So sorry to hear of your pain.Have you considered a second opinion?I would see a gynecologist who specializes in pelvic pain.No,you don't have to deal with it and I wish more docs(male especially) would listen!If you have to get a referral, first,get a list of referrals from your ins. Co..That listing or maybe even the web site should have the list of docs and the focus of their practice.Like;dr.John jones specialty-gynecology, primary focus -infertility.Something like that.If you don't need a referral,look under the hospital in your area with the best reputation for their specialists.Many women have painful intercourse and there are several things that could be causing it.See a specialist,maybe they have more info than your doc.Best of luck to you!Patty

It does not take up to nine years to diagnose!!!!!!!Your doctor is a quack. All they do is laproscopic surgery and they can tell whether or not you have it. That is the most insane thing I have ever heard!
Anyway, if you do have endometriosis, they can cut it out and it will make it easier for you to conceive. However, it almost always grows back and the pain will return, but you can conceive easier after it is removed.
This disease can be very, very painful! They think I have a mild case, and that hurts badly enough. I am on birth control to help with my pain (and it does help a lot) but that of course wouldn't help you since you want babies! I haven't had the surgery done because they usually remove it if it is in there and I don't want mine removed. They will only remove it so many times before they recommend a hysterectomy. My feeling is I would rather deal with the pain and save my surgeries in case I ever do want to have a baby. A friend of mine had a hysterectomy at 24 from this disease. Thank god she had her babies in high school. Everything does happen for a reason.
Anyway, definately get a different doctor! There are pain pills and methods to help deal with the pain. Unfortunately many women live with this kind of pain and even a hysterectomy isn't a perfect solution. Good luck to you, but please drop your doc!

Whoa,angie!!You go girl!!! patty

Lol, I am sorry! Docs like that just make me mad!

Thank you, it seemed like nine years was an insane amount of time! I can't imagine living in this sort of pain for nine years! (over the counter pain relievers do absolutely nothing for it)

i, too, am on birth control to ease the pain, but it doesn't really 'ease' the pain- it just makes the pain more predictable. I take orthotricyclen, so I can go by the color of the pills i'm on that week: when i'm still in the white, the pain is bearable, but barely. Light blue, I can expect some discomfort from walking a lot or vigorous exercise, certain pants cuts etc, but intercourse doesn't hurt nearly so bad. The dark blue pills signify my worst time- that's when the cramps become severe, intercourse is out of the question, and so are many physical activities such as yoga, pilates, and karate (which are my normal fitness activities) I call this week my 'fat' week the green is about the same as the dark blue, except i'm on my period, so i'm even more miserable.

I'm scheduled to see a specialist in four months, I had to beg for the appointment too. It's not easy to get in to see a specialist... I think she will have me schedule a laproscopic surgery- it seems to be the path i'm headed down. It kinda scares me.. I don't want a camera in my abdomen! I'm really scared of needles and knifes, and things that puncture the skin in general (even bee stings...) i'm also scared because a woman I work with has endometriosis, and she's had a lot of complications with her current pregnancy, and she told me it's very painful!

I just want to know what is wrong with me. Every time I see a new doctor, it's the same exact thing. They ask me tons of questions, that used to make me feel a bit 'dirty' but now I have a conditioned response to each one, because the questions are always the same, they do a very painful exam, and run std tests even when I tell them the last doctor did that, and it's virtually impossible anyway because my husband is the only person i've ever even kissed, and even though he had one partner before me (he was previously engaged) he has been tested for everything while in the army. They still run the tests telling me it's standard procedure, and they want to be thorough and bla bla bla... Then they prescribe an antibiotic and tell me to take ibuprofen. One doctor told me to try eating more fiber... Dunno what that was about, but I tried it and still nothing. At this point i'm willing to try anything. If a doctor tells me to eat pickles whil hanging from my toes on a hanger in my closet, i'll do it just to see...
-eff

