# Who has endometriosis?



## CaseyL (Jul 23, 2001)

I'm wondering just how many of us there are that have endometriosis. It seems like a lot. My dr said that there is a connection between the two. I don't know if endo makes us more susceptible to IBS or if all of the bowel symptoms are from endo. I know my endo symptoms (even tho I wasn't diagnosed until many many years later) started around the same time as my IBS symptoms. Any ideas?


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## celticlady (Aug 6, 2001)

Hi,Casey,I had endo for at least 10 years(had total hysterectomy 2 years ago and feel much better)have had IBS for who knows how many years???Worse the past 2 yrs,and now IBS is slowly better due to Mikes tapes....







I do not know re the connection betweeen ibs and endo,however,I have known many people with both.good luck!


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## JenS (Dec 18, 2000)

There is a correlation between Endo, IBS, and allergies (see my post). I went to a gastro for years for pain before we realized it was endo.


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## lindsay* (Jul 23, 2000)

i have endo. my doc first found it when i had my appendix out.does endo make you spot between periods? i've been spotting for the past few months and my cramps are getting worse.


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## Guest (Nov 13, 2001)

I have many of the symptoms of endo and Dr confirmed thart I probably do have it. Have not had the laporoscopy though so it has not been confirmed.


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## CaseyL (Jul 23, 2001)

LindsayI usually spot around the time of ovulation (although my doc doesn't think I am ovulating). Anyway, I don't know if that is from endo or not. I don't think it is unusual to have some spotting midcycle. I would call your dr if it occurs at other times in your cycle though. Good luck.Casey


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## Krissy (Jul 6, 2000)

I too have been told i probably have it,but haven't had the lap yet either.My dr said at my age of old 36,LOL he would try to treat me with pills first.Ok so far i was on Femhrt,and had non stop spotting,so yesterday he said it was too low of a dose,and put me on Mircette,anyone ever on this pill? So thats where i am at.I didn't have the cramps as bad while on the Femhrt,so i'm keeping faith the Mircette does help,it also lists on the leaflet,its given for endo.







Krissy


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## Guest (Nov 16, 2001)

I was diagnosed with endo 4 years ago. Had laparoscopy and doctor had to burn, laser out alot of stuff. He told me my fallopian tubes were blocked but he had cleared one so I would be able to get pregnant. I succeeded with a 6 mth window of opportunity. I was also diagnosed with IBS a few weeks after being diagnosed with endo. I only get flair ups around my period. However I had been fine after having my son. Until I got lymes disease. The medication I was on for lymes really screwed up my insides!! ANd Im back with IBS again. But Still only real bad one week prior to my period. Ive been on the pill but its not helping the endo anymore. Ive never heard of Mircette but will ask my doctor about it. I did here of a pill called yasmine that can really help PMS and other nasty symptoms prior to getting your period.


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## atp (Jan 18, 2001)

I probably have endo. My gyn strongly suspects it, but didn't see any on an intravaginal ultrasound. At this point, we are just treating it with the Pill, taken continuously now, and neither one of us is eager to put me through a lap at this time. I know it's not that bad of a surgery (my mom's had a couple, for endo) but still not something to do when the endo isn't being too bad right now. Taking an active bc pill every day has been great for me. I got really bad cramps, worse IBS-D around my period, and often got really bad hormonal headaches too. Now I just don't get periods







Wheee!







Lindsay, are you taking bc pills now? I had spotting with one, breakthrough bleeding, they called it. The spotting was around the middle of my cycle, around when I would have ovulated, but I was told by the dr that I wasn't ovulating. The spotting gradually got worse, and we ended up switching pills, and that solved the problem.


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## Krissy (Jul 6, 2000)

ATP, what pill were you on? and what are you on now,if you don't mind me asking? thanks...


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## atp (Jan 18, 2001)

I used to take Ortho-Cyclen (not tricyclen). I was on it for about 2-2.5 yrs when I started seeing a little blood in mucus around the middle of the cycle. I called the dr's office to make sure this didn't mean I was ovulating, and they said no, but switching pills could stop the spotting. Since it wasn't too bad at the time, I stuck with the pill until it got to the point where it was a really really light flow for 1-2 days a mo...I probably shouldn't have waited so long. I was on Ortho-Cyclen for almost 3 yrs.Anyhow, they switched me to Desogen. Now I've got some of the generics, Ortho-cept, and I've been taking Desogen or the generic for, lemme see....about three years. I basically had no spotting when I was taking it 21 days/mo, no pill for 7. Now I take them continuously, and after 3 months or so I've gotten a little spotting, which is when I stop to have a period, then there is no more spotting for a few months... I've had 2 periods since march.


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## Krissy (Jul 6, 2000)

Hi Atp, my dr told me Tuesday the spotting meant the pill was too weak,so he gave me the Mircette,its a 20 i believe,20 mcg? Hm? i'll have to look.He said this should help,and told me skip the other pills,go from 21 pills to the next pack.Oh i pray this works! the femhrt also made me nauseas and the breast pain was unbearable. thankyou! i really need all the info i can get,i am 36 and a little leary of the pill,but for now the dr doesn't see the need for the lap. UGH!







Krissy


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## lindsay* (Jul 23, 2000)

atp-i've been on loestrin for 3 years now and i never had spotting. i'm thinking that i'm spotting because i've been under a lot of stress lately and i switched the time i take my pill.i honestly havent really even thought of my endo until i read this thread. i had the lapro. when i had my appendix out and they zapped out some endo.. since then i've been on a few different brands of pills. after i got on loestrin i havent had to take any pain or nausea pills.. which is definately nice. i'm kind of curious as to what is going on inside (or outside) my uterus right now. i've noticed that during my period i have painful urination and clotting.


