your own, and please reach out to someone in your life for comfort! I know you are scared and that's okay… just please get yourself some support so you can start to feel better.
find another obgyn
References :
comment by Tom B — June 21, 2009 @ 5:55 am
You need a new gynaecologist.
Your doctor should discuss everything with you, and clear up any questions you have. It is difficult to get pregnant with endo, but not impossible and the good news is, if you do get pregnant, it often reverses the condition. A laproscopy is a pretty minor procedure; they make a very small incision and there isn't much scarring or pain. It's more uncomfortable than anything else.
I've never heard that the ovary moving behind the uterus can cause endometriosis. That may be a separate issue.
I hope you do not have endometriosis.
References :
my wife who has been dealing with fertitlity problems for the past 10 years.
comment by P. M — June 21, 2009 @ 6:13 am
What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis (say “en-doh-mee-tree-OH-sus”) is a problem many women have during their childbearing years. It means that a type of tissue that lines your uterus is also growing outside your uterus. This does not always cause symptoms, and it usually is not dangerous. But it can cause pain and other problems.
The clumps of tissue that grow outside your uterus are called implants. They usually grow on the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, the outer wall of the uterus, the intestines, or other organs in the belly. In rare cases, they spread to areas beyond the belly.
How does endometriosis cause problems?
Your uterus is lined with a type of tissue called endometrium (say “en-doh-MEE-tree-um”). It is like a soft nest where a fertilized egg can grow. Each month, your body releases hormones that cause the endometrium to thicken and get ready for an egg. If you get pregnant, the fertilized egg attaches to the endometrium and starts to grow. If you do not get pregnant, the endometrium breaks down, and your body sheds it as blood. This is your menstrual period.
When you have endometriosis, the implants of tissue outside your uterus act just like the tissue lining your uterus. During your menstrual cycle, they get thicker, then break down and bleed. But the implants are outside your uterus, so the blood cannot flow out of your body. The implants can get irritated and painful. Sometimes they form scar tissue or fluid-filled sacs (cysts). Scar tissue may make it hard to get pregnant.
What causes endometriosis?
Experts do not know what causes endometrial tissue to grow outside your uterus. But they do know that the female hormone estrogen makes the problem worse. Women have high levels of estrogen during their childbearing years. It is during these years—usually from their teens into their 40s—that women have endometriosis. Estrogen levels drop when menstrual periods stop (menopause). Symptoms usually go away then.
What are the symptoms?
The most common symptoms are:
Pain. Where it hurts depends on where the implants are growing. You may have pain in your lower belly, your rectum or vagina, or your lower back. You may have pain only before and during your periods or all the time. Some women have more pain during sex, when they have a bowel movement, or when their ovaries release an egg (ovulation).
Abnormal bleeding. Some women have heavy periods, spotting or bleeding between periods, bleeding after sex, or blood in their urine or stool.
Trouble getting pregnant (infertility). This is the only symptom some women have.
Endometriosis varies from woman to woman. Some women do not know that they have it until they see a doctor because they cannot get pregnant. Some have mild cramping that they think is normal for them. In other women, the pain and bleeding are so bad that they are not able to work or go to school.
How is endometriosis diagnosed?
Many different problems can cause painful or heavy periods. To find out if you have endometriosis, your doctor will:
Ask questions about your symptoms, your periods, your past health, and your family history. Endometriosis sometimes runs in families.
Do a pelvic exam. This may include checking both your vagina and rectum.
If it seems like you have endometriosis, your doctor may suggest that you try medicine for a few months. If you get better using medicine, you probably have endometriosis.
To find out if you have a cyst on an ovary, you might have an imaging test like an ultrasound, an MRI, or a CT scan. These tests show pictures of what is inside your belly.
The only way to be sure you have endometriosis is to have a type of surgery called laparoscopy (say “lap-uh-ROS-cuh-pee”). During this surgery, the doctor puts a thin, lighted tube through a small cut in your belly. This lets the doctor see what is inside your belly. If the doctor finds implants, scar tissue, or cysts, he or she can remove them during the same surgery.
How is it treated?
There is no cure for endometriosis, but there are good treatments. You may need to try several treatments to find what works best for you. With any treatment, there is a chance that your symptoms could come back.
Treatment choices depend on whether you want to control pain or you want to get pregnant. For pain and bleeding, you can try medicines or surgery. If you want to get pregnant, you may need surgery to remove the implants.
