My husband's sister had this, some years ago. It used to cause her tremendous pain around the time of her menses, plus caused in-between spotting and outright bleeding. She had two daughters (and sometimes pregnancy and childbirth makes it get better, sometimes it makes it get worse), but finally found a good surgeon who went in and did laser surgery to excise all the extra endometrial tissue that had grown outside the womb (which I understand is the cause of the problem).
I think they did at one time treat this with birth-control pills, but I think that is not the 'treatment of choice' now, due to the greatly increased chance of cancer (breast and other) from the estrogen in the pills. Plus, I believe you're not supposed to stay on the pills a long time.
If you're into holistic medicine, and they have that there (I am totally ignorant of what might be available in GB along those lines), you might try finding a good holistic doctor who will try to treat your condition naturally with herbal medicines, exercise, diet, etc. Failing that, before you go the hormone (pill) route, do look for a doctor who understands the dangers of estrogen-dominance, and who would carefully and judiciously apply hormone therapy to the problem. If you end up going the surgical route, that may prove for you (as it did for my SIL) a permanent cure, and it doesn't require a complete hysterectomy--my SIL did eventually get a hysterectomy, but only AFTER her endometriosis surgery, and only then because she had a 'dropped' uterus that had become very painful.
Thanks for the info - very useful stuff! I hoping it's not severe enough to require surgery, of course, but if I end up needing it, I'm glad it's effective.
I agree with you about treating it with chemical birth control. I was actually on BC for years - first the pill, starting when I was 17, then I switched to the patch for a couple of years, then the Depo injection. I've been off birth control for about 2 years now, and I wonder if maybe the symptoms are showing up because of that.
And actually BC never gave me any problems at all until I went on the Depo. That stuff was horrible - not physically, but it made me a mental and emotional basket-case. For the first three weeks after each injection, I would cry uncontrollably at the drop of a hat, get ridiculously angry or ridiculously giddy, and sometimes I felt what I can only describe as depressed - unable to get to sleep, then unable to wake up and get out of bed, unwilling to leave the house, then unwilling to go back once I had left, etc. So I'd really like to avoid treating with chemical birth control if I can!
You can get holistic healthcare here, and if diet, exercise, and vitamins can help treat the symptoms, I will definitely go that route - but just as a way to make lifestyle improvements, you know? Hopefully that and OTC pain relief will be enough.
My husband's sister had this, some years ago. It used to cause her tremendous pain around the time of her menses, plus caused in-between spotting and outright bleeding. She had two daughters (and sometimes pregnancy and childbirth makes it get better, sometimes it makes it get worse), but finally found a good surgeon who went in and did laser surgery to excise all the extra endometrial tissue that had grown outside the womb (which I understand is the cause of the problem).
I think they did at one time treat this with birth-control pills, but I think that is not the 'treatment of choice' now, due to the greatly increased chance of cancer (breast and other) from the estrogen in the pills. Plus, I believe you're not supposed to stay on the pills a long time.
If you're into holistic medicine, and they have that there (I am totally ignorant of what might be available in GB along those lines), you might try finding a good holistic doctor who will try to treat your condition naturally with herbal medicines, exercise, diet, etc. Failing that, before you go the hormone (pill) route, do look for a doctor who understands the dangers of estrogen-dominance, and who would carefully and judiciously apply hormone therapy to the problem. If you end up going the surgical route, that may prove for you (as it did for my SIL) a permanent cure, and it doesn't require a complete hysterectomy--my SIL did eventually get a hysterectomy, but only AFTER her endometriosis surgery, and only then because she had a 'dropped' uterus that had become very painful.
Here are 2 links I found that may be helpful:
http://www.endometriosis.org/treatment.html
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/Endometriosis/hic_Surgical_Treatment_for_Endometriosis.aspx
{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}} and will be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.
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I agree with you about treating it with chemical birth control. I was actually on BC for years - first the pill, starting when I was 17, then I switched to the patch for a couple of years, then the Depo injection. I've been off birth control for about 2 years now, and I wonder if maybe the symptoms are showing up because of that.
And actually BC never gave me any problems at all until I went on the Depo. That stuff was horrible - not physically, but it made me a mental and emotional basket-case. For the first three weeks after each injection, I would cry uncontrollably at the drop of a hat, get ridiculously angry or ridiculously giddy, and sometimes I felt what I can only describe as depressed - unable to get to sleep, then unable to wake up and get out of bed, unwilling to leave the house, then unwilling to go back once I had left, etc. So I'd really like to avoid treating with chemical birth control if I can!
You can get holistic healthcare here, and if diet, exercise, and vitamins can help treat the symptoms, I will definitely go that route - but just as a way to make lifestyle improvements, you know? Hopefully that and OTC pain relief will be enough.
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