Living with Endometriosis - My Personal Story

Living with Endometriosis is not easy. I have been struggling with this female medical condition all of my life. Endometriosis is defined as tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus but becomes implanted outside your uterus. This can be extremely painful for women, especially during their menstrual cycle.

One of the misconceptions about having Endometriosis is that you will only experience this condition during your child bearing years. This is not true and I was truly upset when I saw this on the internet. I should know because I have been struggling with this medical condition since I was a teenager. As far back as I could remember (probably at the age of 13) I have been struggling with extremely painful menstrual cycles and extreme heavy bleeding accompanied with heavy cramping. Being 13 years old, already in the most awkward stage of your life, having Endometriosis didn't make my life any easier. I didn't know what I was experiencing. I just assumed that all girls my age who had their menstrual cycles were having the same experience. Not true.

As I grew into my young adult years, I started realizing that what I was experiencing every month was not normal. It was not normal to have your menstrual cycle for 8 - 10 days. It was not normal to have extreme cramping. It was not normal to have 35-40 day cycles. The first thing I did when I came to this realization was visit a Gynecologist. I was young and embarrassed but I knew I had to go. I chose to see a woman thinking I would feel more comfortable with her. Ironically, ever since that first visit, I have since switched to all male Gynecologists and Obgyn's. I actually feel more comfortable with the male doctors, go figure.

The first thing my new doctor did was give me a pelvic exam. OUCH! Did I scream! As soon as he pushed down on my ovaries, I thought I was going to kick him right where the sun don't shine. He sent me for some sonograms and it turned out I had Endometriosis. I can't even begin to describe the relief when I learned that what I had been feeling for so many years actually had a name and could be treated.

My doctor scheduled a laparoscopy the next week. This is a procedure that can be done as an outpatient - one day deal. I didn't have to worry about a hospital stay and losing time from work. The laparoscopy would clean out my endometriosis, polyps, cysts, etc... that were causing my menstrual cycles to cause me so much pain. All the doctor had to do was make a small incision in my belly button and another small incision in my hairline by my pelvic area. He took an instrument that looked like a tiny telescope and though fiber optics, was able to look into my abdomen and clean out what was causing the Endometriosis.

The downside to this procedure is that they have to fill your stomach up with gas and that makes the recovery extremely painful. It was hard for me to stand up straight for two weeks. The doctor had originally told me I would be back to work by the next Monday, not the case. It took one full week until I was able to stand up straight and one more full week until the feeling of bloating gas was gone. It was extremely uncomfortable to say the least.

After you have this procedure done, your doctor then puts you on birth control of you aren't planning to get pregnant in the next few years. Women who are having trouble getting pregnant and suffer from Endometriosis can have this procedure done in order to increase their chances of conceiving. I was only 21 when I had this procedure done and was nowhere near trying to conceive. I ended up going on birth control. I was on Estrostep FE. I stayed on that for 9 years until I got married. Once I was married, I decided to go off the birth control, in hopes of conceiving. Well, that's another story.

We ended up having to go through the Invitro Fertilization Process because of my history with Endometriosis. Another misconception that I have heard about conceiving with Endometriosis is that you will have difficulty. Truth be told, once you have a Laparoscopy and get "cleaned out", you shouldn't have difficulty conceiving. If you do, like I did, than there are other options out there. My advice would be not give up, we have a beautiful son who just turned two thanks to the wonderful fertility options out there.

Now getting back to the Endometriosis. The following is a list of signs and symptoms that you might be experiencing if you are diagnosed with Endometriosis.

1. Heavy bleeding throughout menstrual cycle.

2. Heavy cramping throughout menstrual cycle.

3. 8-10 days of menstrual cycle.

4. 35 days or even longer between menstrual cycles.

5. Painful intercourse.

6. Painful Gyn exams.

7. Trouble conceiving.

8. Heavy clotting during menstrual cycle.

9. Cysts and Polyps forming in Uterus and Ovaries.

10. Bloated feeling.

I would highly recommend visiting your Gynecologist as soon as possible if you are or have ever experienced these symptoms. There are medications out there that can help you. You don't have to live with Endometriosis without some relief. I wish I would have taken care of mine earlier. I am happy that I did take care of it and now I am experiencing much lighter menstrual cycles, less cramping and bloating, and 28 day cycles.