Possible endo and Cerazette?

[ktp1990]

Hi everyone,

After suffering from endo like symptoms for about 10 years and worsening symptoms for the past 6 months I finally had my appointment for the gynaecologist this morning and have been left incredibly confused.

I have been given 3 months of Cerazette and my gynaecologist has said that if this works and stops my symptoms that I have endometriosis. However if it doesn't then I will likely need to have a laparoscopy to investigate what is going on.

I am now 24 so she doesn't want to do the lap yet as I am not ready for children but did say once I make that decision I will need to come back and discuss my options.

I know no one is a doctor but I just trying to see if I am understanding this correctly. She is basically treating me for the condition so can I say that is what I have (been having problems with time off work so I almost want to tell them something so that they understand why I am feeling so unwell all the time).

Also obviously I am happy that I am starting to get some treatment but I am just processing this information and almost in shock.

Anyone got any tips as to how best to handle this? Any changes in diet or supplements that can work alongside the new treatment to lessen symptoms? How have other people got on with Cerazette?

Thank you all for your help

[Impatient]

What this gynae is proposing is that you stop your periods by taking cerazette back to back say for 3 months at a time to reduce the number of periods from 13 a year down to 3 or 4, and if the majority of your problems are indeed cyclical or happening only when you have a period, then it is much more likely that the cause will either be endometriosis or adenomyosis.

The long term management for both conditions is to stop your periods.

One way is back to back BC pills, there are plenty of other longer term options available too which do not require you to remember to take pills every day religiously.

Implanon or Nexplanon are arm implants that have a 3 year possibility of stopping periods

Skyla IUD coil in the uterus lasts 3 years also.

Mirena IUD coil (the same as Skyla but bigger) lasts 5 years and is the most popular choice for long term period management.

There are also injections - Depo-Provera injection every 3 months for 2 years max use

and GnRH drugs like Lupron/Prostap, Zoladex, Decapeptyl etc which are for 6 months maximum use.

These latter drugs reduce the density of your bones among many many side effects which is why their use is time restricted in their use.

As a 1st step to diagnosis Cerazette or any of the other BC pills can be used to delay having a period to give you a break from symptoms for longer, but be warned than when you do have a period after a long break it can be rather severe, but you can go right back on the pills afterwards to have another break.

A different drug is norethisterone, this isone you take 3 times a day as long as you need to delay having a period, then if your forget or deliberatly don't take the pills it triggers a period to begin a coupleof days later and this method can be used to time having a period to be convenient to you, e.g. ifyou want to avoid a period for holidays or exams or training courses etc. The down side is you must remember to take the pills same times every single day to avoid accidentally triggering a period before you are ready for one.

Ultimately there is no better way to treat endo than to be diagnosed with it and have surgery to remove existing endo at the same time. Waiting lists are lengthy and the NHS has a protocol of tests to be done before you get to have surgery in cases of suspected endo.

The 1st step is to narrow down the chances of this being endo rather than any of the numerous other medical conditions that affect ladies gynaecological region.

Scans and blood tests too can help to target the diagnosis but so too can stopping periods and then assessing if the majority of symptoms are connected with your cycle.

Stopping periods also helps reduce the likelyhood of new endo spreading through period blood leaking backwards along the fallopian tubes and out in to the tummy cavity carrying womb lining cells with it which then nest in new locations instead of being flushed down the loo, and these are endometriosis when they inhabit a new location outside the womb but carry on behaving as though they are still in the womb and still have little periods of internal bleeding each month.

See how you get on for 3-6months on the pill, and if that does indeed solve the monthly pain problems that you by now are pretty sure are period related, then you need to go back to the GP and ask for a referral to one of the accredited endo centres

bsge.org.uk/ec-BSGE-accredi... check for your most convenient one, check it is NHS (a couple are private) and write down the details and take that to your GP when you ask to be referred for a diagostic laparosopy.

Being on the pill or stopping your periods in othr ways may be all you need to do to improve your quality of life enormously and you may not feel any need for surgery while the periods are under control, that is up to you, but if you do want to pursue a diagnostic surgery then try and go through an endo centre if you can.

[ktp1990 in reply to Impatient]

Thank you so much for your reply. I feel like I understand a bit more. To be honest this morning was a very quick appointment which was a bit disappointing after attempting to get a referral for so long. Will have a go and hopefully get some respite