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My Endometriosis Story

Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue that normally grows in the uterus begins to grow elsewhere in the body, causing infertility and pain throughout the menstrual cycle. One out of ten women suffer from this chronic illness, and there is currently no cure.

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When I was fourteen, my period began getting really painful. Over the course of a few months, my cramps and bleeding were becoming progressively worse. By October, the pain was causing me to miss school even when I wasn’t on my period.

Around November, my mom took me to my first gynecologist appointment. I told my doctor my symptoms and family history, and she became really concerned about endometriosis. This condition can only be diagnosed through a surgery called a laparoscopy, but she didn’t want to perform it on me because I was only fifteen at the time. Instead, she offered me a choice between prescription pain medication and hormonal birth control pills. I didn’t want to take the pain medication and my mom didn’t want me on birth control because I was seeing someone at the time, so I left the office with nothing.

A few months later, my cramps were getting even worse. I called my gynecologist, and she set up a pelvic ultrasound to check for ovarian cysts. In preparation for the procedure, I was asked to drink thirty-something ounces of water an hour in advance of my appointment. I tried to do as they asked, but I felt like my bladder was going to burst after about twenty ounces. I was in so much pain that the ultrasound tech got me in for my appointment early. As she was performing the ultrasound, I started crying because my pelvic area hurt so badly from the pressure of the wand. Ultrasound techs are usually very good at hiding their emotions/reactions in front of patients, but she was giving me sympathetic looks throughout the entire procedure.

My ultrasound showed that I had one cyst on my ovary, but my doctor said that it was normal because my body was preparing for ovulation. She offered me pain medication and birth control once again, but I declined both and left the office with nothing once more.

In July of that same year, I began having health issues unrelated to my menstrual cycle. Because of that, I lost a lot of weight and my period stopped. I went months without a period, and I felt normal for the first time in a year.

My period finally returned in January. At first, it seemed relatively normal— my cramps weren’t debilitating, and I wasn’t bleeding heavily. However, the pain began to return over the course of the next few months. By March, my periods were just as bad as ever. I went a few months with this pain until things took a turn for the worst in June.

My period in June was the worst I’ve ever had. On the first day of my period, I had completely debilitating cramps. I spent three hours on the couch crying, unable to walk, popping Midol, and trying not to throw up from the excruciating pain. During that time, I promised myself that I would never go through this again. I called my gynecologist and set up an appointment for the following week.

When I explained my latest health issues and symptoms to my doctor, she became extremely concerned about the possibility that I had endometriosis. She still didn’t want to perform a laparoscopy to officially diagnose it because I’m only sixteen, but she insisted that we had to do something about it. Pain medication wasn’t working to ease my symptoms anymore, so she offered me birth control pills once again. This time, my mom agreed to let me take it.

My doctor prescribed me a generic version of Minastrin 24 Fe, a medium-dose combination birth control pill. For those who don’t know what a combination pill is, it is a pill that contains both synthetic estrogen and progesterone. These hormones help level out hormone levels throughout the menstrual cycle to prevent ovulation. The benefits of this pill includes the following: prevention of pregnancy, lighter and shorter periods, reduction of acne, and treatment of conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

For my specific pill, I take twenty-four active pills (pills with hormones) and four placebo pills (reminder pills without hormones). The active pills will deliver hormones into my body to prevent ovulation. The placebo pills act as a reminder to take my pill every day, and I will get my period for this time. According to research, most people with periods who use this pill have periods that last three days or less.

I was very concerned about the possible side effects of the pill, specifically nausea/vomiting and worsening of mood (ex: depression). However, I’ve been on the pill for two days now, and I haven’t had any nausea or depression so far. On my first day, I was drowsy, didn’t have much of an appetite, and had a headache all day, but this was likely because I took my birth control at the same time as my anti-anxiety medication. I’m currently on my second day of the pill, and I’m not having those side effects at all.

As a sixteen-year-old, I know how daunting it can be to put artificial hormones in your body as a teenager. For anyone who is considering going on the pill for any reason, I’ll be updating how I’m doing on this specific pill and how it’s affecting my endometriosis.

Sincerely,

Taylor Grace

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