AmberGretchen
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2005
- Messages
- 7,770
Hi - I know this thread has been going for a while but I wanted to add one more perspective in case its helpful. For those of you with really bad cramps and other related symptoms, you should consider the possibility that you may have endometriosis. I had really painful periods when I was younger, and they got worse (around age 16 I was hospitalized a couple of times because it got so bad they thought I had appendicitis), but fortunately I found a great OB/GYN who recognized that it could be endometriosis. There''s no way to confirm that diagnosis except with surgery, which I eventually had 2 years later and it did confirm the diagnosis.
In the meantime I had been on Ortho-cyclen taking it normally, but after a few months I started getting horrible cramping on the "off" days (i.e. when I had my "period"). So, ever since then (approximately age 17), I''ve been taking monophasic (the pills with all the same dose of hormones) constantly. I am now 24.5 years old, and so that means I haven''t had a period in 7.5 years, and I''ve had no adverse effects whatsoever, plus my endometriosis is under control pain-wise, and this also gives me the best shot at preserving my fertility until I decide I''m ready to have kids by impeding the dysfunctional hormonal processes that give rise to endometriosis. I do have very occasional spotting and have switched pills several times for insurance reasons or to try to minimize weight gain, but for me the trade-off is more than worth it (plus its pretty cool never having to worry about having my period).
Endometriosis, for those of you who don''t know, is growth of endometrial tissue (what grows in your uterus naturally during your menstrual cycle and is then shed during a normal period) in other areas of your body. Because this tissue is hormonally sensitive, it can cause a great deal of pain, as well as potentially impairing fertility. While the number and size of growths is not related to the amount of pain or even necessarily to fertility, some growths can become quite large and potentially dangerous - my mother had one the size of a small cantaloup removed from her abdomen in her early fifties. The reason endometriosis was previously undiagnosed in young women is because the growths generally get larger over time, and as I mentioned, surgery is necessary to confirm the diagnosis especially for smaller growths that can''t be easily visualized using non-invasive means (i.e. sonograms). But recent research has shown that women who have symptoms and growths later in life more often than not had symptoms earlier in life, such as painful periods.
I would highly recommend that anyone who thinks they may have endometriosis (its very common) talk to your OB/GYN about it and discuss treatment options, because there is some evidence that treating early and constantly can help retard growth of endometriosis, which is beneficial for all kinds of reasons. Risk factors are mostly unknown, but some things that increase your probability are a family history of the disease, and being a "Type A" (i.e. high stress) woman.
Anyway, sorry that is so long but I noticed that no one had mentioned it yet in this thread but several people had symptoms that could be consistent with the diseases, and so I thought I would put the information out there. Nytempist - I think you have gotten really good advice re: trying different methods and working with your doctor to find one that works best for you. Good luck!
In the meantime I had been on Ortho-cyclen taking it normally, but after a few months I started getting horrible cramping on the "off" days (i.e. when I had my "period"). So, ever since then (approximately age 17), I''ve been taking monophasic (the pills with all the same dose of hormones) constantly. I am now 24.5 years old, and so that means I haven''t had a period in 7.5 years, and I''ve had no adverse effects whatsoever, plus my endometriosis is under control pain-wise, and this also gives me the best shot at preserving my fertility until I decide I''m ready to have kids by impeding the dysfunctional hormonal processes that give rise to endometriosis. I do have very occasional spotting and have switched pills several times for insurance reasons or to try to minimize weight gain, but for me the trade-off is more than worth it (plus its pretty cool never having to worry about having my period).
Endometriosis, for those of you who don''t know, is growth of endometrial tissue (what grows in your uterus naturally during your menstrual cycle and is then shed during a normal period) in other areas of your body. Because this tissue is hormonally sensitive, it can cause a great deal of pain, as well as potentially impairing fertility. While the number and size of growths is not related to the amount of pain or even necessarily to fertility, some growths can become quite large and potentially dangerous - my mother had one the size of a small cantaloup removed from her abdomen in her early fifties. The reason endometriosis was previously undiagnosed in young women is because the growths generally get larger over time, and as I mentioned, surgery is necessary to confirm the diagnosis especially for smaller growths that can''t be easily visualized using non-invasive means (i.e. sonograms). But recent research has shown that women who have symptoms and growths later in life more often than not had symptoms earlier in life, such as painful periods.
I would highly recommend that anyone who thinks they may have endometriosis (its very common) talk to your OB/GYN about it and discuss treatment options, because there is some evidence that treating early and constantly can help retard growth of endometriosis, which is beneficial for all kinds of reasons. Risk factors are mostly unknown, but some things that increase your probability are a family history of the disease, and being a "Type A" (i.e. high stress) woman.
Anyway, sorry that is so long but I noticed that no one had mentioned it yet in this thread but several people had symptoms that could be consistent with the diseases, and so I thought I would put the information out there. Nytempist - I think you have gotten really good advice re: trying different methods and working with your doctor to find one that works best for you. Good luck!
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