Treatments for endometriosis include:
Over-the-counter pain medicines like ibuprofen (such as Advil or Motrin) or naproxen (such as Aleve). These medicines are called anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. They can reduce bleeding and pain.
Birth control pills. They are the best treatment to control pain and shrink implants. Most women can use them safely for years. But you cannot use them if you want to get pregnant.
Hormone therapy. This stops your periods and shrinks implants. But it can cause side effects, and pain may come back after treatment ends. Like birth control pills, hormone therapy will keep you from getting pregnant.
Laparoscopy to remove implants and scar tissue. This may reduce pain, and it may also help you get pregnant.
As a last resort for severe pain, some women have their uterus and ovaries removed (hysterectomy and oophorectomy). If you have your ovaries taken out, your estrogen level will drop and your symptoms will probably go away. But you may have symptoms of menopause, and you will not be able to get pregnant.
If you are getting close to menopause, you may want to try to manage your symptoms with medicines rather than surgery. Endometriosis usually stops causing problems when you stop having periods.
What else should I think about?
If you are thinking about using medicines for pain, keep the following in mind:
NSAIDs are not a good choice if there is a chance that you are or could soon become pregnant. They may increase the chance that you will have a miscarriage. Check with your doctor before using any over-the-counter medicine for more than a few days at a time.
Hormone therapy can cause a range of side effects. Some are unpleasant, like those caused by menopause. Others are serious, like bone thinning (osteoporosis). To limit these problems, hormone therapy is only used for a few months at a time. Be sure to find out the side effects of any therapy you are thinking about.
References :
Yahoo health
comment by Nicole — June 21, 2009 @ 6:59 am
Don't be to scared.I was 4 when I had my first surgery where they removed my right ovary.I had surgery again when I was 15 and they removed a cyst off my left ovary.I have had alot of surgerys for the same thing.It would cause alot of pain. I have had 3 kids in between all the surgerys. I didn't find out I had endometriosis until I was 26.But at that time I had alot of pulips on my uturis.Plus I had 3 kids so she did a complete hysterectomy.I know it sucks but I am happy you found out now.You can still have kids.I don't think I would wait till I was 30 to have kids.Anyway Good Luck!
References :
comment by Angela AKA Stormy — June 21, 2009 @ 7:11 am
I'm sorry you are feeling so scared right now. I know this can be a scary experience. I personally have not been through this but a very close friend of mine was diagnosed when we were 17 (we're both 23 now). I know the gyno told her she would most likely still be able to have kids. The gyno put my friend on the pill and she just takes it year-round — she skips her period every month so she hasn't had a period since she was 17. When she is ready to start a family, she will go off the pill and it should be fine. When she is done having kids, they recommended a hysterectomy for her.
Please find another gyno. Your doctor should be willing to discuss any and everything with you. They should be able to tell you all of your options and possible risks. You will feel better having a doctor who is completely honest with you and able to inform you better. Do some research online on your own, and please reach out to someone in your life for comfort! I know you are scared and that's okay… just please get yourself some support so you can start to feel better.
References :
comment by twistedangel — June 21, 2009 @ 7:51 am
Hi MariaP, Endo can be pretty scary. I've had it since I was about 12. I was diagnosed with endo about 5 years ago, and officially diagnosed through surgery about 1 year ago. I had a laparoscopy. First of all, you should find a different doctor.
There is no reason that the doctor shouldn't discuss everything with you. I would find an endo specialist in your area asap and have them do the surgery. Many times doctors who don't specialize in endo aren't the best at getting all the endo when they are in surgery. I'd recommend visiting the Endometriosis Association online (www.endo-online.org), check out http://www.endosupport.com for information, and webMD for information on how to deal with laparoscopy and what to expect.
I had out-patient surgery, it went fine. I was in surgery for about 2 hours total, in recovery for about another 2-3 hours, and then home in bed to rest for a couple days. I took off 4 days total just to be sure. I was in a lot of pain after surgery, it's kinda like endo pain or like I did a zillion crunchs. They make two very small incisions, one near the belly button, the other near the crease in your leg to your belly. They give you some great pain killers, use them for the first day. And recovery isn't too bad.
Hopefully it'll go as smoothly for you as it did for me. I had some endo pain up to a month later, but since then it has subsided and I'm only dealing with occassional endo pain. Good luck!
References :
http://www.endo-online.org
http://www.endosupport.com
http://www.webmd.com/hw/endometriosis/hw101171.asp (info on laparoscopy for endo)
comment by Amy C — June 21, 2009 @ 8:24 am
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comment by Endo — June 21, 2009 @ 8:59 am