NINA FARINA

Birth Control Post #4 Could be #5 I lost count

This one is graphic. More so than the others. About two years ago I stopped taking oral contraceptives. I wanted to stop messing with my bodies hormones. Little did I know that for years my body's hormones were messing with me....

Really all my issues started when I was 15 and I was kicked from doctor to doctor and they either told me that my pills were to blame and I should switch and eventually I was told to stop and see how my body does by itself.

Well my body has been kicking my ass the past few months, severe pain when I had my periods, each period was longer and heavier, nausea when I had my period, leg pains, frequently going to the bathroom when I had my period, bowel problems and the most fun was pain during sex. I have been given a billion STD test and two sonograms and they never saw anything so the doctors sent me on my way (my favorite was the doctor who just told me to take a ton of ibuprofen to deal with the pain and that was that).

Thanks to my mom (in a really sad way) I now know what is wrong with me. My mom's cyst (the major surgery she had in January) were the results of endometriosis. It takes a woman an average of 11 years to get a diagnosis. All my problems started when I was 15, because my medical care was so jumpy (being off insurance, on insurance and at different schools) no one could string all my symptoms together. Well after bleeding for 16 days and doing my own research I realized that I have what my mom had. And it is a little scary,

Meriam-Webster definition of endometriosis

"the presence and growth of functioning endometrial tissue in places other than the uterus that often results in severe pain and infertility"

The only way to confirm endo is through laprascopy and I don't want one of those. (un)Forunately, with a mom who is diagnosed and having every single one of the symptoms (I did not list them all but I do) I found someone who is willing to put me on hormone therapy without a laproscopy. I remind myself my mother successfully had four kids with this disease. I get a little nervous because she had two of them by the time she was the age I am now. Getting pregnant is generally good for those with endometriosis because it suppresses periods for a while (and with each period it gets worse).

So I am now on a pill where I will only get my period every 3 months. The doctor flat out told me I really should have my first child by the time I am thirty because the longer I wait the harder it will be. 30%-40% of women with endometriosis are subfertile or infertile. All these years the reason birth control may have worked so well for me is that I could be subfertile...but again mom had four kids with no fertility drugs so hush evil part of my head that likes to worry.

I hope the pain that I have been having the past few months goes away. I don't think any cyst have developed and I think supressing my periods will work. I get a little scared but John and I will find out how much of a toll this has taken on my body a few years from now I guess. The good thing is having been on the pill for six years, practing yoga and taking magnesium/calcium should have also supressed it. The attack I have had is probably a result of bar stress and my uncle dying stress (because stress will always manifest itself some way). I regret stopping doing my yoga cause I was busy but at least I know what I can do to keep things from getting worse.