Endometriosis - chances of reccurence?

[alex_Louise]

I recently had a laparoscopy where scar tissue was removed and a biopsy has confirmed that I have Endometriosis. I've not yet had my follow up appointment but was wondering what experience that people have had with the recurrence of their symptoms after a laparoscopy? I had mine 2 months ago and have since felt much better than I did before, my symptoms have been massively reduced - but how long might this last for? Would appreciate insight from other's experiences x

[luthien]

Hey, it's great that you're symptoms have reduced

Re-growth depends very much on each individual so it's difficult to say;

What type of removal of endo did you have? Excision, ablation, laser? These all have different rates of regrowth so it's useful to know. Excision removes all the endo kind of cutting it out therefore regrowth can be slower. I've had excision of endo from my bladder, uterus and bowel (stage 4) about a year and a half ago and only have symptoms around my period so about a 90% reduction. Usually Specialists say aim for a 50% reduction in symptoms

Our hormones vary from woman to woman and at different stages in our lives so this can affect regrowth. Higher levels of oestrogen causes endo to grow, but when bits of it are large enough it creates it's own. We all produce oestrogen even males, therefore we can never eradicate this even if we remove ovaries. Some women have found after about 6 months post op (at the check up) they'll look at hormones to reduce the remaining symptoms which works for some but for others like myself the side effects are too great so it's not worth it.

Re-growth is odd because it can regrow in different places to before, at different rates and with different symptoms so it's not easy to say when you'll need to have treatment be it surgery or hormones. It's something you could ask your specialist; how many women has he treated with your stage / symptoms of endo and how soon does he usually see them back in? And then how soon do they need an operation. I've accepted I'll need more surgery but for now I'm just happy I can enjoy life again. My specialist says the women he sees he ususally sees back again about 2 years after their lap and needing more surgery about 1 to 3 years after that - so it's really varied.

I've posted my experience - it may help with an idea of timelines post laparoscopy and what I've done / looking into alternative therapy wise and what to chat to your specialist about during your follow up appointment.

healthunlocked.com/endometr...

Enjoy the time you have pain free (or less pain), and have a list of things you'd like to do, treasure each pain free day

Happy to answer any questions x