Do you live in the u.S? Or are you in canada or one of the other countries where you have automatic healthcare, but have to wait forever to see a specialist?
Honestly, I think you should see a different doctor. Tell him/her that you are pretty sure that you have endometriosis and you want the test to find out. When I was having the same problems as you, I got into a "specialist" the very next day. They can switch their schedules around if you make them or if you are in enough pain.
Ask to switch birth control pills. The combination pill (the kind that you are on) didn't help me very much either. Now I am on nordette (the same level of hormones three weeks, and then placebos for your period) and it helps a lot more. Also, if your periods are too painful you can skip your period. Just go straight from you last row of active pills to your new pack of pills. You just have to let yourself have a period every third month. Now, this may or may not work for you. It kind of works for me, but I still get light cramps and spotting. Some people get their period anyway, and some don't get a period at all. It is worth a shot if your pain is as severe as you say it is.
Their are more complications with pregnancy when you have endo than their are without it, but for the main part you should be happy pregnant. Pregnancy is the only thing that keeps endo under control and your pain should be relieved. However, there is a higher chance of miscarrying so you would just have to be extra careful those first few months.
I am not trying to worry you, but just to give you the facts. Advil would be the only over the counter med that would work (because it is an anti-inflammitory) but if that doesn't work then you would have to go on prescription pain pills. Not necessarily strong, mind controlling ones, but ones that would specifically target your pain.
That is all I can think of for now....Let me know if you have any questions!

I live in the us, but I think I get put on the back burner a lot because i'm on student health insurance, and I am young and timid... I'm going to start getting more aggressive about this though, when someone is sick, they need assistance regardless of their age and social class. It makes me sad that i've been given the run-around, and a little angry too.



i've thought of doing this, but am concerned that it will interfere with my cycle, making conception even harder when I come off the pill. What are the physical effects of continually taking the hormones? I know it would make me not have my period, or at least have a strong feeling of that, because even on the rare occasion when my period comes a day or two late, it always ends as soon as I start my new pack. Sometimes I only have two or three days of bleeding because of this (the cramps etc. Still last a week though) but the bleeding is usually a lot heavier when it comes a few days late. I'll ask about switching birth control- really the main reason i'm on ortho is because I could get it through the college at a discounted price ($10 a pack!) but now the discount is no longer available, and if it means feeling better, I should look into switching! When I started the pill, it made me severely nautious for weeks, will I repeat that if I switch, or will my body not be able to tell? It's probably different for everyone though...

Wow, I didn't realize I had so many questions when I first posted!
-eff

Okay, where to start.Lol.
Yes, I am also very shy/timid (believe it or not!) and get the runaround also. I try to put my foot down, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But, this is your health and your life and you need to tell them how it is! But, I would seriously consider going to a different doctor and seeing if they will get you into a specialist sooner.
If you have a family planning type clinic in your area then you can get b/c pills discounted. I pay $10/pack for nordette, whereas ortho was $8.
My doc told me that skipping your period is absolutely fine as long as you let yourself have a period every three months. I honestly do not think that this affects you any more than taking the pill the "normal" way. But, like I said, it may or may not help you. However, they actually recommend this to people who have really bad periods. Therefore, it may help you a lot.
Speed of conception after you get off of birth control really just depends on your body. Some people get pregnant right away whereas some peope wait a year or two. But, if I were you I would worry right now about keeping your pain under control. Even if you do get your laproscopic surgery done and they find/cut out endo tissue, staying on the pill will help keep the tissue from growing back. No, it will not stop the tissue from coming back, but it will slow the process. This way, when you are ready to go off of the pill and try for a baby, you will still be more fertile than you were before the surgery.
I don't know if switching pills will make you sick or not. Ortho (when I tried it) mad me sick and I had to stop using it. Nordette didn't make me sick at all. The only side effect I get now on this pill is breast tenderness. But, it is starting to not be as bad. So, anyway, that really depends on your body and how you react to the pill.
I hope this made sense. Let me know if you have anymore questions or if I didn't answer one!