QuestionThank you so much for your answer. I will continue to be on the birth control pill.
Apart from the ovary, there apparently were a few mild "fusions" in the pelvic cavity. The doctor said he loosened and removed them. He seemed to take the whole matter quite lightly which makes me optimistic, and he said he does not really foresee me having problems getting pregnant, and that there is only a 10 % chance of the endo ever recurring. I hope he is right!
I am wondering how the endometriosis was caused in the first place? I remember a time in my life when my skin started getting bad a few years ago (I never even had one zit until I was about 23) - I think it must be stress in my adult life. What followed was a really horrible period of trying out many many birth control pills to help the skin, but the problem was that I wasn't taking any of the pills well at all. Some of them were real estrogen "monsters" and made me feel weepy, moody and depressed all the time. So I stopped them all. I believe that my ovarian cyst was coming about around that time since I felt slight pincking and missed my period for a long time.
Can a string of contraceptive pills with a lot of estrogen in them, and stopping and restarting them, cause an endometriosis to come about?
I have been taking the current pill "Cerazette" for over a year now, without knowing earlier on that it was the best one for endometriosis. It's the only pill that I am taking well without depression or anything. I hear it has no estrogen at all, one of the few that don't.
Yes, I guess I need to fix the skin problem separately. I'm sure it's related to stress.
Sorry for rambling... I guess my main question is the above - could my experimenting with high estrogen pills have caused or contributed to the endometriosis?
Thank you!
E.
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Followup To
Question -
I was discovered to have an endometriosis ovarian cyst, which was removed a few weeks ago by laparoscopy. I had had it for at least two years.
I did and do not suffer from any endometriosis pain ever, but am worried about possible effect on getting pregnant later. I am 28.
I am taking the oral contraceptive "Cerazette" to keep hormones regular and reduce risk of more endometriosis. Is this an ok treatment?
I have also suffered in the past from adult acne and low sex drive. The pill has not changed this.
I am wondering whether progesterone cream could help me, with endometriosis, low sex drive, and skin problems?
Should I stop my oral contraceptive, or is it ok to take "Cerazette" while also using progesterone cream? Are they compatible?
Thank you so much!
E
Answer -
Hi E,
Thanks for writing.
Let's start with your surgery. When they did the Lap did they find Endo anywhere else or did they even look around? Pelvic cavity and so forth? The amount of Endo you have does not go hand in hand with pain. Some women have Stage 4 Endo with no pain. Make sure when you had the Lap that they looked for Endo in other places besides your ovaries.
Endo can reak havoc on your reproductive organs. If the only Endo they found was on your ovaries I would not worry too much. Until ready to get preganant I would stay on the birth control because it slows down the spread of Endo. The more Endo you have the greater the risk of having trouble when trying to conceive.
I am not sure what to tell you about the low sex drive and acne. I am not sure what is out there to help with that. After time the birth control may help with the acne. I would talk to your doctor about th low sex drive. I too have no interest in sex.Myhusbandunderstands though and we do "other things."
I would not use the natural Progesterone cream while taking the birth control. The cream helps with cramps and menopause symptoms. And I would ot go off the birth control since you want children and it helps stop the spread of Endo.
I use the acne stuff they advertise on tv all the time. It actually does help clear acne up. They also sell a generic form of it at Wal-Mart. Check into it. Being 31 and and still getting acne sucks. I understand that.
So if you have any other questions, please feel free to write again.
Sincerely,
Angie
AnswerHi E,
I'm glad to hear that the birth control is helping you more than others you have tried. That is good news.
There is no known cause of Endometriosis. There are a few theories. None that have been proven. Hopefully one day there will be a known cause. After a known cause then the possibility of a cure will exist.
You said something that worried me a little. Your doctor told you that he removed all Endo and only a 10% chance of recurring? If he performed laser surgery please donot buy into this. It is very rare that a doctor gets all Endo out. The best surgery at the time is Excision surgery and even that is not fool proof and there are very few doctors who perform this surgery. Even that has a 25% recurrance rate.
Check out www.endo-resolved.com.
This site dispells a lot of myths about Endo and what a lot of doctors believe. A great site with a lot of helpful information.
When you decide the time has come to have children I wish you the best of luck. But please, arm yourself with all the info you can on this disease. Many many doctors still believe stuff that has been disproven for years. You can do yourself a lot of good if you go into your appointments with knowledge.
Sincerely,
Angie
