I recently visited the ER for severe lower left abdominal pain. And I was told that it could be Endometriosis which was something I never heard about until then. The pain started back in August of last year and no one knew what it was. I have had a laparoscopy at that time and still, nothing but yet the pain still proceeded. When I had the procedure done, I was also having my period and the pain went away when I stopped but I thought nothing of it. I switched to a new birth control back in December (seasonal- every 91 weeks you menstrate) to see if that would help. I noticed that a month and a half before a actually was suppose to start I would start spotting. Sometimes heavy, sometimes light but it didn't ever stop. Then two weeks before I was suppose to start, I would get severe pains in my lower left side. And it has reacured every time I menstrate. I have had this particular problem since I was 15 when I was rushed to the ER because I had a cyst that had rupptured on my left ovary and since then, every time I am suppose to menstrate, I get severe pains and they turn extreme during the actual week that I start. This past Sunday I was told that it could be Endometriosis and I asked what is the procedure and I was told that I would have to have a laparoscopy and what ever needed to be removed off my uterus would be done at that time. My question is: What are the risk factors of having the Endometriosis removed and how great are they and if it is remeoved, what could the effects be with fertility? How great are my odds of having children after this procedure? I am only twenty and I have a daughter and her father and I want to have another child within the next three years. Please, I need exact answers because I have found nothing that really answers anything and I have studied every web site. .

There is no cure for endometriosis, but there are good treatments. You may need to try several treatments to find what works best for you. With any treatment, there is a chance that your symptoms could come back.

Treatment choices depend on whether you want to control pain or you want to get pregnant. For pain and bleeding, you can try medicines or surgery. If you want to get pregnant, you may need surgery to remove the implants.

Treatments for endometriosis include:

* Over-the-counter pain medicines like ibuprofen (such as Advil or Motrin). These medicines are called anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. They can reduce bleeding and pain.
* Birth control pills. They are the best treatment to control pain and shrink implants. Most women can use them safely for years. But you cannot use them if you want to get pregnant.
* Hormone therapy. This stops your periods and shrinks implants. But it can cause side effects, and pain may come back after treatment ends. Like birth control pills, hormone therapy will keep you from getting pregnant.
* Laparoscopy to remove implants and scar tissue. This may reduce pain, and it may also help you get pregnant.

As a last resort for severe pain, some women have their uterus and ovaries removed (hysterectomy and oophorectomy). If you have your ovaries taken out, your estrogen level will drop and your symptoms will probably go away. But you may have symptoms of menopause, and you will not be able to get pregnant.

Hidden I am sorry to hear about your situation, because went through the same thing. I was diagnosed at sixteen years old after being bounced from one doctor to another and on prescription pain pills for almost a year. I finally went to a great gyno who was weary about doing laparoscopy, because I was so young, and tested me for almost everything under the sun before doing it. I don't know if you have talked to your doctor about it, but there are a few risks such as puncturing of the bladder. I did have one done right before my seventeenth birthday. It was an outpatient surgery and I recovered quickly. I had little pain after the surgery, mostly just the incisions hurt, which ibuprofen took care of. After the surgery, the doctor gave me pictures of what they had found. I had the implants severe on my right ovary and large amounts of adhesions which were pulling on my uterus. It has been five years since the surgery, and unfortunately, I am beginning to get symptoms again. Some of the things are personal, I know, so if you would like to PM me that would be fine and I can tell you more about my experience.