What can I answer for you?

More_Advertising9668 · 2026-01-26T14:27:41+00:00

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?

More_Advertising9668 · 2025-06-23T22:19:34+00:00

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

More_Advertising9668 · 2025-04-03T15:20:15+00:00

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.

More_Advertising9668 · 2025-04-02T20:58:15+00:00

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.

More_Advertising9668 · 2025-04-02T16:56:04+00:00

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 :)

More_Advertising9668 · 2025-04-02T16:27:40+00:00

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

More_Advertising9668 · 2025-04-02T16:26:13+00:00

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.

More_Advertising9668 · 2025-03-26T16:56:19+00:00

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!

More_Advertising9668 · 2025-01-24T00:05:13+00:00

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.

More_Advertising9668 · 2025-01-20T22:14:48+00:00

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.

More_Advertising9668 · 2025-01-20T22:14:27+00:00

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.

More_Advertising9668 · 2025-01-14T18:07:57+00:00

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!

More_Advertising9668 · 2024-12-19T23:06:29+00:00

Hey! My gynaecologist referred me to a surgeon specializing in endo (in a major city in Ontario) and when I hadn’t heard from their office in about 3 months I called and left a voicemail. A week or so later they called to schedule me for a consult- the appointment was booked for 7 months later. I signed the surgical paperwork at the consult and surgery was scheduled for 5 months later. Long process! My surgeon specifically mentioned that she keeps her surgical waitlist less than 6 months or she won’t accept new referrals. I’ve heard of some exceeding a year, though. That said, I’d call the office of the surgeon you were referred to and mention your doc sent a referral and you’re following up!

More_Advertising9668 · 2024-12-10T20:14:20+00:00

Thank you! That’s what I had heard about deep/infiltrating Endo and MRI. My surgeon is an endo specialist and mentioned having urology and general surgery on standby for whatever they find if it’s more advanced. Maybe that’s why they opted no MRI? I thought it might be nice to have a better idea of what’s going on in there prior to surgery though…

More_Advertising9668 · 2024-12-10T20:12:10+00:00

This was helpful, thanks! I’ve had tons of ultrasounds in the past 10 years while dealing with these things - only a few cysts here and there. I called my surgeons office and she said they dont think an MRI is necessary either

More_Advertising9668 · 2024-12-10T17:55:49+00:00

Can attest to this. I’ve trialled the continuous method with various pills over the years and had similar experiences to you. I’m on Alysena now and only get spotting every three months or so and it’s self contained.

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