Hi, I was disagnosed with stage 1 endometriosis 2 years ago but since then it’s got worse. I have recently visit the gyni who has offered me a course of injections which is supposed to shut my ovaries down which helps with the pain etc but this is only temporarily. Has anyone else had these injections and if so have they worked?
Thanks
Lisa x
are they prostap injections?
Hi, thank you for your reply and yes they are. Have you had them before? I’m wary about getting them until I have found out a bit more info about them.
hi ive had 3 injections over 3 months the last one was dec last yr. the first injection delayed my period by 2 wks an I haven't had one since.....been told they will eventually return. I didn't realise how much they helped with my physical symptoms until they've worn off... however they did give me unbelievable day and night sweats and mentally I wasn't in a good place.
Thank you for your feedback on them. I’m definitely going to take my time and research before making any decisions.
gynae told me I had to have them before they would do my laparoscopy...as it would help them determine if my symptoms were hormone related. take your time and do the research it all depends on your situation and what is best for you
take care
You also take care. Thanks for your advice it’s appreciated x
Please do research of your own aswell to make an informed decision I was offered it but declined I’m glad about my decision after scrolling here and online I found a lot of negative menopause symptoms and even putting me in early menopause after coming of it not something I want as I’m trying for a baby after surgery was not told it could do this
Hi, thank you so much for your response I’m definitely not making any rushed decisions especially when it has so many side effects. I was also offered another laparoscopy how ever the gyni told me these would work better for me.
I’m being referred for a lap but don’t wish to use prostap I’m approaching pain management with diet and supplements and I’ve started having some pain free days.endometrosis is a hormone dependent disease so no matter what if you have endometriosis you have a hormone imbalance in particular progesterone it should not be used to establish if you have a hormone imbalance because if you already have symptoms of endo you already have an imbalance
Hi there, you can have endometriosis while having the correct amount of hormone levels. It is a disease where the cells that would ordinarily react to your normal hormones are found outside the womb. These cells react to normal levels of hormones as they would inside the womb, however, as the cells are growing in the wrong place then they can cause pain and other complications. So you don’t necessarily have a hormone imbalance when having endometriosis. Hope this helps x
It’s a disease where the endometrial tissue moves outside the womb I can only say what I’ve read in a book I read and why they offer the progesterone only pill is and not always Estrogen. endometriosis is an Estrogen dependent disease it states this in the period repair manual I’f you want to look it up but I can only reply on what information I have read
Yeah, your right about it being hormone dependent. The endometrial cells grow and enlarge due to hormones in a natural cycle every month. This is in preparation for a fertilised egg to implant within the womb. It becomes a problem when the endometrial cells grow elsewhere in the body instead of the uterus as these cells still react to the hormones the same as they would in the uterus every month and can be painful. So preventing the body from producing the natural hormones every month can help. I have stage 4 endo and have been on a jag that stops the ovaries producing these hormones for 6 months so in effect has put me into menopause and it has really helped the pain x
Your right Glad it has helped you I’ve took a more natural approach to it the thing I worry about is you can’t be on it forever so what would you do then if I can find a way to manage it without hormones I’ve done well xx
Absolutely, it’s about exploring your options and finding the way forward that helps you the best. It’s such a good thing to treat it naturally if it works for you. I’ve had to change my lifestyle and start looking after myself properly. I eat healthy now, exercise where I can, I don’t drink and live the quiet life now. I’m getting on a bit in life so it was probably time I calmed down a bit 😁. Do you follow a specific diet? Like FODMAP etc? Yeah, I’ve had the jag 6 months now so it’s time for another big decision as my body is coming out the temporary menopause and endo symptoms returning with a vengeance 😬. I use aromatherapy and I take cocodamol for the pain. Do you have any other tips for the pain? x
Pain relief wise I use castor oil on my abdomen and hot water bottle after research I found it also helps break up the endometrial tissue which is handy.i also use cocodamol when it’s really bad.just recently I started using microscopic progesterone and I’ve seen a difference I’m very wary of it and still new to it so can’t say how beneficial it is but it’s very much recommended in the book period repair manual.my diet is based on the endo diet without soy I have a portion of grapes daily no gluten using honey rather than sugar and I don’t eat diary other than sheep or goats cheese it’s been a long journey diet wise I don’t eat meat only fish on occasions I will have small bites of chicken and I have a lot of organic eggs I do eat small amounts of chocolate but I try and go for dark variety’s and milk as a treat I strongly recommend taking magnesium and zinc as we loose a lot as endo sufferers hope this helps x
Thanks for the tips ☺️ I take magnesium oxide at night. I will look into zinc and the period repair manual too 👍. Good luck, keep well x
It also can only be used 6 months at a time x
It’s only recommended for 6 months. As long as the patient is monitored and there are no counter indications it can be taken for longer. I know women who have been on it for 2 years or more x
Hi Lisa
I’ve had several courses of both Prostap and Zoladex (they do the same thing) over the years. In my experience they were brilliant for controlling the pain.
When I had my first couple of courses I breezed through them - they essentially put you into a ‘false menopause’ state which quietens the endo and hence the pain. Because everybody reacts to it differently, your periods could come back pretty much immediately or it could take a few months.
