Do I have endometriosis?

[Mrsfarge]

I have been prescribed cerazette (which I started yesterday) and referred for a laporoscopy. My symptoms are varied, but mainly I suffer from fatigue (I can't even lift my arms above my head sometimes), nausea, indigestion, aching in pelvis and lower back, sharp pains around ovaries... I have been getting bloating from eating, and am never feel hungry...and I quite often struggle to sleep...I just feel quite low most of the time...

[Hidden]

IBS springs to mind, Sorry don't want to sound negative but I have IBS, Endo and chronic Ovary pain each month lasting a fortnight. The lap will tell you one way or another if there is endo or not and then you will know what you are dealing with as both IBS and Endo do have similar symptoms and it is known that people with Endo do tend to have IBS as well. Good luck and I hope you find the answers you are looking for.

[ca176]

It does sound like you may have endo - there is supposed to be a link with IBS type symptoms and endo. I have been diagnosed with both and had been telling my GP for years that my IBS was worse from ovulation to my period. Wasn't until I saw an endo specialist that they pointed out the link. Just from reading your post though there is one thing you should maybe check with your doctor - I was prescribed cerazette too but advised not to take it until after the lap. This is because according to my doctor taking hormones can dampen down the endo and lead to a misdiagnosis from the lap. Please don't panic because taking it before the lap won't do you any harm and I definitely wouldn't stop taking it unless you've spoken to your doctor about it first so please don't think I'm suggesting that. It's also possible my doctor was just being over cautious (or was wrong) but it might be worth asking about.

[emmajane127]

Hi Mrsfarge,

Have you taken a look at the endometriosis UK website? It has lots of useful factual information, and a great variety of publications and fact sheets, to read through and download.

Using this forum is also a great way to learn more and to share your experiences and feelings with other women in the same position as you.

Here's a link to the Endometriosis UK Websites publication page, hope you find it really useful and factual, there's even a symptoms diary you can print off and fill in ready for your next appointment.

endometriosis-uk.org/public...

All the very best

Emma

[Impatient]

Diagnosing endo is only possibe through surgery - because while on the face of it your symptoms certainly can all be attributed to endo they are not as I am sure you are aware, exclusively found with endo. So it really is not possible for any of us to guess any better than you at this stage as to whether or not endo will be found.

I would say that one thing to watch out for is if you are taking birth control pills back to back, up to when you have surgery, it can make it harder for endo to be found if it is not active and your surgery is being carried out by anyone who is not an expert in endo - in otherwords a general fertility gynaecologist rather than an endo specialist gynae.

So we ladies tend to advise that it is better to be on a period or just after a period when you have surgery. so if you get plenty of notice of your operation date, it may be worth stopping back to back pills and have a proper period (painful as it will be) just so that there is recent activity making any lesions of endo more visible to the surgeon and hopefully they will be able to remove as much as possible of it, when they can see it.

Even if no endo is visible- doesn't mean you are making things up - there are other hidden diseases which also give the same types of symptoms. It is about rulling out various possible causes and looking for clues.

Hope you don't have too long to wait for the op to find out.

[Mrsfarge]

Thankyou everyone...I was concerned about the cerazette doing that, so maybe I should postpone for now.

[missemmabenson]

Although I do agree with Impatient on the above... I considered stopping my pill before my lap but decided not to. Had my lap and they still found endo. Don't put yourself through the extra pain if it'll make day to day harder for you.

If you can manage to get your lap on your pill free week then even better! I found that's when I had most of my pain and luckily when I had my lap.

Hope you get some answers soon x