I'm having my first lap this weekend (diagnostic and possible removal of endo) and my period is due the week after. I am not on any kind of hormone treatment (although doc wants to put me on progesterone only pill after the lap) and I read of stories that kind of freaked me out because they were from women in extreme pain during their first post- lap period. I'm really scared now. I don't know what to expect.
What were your periods like after your laps?
Please let me know, I'm really worried now!
Hannah xo
Written by
hannah11
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I had my first lap 3.5 weeks ago and my period started at the end of last week. It was pretty heavy and quite painful, but nothing out of the ordinary. I didn't have the really extreme pain I sometimes get and I didn't feel nearly as nauseous as usual, which I'm hoping is a sign that the excision of endo in my pouch of douglas genuinely helped! I don't know if the relatively long length of recovery time before my period turned up made a difference though. I hope your experience isn't too bad!
thank you! your comment made me feel so much better. I'm terrified it is going to be really painful. Maybe i should've booked my op when my period just ended so i would've had lots of time to recover like you did! How are things going? xx
I was terrified it would be really painful too, especially since I'd read that some women do have extra-painful periods after laps. It was heavier than usual, but the pain felt like regular heavy period pain rather than that plus endo pain, if that makes sense. Kind of like how I remember heavier periods being when I was a teenager. Nothing ibuprofen and paracetamol couldn't handle! I don't know how typical that is, but it seems like there's no obvious answer, maybe it depends where you have endo removed from and how bad it is? My worst patch was in the pouch of douglas, then just smallish spots on my ovavies and uterosacral ligament. It was the PoD endo giving me the worst trouble, and that particular type of pain was missing this time, so without that contributing it was painful but tolerable.
yeah that makes sense. I'm thinking of going on the pill after the op anyway just out of pure fear so i don't have to face it. But i'm not sure yet. what you said has helped me feel a bit calmer so i may not x
ditto, I was going to go on the pill too, to avoid having to go through more periods! But I was most keen on the combined pill and they wouldn't give it to me because I get migraines. I'm quite glad I did experience a post-surgery period though because now I'll have a benchmark for what it was like without the extra pain, and it'll be easier to tell if the endo comes back in that spot
Same! I'm scared of the pill in general though because i always get hideous side effects to any medication so i don't want to risk getting new symptoms. I'm really glad it wasn't painful for you, that must've been such a relief. I hope you continue to make improvements xxx
Mine is always worse the first period after surgery. Like death, why did i ever let a doctor near me pain.
I have had 3 laps in like 5 or 6 years. There isn't a whole lot you can do, except expect that it might happen. You might be luckier then some of us. I would rather you be warned ahead of time then to be caught off guard like I was the first time. Oh, and I saw your comment about booking after your period..... i hate to be the bearer of bad news......
At my second lap I was on my period, so when it came time for the next period, I was in very severe pain.
That being said, I want to note that I had tons of endo removed (stage 3) and that she had to clean me out pretty good. So everything was still really really swollen inside. My pain is always behind/around my right ovary, that is where I get my period cramps from (ever since I started my periods). So when I have endo removed from that area, I think my body gets even with me for disrupting its attempts to give me all those caringly made baby uteruses.
I am afraid to tell you about my first lap in case it scares you even more. My obgyn found NOTHING to be causing me such pain. There is few things more terrifying than another dr telling you they can't find the reason for your pain, are you SURE you are not making it up? BUT......I think she was ill prepared for endo. And yet less than 4 years later I suddenly had stage 3 endo after going to another dr because of the same exact symptoms. We think when the first dr went in, that things were there, but uber tiny and she didn't know what to look for. That's why we sufferers should push for them to take biopsies to see if we have microscopic endo. That stuff will still cause us horrible pains.
The 2nd surgery I had was last year (My diagnosis lap). I had my endo removed (what she could find, of course), adhesion removed, my ovary and right fallopian tube removed (because I have such horrid right side ovary pains all the time). My mom said it looked like a shotgun blast in there when she got to see the pictures.
I just had my 3rd surgery this year in April. I had a complete hysterectomy ( I am only 35), which includes my uterus, cervix, and left fallopian tube. I kept my left ovary. My right ovary grew back (yep, it seems they can do this. I was uber shocked by this news.) which explains why I never felt better after the first surgery in that area. And of course more endo was removed. I was on the Depo shot for 13 months from the time of the 2nd surgery to the surgery this year. I was never pain free. I can't tolerate estrogen that isn't made by me, so the depo shot was my last chance of trying to stop my pain. (fyi: more scary stuff.....I bled for 12 months straight. No wonder I hurt the whole time, I was constantly bleeding from my spots) I even went to an expensive second opinion OBGYN to make sure I was doing the right thing with the depo shot, and she even told me to "wait it out, it takes up to a year for it to get better". *sigh*
So now I am 5 months in from my surgery. I still hurt. Although a good chunk of the pain is gone. I mostly still hurt from the ovary areas. My dr only believes in burning the endo and not excising it, so it constantly grows back. (I can't afford the specialist around here, even with my insurance). My obgyn said that I knew this would be the trade off, as I opted to keep my left ovary which still produces estrogen. She says I should have had it removed to go through menopause to be pain free. pffft.... this is also the same woman who said for me to have kids to make the pain go away. Yeah, she is still old school.
I hope this helps some, and I am sorry if it just scares you more. I am one of those people who needs to be armed with all possibilities so that I am prepared just in case. I wish you a quick diagnosis and speedy recovery. Any more questions just feel free to ask.
wow it sounds like you've had some horrible experiences!! i'm so sorry you went through all that ): Are you at least seeing improvements now?
Thanks for sharing your advice with me, i appreciate it. Like you, I need to be armed with the facts before i enter a situation so i know what to expect. I find I get freaked out if i don't know what is happening as it is happening. I guess i am going to have to brace myself for a painful period.
I think in my head I assumed after this op it would all be over. I now realise that is quite naive.
Just an update: had my lap last weekend and am home now. Widespread endo was found and removed. It was all superficial aside from a part that had eaten into my PoD and was dangerously close to my bowel. Doc said she caught it just at the right time because within a few months it would be in my bowel and thus be much harder to treat.
Thank you for all your advice and support. My next period is due this weekend. I have no idea how it will be. I hope it is ok!
xxx
Mine was non existent after the lap. But when I did have it three weeks later it was much lighter than usual.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Nope, they know barely anything about this. 
first period after lap
Period after laparoscopy 
What was your lap after care instructions? 
Period pain after lap
