Could do with clearing a few things up

[Katendo]

Hi everyone, I have a few endo-related questions. Just for some context, I am 21 y/o with suspected endo (I was scheduled for a lap but I cancelled partly because I learned the hospital lasered the endo and I wanted to have it excised and partly because the pill that I was taking continuously was doing a fine job of treating my symptoms.)

My questions are:

Is it advisable for me to continue treating my (suspected) endo in this way? I do occasionally need to take a break when I start to cramp and get breakthrough bleeding, and these are painful as before.

I have plans to move abroad to teach in the near future, and I would prefer not to delay this process in order to get surgery, but equally I fear that the pill will stop being as effective and I will become ill with the excruciating pain of the past when I am abroad.

My other worry is about fertility: does the pill actually prevent the growth of endo or does it just prevent the pain by stopping periods? If me postphoning surgery until later in life is putting my fertility at risk, I would rather know now!

Appreciate any answers you ladies can give me.

[Tboag]

Hi, my understanding is that a pill can 1) shrink the said endo, 2) prevent it from growing further 3) help with your symptoms,

But it does not cure or help with future endo, when you come of the pill it can go back to or increase very quickly, really you are covering up the problem, which if that works for you, that's great, but my advice would be go see a specialist have a lap, to confirm and inform location,

I hope you make the right choices for you, xxx

[Hidden]

Hormones (including the pill) just slow (or sometimes stop) the growth of endo but there is no cure for the condition. I would suggest having a lap with another hospital who will excise rather than laser the top but such treatments (for me at least) usually provided a two or three year hiatus from pain. You don't say where abroad you're going as if in the EU, you should be able to get treatment abroad and it may be even better than the UK – depending on the country obviously. If you haven’t already, get yourself an EU health card, it costs nothing I think or maybe £10, and it covers you abroad as a British citizen. It’s used for holidays but I can’t see why it won’t be useable if you live there again if it’s in the EU. When I lived in the USA, I had to pay for all my treatment until I secured work with the government and then they paid.

[Katendo]

Thanks so much for your replies. I think it is probably best to get the lap, I would have to register at a new GP (the nearest specialist hospital is my home city and not where I currently live,) and then wait for a referral. I plan to go abroad (I am thinking Spain at the moment but this could change) around January and I'm not sure I could do this in time if I were to have surgery. I suppose your health is more important!