Not sure wether to have a lap (23 year old)...

[cdawg]

Hi,

After suffering heavy and extremely painful periods all my teenage life, I was put on the pill. This has greatly improved these symptoms, however i still suffer from random stomach pain (feels like cramps but im not on my period, painful sex and breakthrough bleeding).

I had an appointment with the gynaecologist who tested my blood and gave me an ultrasound which both came back ok... The advice she gave me was its best not to have a lap until i'm ready to have children as it may damage my ovaries, however I feel that I would like to be diagnosed?

But I'm also worried no endometriosis will show up so i'll be back to square one...

Advice please!!

[Flossy13]

I’ve never heard about ovaries getting damaged during a lap. Is it just a diagnostic lap? I suppose there are always risks during any surgery. I’m no expert though so I cannot comment on that.

Maybe he is concerned that endometriosis has affected your ovaries?

You have the same symptoms as to what I had. Period pains in between periods but no bleeding, painful sex (to the point I refused to do it) and bleeding during and after sex. I had a diagnostic lap in July and no endometriosis was found but I had severe scarring which prevented them from seeing my ovaries and tubes. They removed the scarring and found a very swollen, fluid filled twisted Fallopian tube which cut off the blood supply to my ovary.

Since having the scarring removed, sex has been much better and I’ve had no more bleeding during and after sex.

I had surgery last Friday to get the tube removed and my ovary had disappeared by itself because of the blood supply being cut off.

When my consultant came to see me on the ward after surgery, she said no endometriosis was found and my heart sank because I felt like I wasted their time. But then she told me what they did find and I no longer felt like I wasted their time and although I was gutted about the circumstances I was pleased it wasn’t all in my head.

It could be anything and if it is endometriosis then at least you have a diagnosis.

[cdawg in reply to Flossy13]

ahh im so sorry to hear that, that must be very painful and hard to go through! Hopefully now your symptoms will improve.. Just wondering did anything show on your ultrasound before the surgery?

[ChloB in reply to cdawg]

Hiya I had a lap a year and half ago and they found endometriosis all over both ovaries and my bowel. I'd had an ultrasound the month before which looked at my ovaries and bowel and no endo showed up. I've had quite a few ultrasounds- internal and external and every time the doctor doing them has said that endo doesn't show on ultrasounds. Endo tissue is disappointingly the tiniest cells that cause excruciating pain. I saw a picture of my endo and it literally looked like icing sugar sprinkled on my ovaries- mine was only stage one but left me bed bound for 6 months. I would 100% recommend pushing for the laparoscopy, it is the only way to diagnose endometriosis and at least you will rule it if it isn't that. I was also very anxious about damage from the surgery affecting fertility but I have spoke to a couple gynaecologists and they've all said it shouldn't effect it.

[Flossy13 in reply to cdawg]

Nothing showed on my ultrasound. They said they could see a cyst on my left ovary. Turns out it wasn’t a cyst, it was in fact my ovary. Because the tube had cut off the blood supply to my ovary, it shrunk in size so that’s why they thought it was a cyst. 😬