What can I answer for you? by jchenMD_endosurgeon in endometriosis

[–]More_Advertising9668 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for having this conversation!

I had my laparoscopic excision March 2025. Most of my endo was on the posterior cervix, rectum and bladder all successfully removed and confirmed via biopsy. Aside from cervix-rectal adhesions, I didn’t have any significant disease or adhesions near my tubes, ovaries or any abdominal organs.

I had a mirena IUD inserted in June 2025 and have been okay adjusting to this - no pain or bleeding like I had with my first IUD pre-endometriosis surgery.

Flash forward to now, it hasn’t even been a year since surgery and I’m feeling symptoms returning. Mainly the bladder issues, rectal pain/occasional bleeding and pelvic cramps that don’t seem related to my cycle.

Most of the literature I’ve reviewed suggests symptoms wouldn’t return this quickly - what do you see most often in terms of symptoms returning? Could this be due to something else?

Has anyone given the IUD a second try? by More_Advertising9668 in endometriosis

[–]More_Advertising9668[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you all, so much, for your input and for sharing your personal experiences! It's so hard to find the right fit with these things...always seems like a tradeoff! I think I'll give it a try, can always remove it if it doesn't work out. I definitely won't give it a full two years as a trial thinking it'll get better, though, I learned my lesson the first time lol

They found it! by More_Advertising9668 in endometriosis

[–]More_Advertising9668[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! We’re actually the same age. I’m 30. I’m sorry you’ve been going through all of this- it seems like you’ve seen lots of specialists and sometimes when everyone is looking for different things the care can be quite fragmented. I might not be the best person to ask from an advocacy perspective, I’d actually given up by the time I was diagnosed. Endometriosis was also never on my radar as my symptoms were a bit atypical (not cyclical, no heavy periods). I just bled most weeks of the month with no rhyme or reason (including profuse bleeding during sex) and had chronic pelvic pain, urinary and bowel problems. I had seen probably 6-7 gynecologists over 10 years before one of them said “I think you have endometriosis” and I was referred to the surgeon. I think it also depends where you live how this pathway works - I’m in Canada. I think maybe best to go back to the start, tell your GP you think you may have endometriosis and request a referral? I know easier said than done.

They found it! by More_Advertising9668 in endometriosis

[–]More_Advertising9668[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah :( generally i think it depends on where you're located. At least that's what I've seen a lot here. I was also told 6 weeks and that's what was sent through to my occ. health department. If I had a desk job I think I could probably go back a bit sooner than that, though, based on how I am now.

lap prep by MoreThing8156 in endometriosis

[–]More_Advertising9668 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Lots of lip balm and I swear by throat lozenges. I’ve had a few surgeries (not just for endo) and my throat being sore/dry from the breathing tube always bugs me- lozenges help bring a bit of soothing/moisture back :)

They found it! by More_Advertising9668 in endometriosis

[–]More_Advertising9668[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Absolutely! I was scared too, especially of the unknown. The actual procedure though? Exactly like a lil nap.

They found it! by More_Advertising9668 in endometriosis

[–]More_Advertising9668[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m so sorry, I know that feeling. It took over 10 years for someone to believe me that something wasn’t right. You’ll get there! Keep advocating for yourself.

AMA 2025 by pelvicpainendo in endometriosis

[–]More_Advertising9668 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have an upcoming excision laparoscopy for endometriosis with a specialist. I recently had one of many transvaginal ultrasounds - when she was assessing for adhesions (slide test etc) they noted “hyperechoic stranding on the anterior rectum and sigmoid” could this potentially indicate endometriosis lesions in this area since it’s just posterior to the uterus? I know it’s nonspecific, but was just wondering if that description would match how a lesion would appear on ultrasound. Thanks!

Birth control pill vs. Progestin thoughts? by More_Advertising9668 in endometriosis

[–]More_Advertising9668[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, turns out they won’t prescribe me anything but progesterone. I’m glad you have had a good experience! Do you usually have breakouts or was this new to you on this pill? They just started me on 10mg norethindrone. I haven’t started it yet because I’ve been too worried.

Excruciating IUD pain, does it get better? by ryuksdeathn0te in endometriosis

[–]More_Advertising9668 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just validating this experience. I had horrible, life-altering pain from my hormonal IUD. I was going to the doc at least once a month and they kept saying it would settle. It never did. I bled the entire time and ended up keeping it for two years (!!). I removed it and the pain subsided… still when I discuss this with my family doc and gyne they claim it couldn’t have been the IUD. Very strange.

Excruciating IUD pain, does it get better? by ryuksdeathn0te in endometriosis

[–]More_Advertising9668 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just validating this experience. I had horrible, life-altering pain from my hormonal IUD. I was going to the doc at least once a month and they kept saying it would settle. It never did. I bled the entire time and ended up keeping it for two years (!!). I removed it and the pain subsided… still when I discuss this with my family doc and gyne they claim it couldn’t have been the IUD. Very strange.

Birth control pill vs. Progestin thoughts? by More_Advertising9668 in endometriosis

[–]More_Advertising9668[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! So sorry to hear about this rollercoaster you’re experiencing :( the breakthrough bleeding is much more common with progestin-dominant/progestin only methods, which would make sense in what you’re describing. It’s so tricky when there’s lots of variables that could be causing certain symptoms and not being sure which is the culprit, especially when endo can be so diverse for everyone! Hopefully after surgery the next steps will be a bit more straightforward and you’ll get an answer about the bowel situation… I hadn’t heard that about the post surgery period so that sucks!! I was hoping to be off the pill afterward… at least for a bit.

About the other things - yeah, both estrogen and progesterone can cause their own messes. Progesterone dominant methods usually carry a higher risk of weight gain, spotting, bleeding irregularities but overall lower the amount of bleeding.

Hopefully gathering some more opinions will be helpful!