As I said, to begin with it was a life saver. But over time I found the side effects started to present more strongly. I could cope with the hot flushes and night sweats, but I felt constantly on edge and my mood swings were huge, so I decided that unless it was absolutely necessary (my ovaries used to grow cysts like weeds, my gynae used Prostap to get rid of them rather than operate) I wouldn’t have any more.
The problem is that you don’t know how they will affect you until you try for yourself. And then you need to stick with it for a couple of months until it settles down and you can get a clear picture.
I wouldn’t say don’t do it, but as others have said, it’s good to be informed about what you might be letting yourself in for. Also remember that people only generally take to the internet if they’ve had a bad experience; the good experiences go unreported so you will definitely read more horror stories than happy endings!
Good luck with whatever you decide 😊 x
I also had this alongside HRT for 4 months before a second laparoscopy. I was 23 at the time and being put it early menopause scared the hell out of me!
But I’ve got to say it was a lifesaver in terms of restbite before by lap. The HRT controlled all menopause symptoms so this should definitely be used side by side.
I was also worried about conceiving naturally after but it’s now nearly 2 years down the line and I’m 12 weeks pregnant so just know it’s not all as bad as it sounds for everyone
Aww, congratulations. Maybe the fact you were young when you had the jags, as scary as it was for you, might have helped your body cope easier. I’m 42 and have found it tough on my body and mind even with the add back HRT x
I’ve had two courses, both times accompanied by the hrt livial so side effects were minimal. For me the course was to stop growth/shrink endometriomas. It had the desired effect, however the endometriomas refilled rapidly when the course was stopped. Long term use can I believe cause bone loss, so a dexa scan was carried out for me before the second course (I was late 40s at the time). My bones were fine. I had no pain during the treatment, but I’m odd in that regard, as, despite having stage 4 deep infiltrating endo I rarely had pain, only emergency type pain when I got ovarian torsion because of endometriomas or indeed when endometriomas ruptured. I have a friend for whom propstap made no difference to her endo pain.
Hi Lisa, I have just had jags that put me into menopause for blocks of 3 months at a time. The first month my symptoms increased. Heavy bleeding, a lot of pain, flushes and sweats so was started on an add back HRT which really helped with the side effects. By the 2nd month all my endo symptoms improved. It was only then I realised just how bad endo symptoms had been to live with. I found I was quite down and my mental health was not great. On the 3rd month I started spotting presumably because the jag was wearing off. The pain started to return so I was given the jag for another block of 3 month and again HRT. I went through the same as I had previously only a milder version of everything. The only thing that was a lot worse this time was my mental health. I’m just about to see my gynaecologist to decide on another jag or hysterectomy but as there is no non essential ops at the moment on NHS due to Coronavirus it’ll probably be the jag. Its been 6 months of ups and downs, however, now I know a hysterectomy will definitely help my endo symptoms so that is major. Light at the end of the tunnel at last. It’s Stage 4 I have. Good luck with your decision, I hope this helps x
Hello Lisa,
I live in the States. I've had Lupron which is sold/marketed as Prostap in the UK. I had the 3 injections over 3 months. I was skinny when I started with the injections -- I gained 25lbs, in 3 months, the drug threw me into menopause (temporary), I was given Premarin to try to balance out the effects of the Lupron --another hormone. I had dry vagina from Lupron, night sweats, irritability. In the end, I think it did little to help my condition. I had the injections after my first lap for endo. I ended up over the course of 10 years with 2 more surgeries for endo and a partial hysterectomy. The drug did leave me with some long term effects. And I personally, (everyone is different) would NEVER take this drug again. I had a co-worker who underwent surgery for endo within 4 months of my first surgery and her doctor told her about the Lupron, but advised against it. My doctor sold me on it, and so I got the injections. Every person's body reacts differently to medications whether they are by Rx or over the counter, but this was my experience.
In good health,
NancyPants
Hi, I have put on 24lbs over the last 6 months with the jag too regardless of eating a healthy diet and walking for exercise. My anxiety increased and my mental health deteriorated. I am susceptible to anxiety and depression though. It really helped the endo pain and like yourself, it was good to get the respite from it. I’ve had vaginal dryness, and decrease in sex drive too even with the HRT but it stopped the night sweats snd flushes completely. I’m worried that if I go for hysterectomy now these side effects/ symptoms will be full on and permanent x
In the US there's gonna be court cases against Lupron as so many women got permanent side effects like ovaries that don't work anymore (I think it was 90% of cases), bone and teeth loss, some are life long disabled because if it. The manufacturer had falsified and enhanced numbers to make it look like a good medicine and paid doctors incredible sums of money to prescribe it...
And yes it does work with some women so you might get relief for a while but is it worth the risk for a temporary solution?
I personally keep looking for narural solutions and its hard but I had periods without pain when getting Shiatsu treaments for instance. The only thing permantly working for Endo is wide Excision surgery with a specialist...
Omg ovaries that don’t work anymore I wasn’t told about this but read about it that stopped me getting it
Hi ladies. Thank you all for your feedback it really means a lot that you have taken the time to give me your personal stories.
Take care all of you and thank you again
Lisa xx
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