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## Krissy (Jul 6, 2000)

Hi Atp, i hope you read this,i checked out the pill your on,and its the exact pill i was given Mircette,just a different name,gosh i hope it helps me.Can you tell me your ibs symptoms? i am a slow C type.







Thankyou,Krissy


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## atp (Jan 18, 2001)

Wow, I've heard people talk about Mircette a lot but had no idea it was the same as what I was taking. I've learned something today







I'm a D-type, all the way. Usually I only have pain when I'm cramping before or during an attack, or if I get bad gas. I've had some BAD pain at times, but fortunately it usually subsides after my bowels empty out. I get a gnawing pain in my stomach sometimes, but not that often thank goodness...used to get it all the time yrs ago...but last night I realized some of the pain was below belly button level, and it's usually above. Interesting.


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## Krissy (Jul 6, 2000)

Yes i couldn't believe it either,i looked up the name of the pill you are on,and mine was on the same list,same everything,maybe you have a different dose,but all the same,just the name is changed. My symptoms are lower left and right pain,and i get it too below the belly button.I think my pain is gas and stool.I also get odd muscle aches. Thanks!







Krissy


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## Micashell (Nov 20, 2001)

I have been taking Mircette for a little over 2 years and have been very happy with it. Previously, I took Ortho-Cyclen for a year and had heavy bleeding (regularly) and hemoraging 1 cycle and switched to Mircette. Not only do I not have any cramping but the flow is next to nothing (which really freaked me out at first but my doctor assured me that was OK).


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## Krissy (Jul 6, 2000)

Micashell, Hi! can you tell me what your ibs symptoms were,and did your dr think you had endo? Thanks for sharing







Krissy


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## Micashell (Nov 20, 2001)

I'd been to several doctors that thought I had endom. We chose not to do the laporoscopy for fear of causing further scaring (and the severe pain, heavy bleeding and lengthy periods were controled by birth control pills.) I've used several different BC pills over the 10 years I've been taking them and have not noticed any changesto my IBS syptoms.My IBS symtons are severe sensitivity to certain foods (ie - dairy, onions, cofee) that would produce an almost certain laxitive effect and severe cramping when I ate. Most of the time I would have almost an urgent need to go to the bathroom after I ate no matter what it was (which helped me to devise new ways to pretend I was eating at lunch meetings and parties). For the most part, I am a D but occassional go to the opposite extreme. As long as I remember I have been this way - I was always the kid with a stomach ache and wouldn't go anywhere unless I was sure a bathroom was around. I have been tkaing calcium supplements for about 6 weeks and have noticed a dramatic improvement to my IBS sysptoms. I sure hope it lasts.I hope this helps.


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## Krissy (Jul 6, 2000)

Micashell, Thankyou for your help! my GY also feels to try everything before a lap.Thanks again,Krissy


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## moldie (Sep 25, 1999)

IBS was diagnosed when I was on BC pills in my 20's (caused severe constipation). I was on them for 3yrs. straight and then went off to have children. Between doing this and adding fiber to my diet, I was able to manage my IBS-C very well for 20yrs. I always had painful periods though. After I took antibiotics for adult-oncet-acne in my 40's, I developed yeast over-growth problem. Since the doctors were unable or didn't want to implicate the antibiotic, I remained on it long after I should have. GI sent me to a gyno doc. to see if it was gynocologically related. Found endo doing the lap and burned it. Since the med. to keep it clear had same side-effects that I was fighting at the time (acne, and leg cramping due to fibromyalgia), I chose not to go on it and instead went for the hysterectomy hoping that the hormonal connection might be related to my "IBS" symptoms and thus be relieved, i.e. of too much estrogen production from the endometrial sites. This did not help my IBS, since the antibiotic was the cause of my symptoms. On post-surgical follow-up, yeast was scraped from my vaginal wall. He said the antibiotic had masked the odor and drainage that one would normally have with a yeast infection. I took myself off the antibiotic, but unfortunately the gyno doc only ordered a local antifungal, which helped my local vag infection, but did not take care of the over-growth in my bowel. It wasn't until a couple of years later that my allergist figured it out and put me on oral Diflucan which alleviated the stooling and gas problem. I also had developed allergies as a result of the infection and was particularily sensitive to the "acid" type food/chemical additives. Staying away from these helped the abdominal distention and discomfort. (Perhaps by allowing the bowel to heal as well.)


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## kbaum (Dec 11, 1999)

I was officially diagnosed with endo 9 years ago during a lap. In fact, next week I'm having another lap to look for recurring endo or adhesions from the first surgery. They suspect I have a stricture on my lower left side (where most of my IBS pain comes into play).I've had IBS-C for about 16 years and always had extreme difficulties with my period. The best news is that I never got my period back after the surgery. I've been on the birth control shot Depo-Provera since a chemically-induced menopause after the surgery.Surgery was a last resort for me - tried every pill first. I do remember my IBS being more tolerable for a few years right after the surgery.Karen


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## Krissy (Jul 6, 2000)

Karen or anyone else,sorry to sound stupid,but what is a stricture? i am also convinced alot of this is due to possible endo.


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## kbaum (Dec 11, 1999)

A stricture (as it was explained to me) is the same as an adhesion, or scar tissue. I found a lot of useful information at www.adhesions.orgKaren


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## Krissy (Jul 6, 2000)

Thankyou


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## JenS (Dec 18, 2000)

Jumping in to join you all.I had pains for over ten years. I had my first lap in 1998. They found mild endo. I was pain free for about two years. I had my second lap this past April (2001). There was no endo, just adhesions. My GYN cut them free and I am doing better.I am supposed to take continous BCP now but I don't like the way they make me feel. I just feel tired, no libido, and crampy.


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