#atozchallenge - E is for Endometriosis

Endometriosis is the name given to a medical condition where the lining of the womb ends up in places where it shouldn't. I first heard of it in an episode of House of all places where it was featuring as the case of the week, but I never thought it was something that I was or would experience.

Sure, I've always suffered with my periods. Even before they started I suffered badly from migraines each month, which all but stopped once I hit puberty but were replaced with severe cramps, nausea and other unpleasantness. It really never occurred to me that this wasn't normal and there weren't really any female family members I could talk to about it.

So I dealt with it. I found some yoga stretches that helped and I'd dose myself up with painkillers each month, and I survived.

It wasn't something I thought too much about until I was married and we started trying for a baby that I started paying more attention to my cycle and started wondering if things weren't quite right. My suspicions were confirmed last March when I had a laparoscopy to find out why we'd been trying for over two years to start a family without success.

The endometriosis has led to scarring on my Fallopian tubes which explains the lack of baby after three years now. I'm not sure if anything could have been done to prevent that had I seen a doctor sooner, it feels a bit silly asking that now because it's too late. I think one of the main treatments is birth control which was never something I really fancied, though knowing what I know now maybe I'd feel differently.

Meanwhile, I'm still struggling with the endo. It's like since I got the diagnosis my body has notched things up a level and some months it's been about ten times worse than it used to be. I'm still trying to find a painkiller that actually works and takes away the pain but doesn't make me feel nauseous/loopy/like cheese is something worth crying about. I'm sure I'll find something that'll work eventually.