Anyone have Endometriosis but with no symptoms??

Hi Ladies,

Im looking for opinions here or past experience stories.

Yesterday, I had an OBGYN appt; and after explaining all my various IF visits to different fertility doctors and the treatments I was given; all boiled down to no explanation as to why Im not getting PG. She then asked me if I was ever tested for Endometriosis.

I said Im sure they ruled that out. She said no, if you havent had surgery; then you most likely never were. Well, she was right, I never was!!!! She ended up making a call to Dr. Rosenfeld who she works closely with to ask him if its routine for fertility drs to test for this on patients; and he said, no, not anymore.

She wants me to go see him as a consultation. Im not crazy about it; but I will go see him. But what I really need now; is to rule this out. If he isnt willing to do this; I need to find someone that is willing to perform this surgery on me. I wish there was an easier way for them to test this other than opening me up.

My periods are and have always been every 28 days; some cramping; but nothing a few Aleve cant fix. But she said that didnt matter and now Im petrified. Over 3 years of Unexplained IF.......is just BS! There is always an answer! If these doctors only dig a little deeper in getting to the root of our problems and helping us achieve what we really want. Instead pushing IVF and taking our money each visit and not caring for any answers.

Sorry; this just really fng ****** me off yesterday!!!!!!!! I find it ironic how my OBGYN asks me this question but none of the IF doctors asked me once!

Sooooo, if you have gone thru something similar.......please tell me your story; or experience.

Thanks!!

Re: Anyone have Endometriosis but with no symptoms??

i'm so sorry you are upset and frustrated! usually, doctors do not suspect endo unless you have symptoms. which just is not the case! if you research a little, there is no correlation between symptoms, degree of endo and infertility. it really is a disease that not too much is known about.

i was diagnosed with minimal endo after having surgery (the surgery was to remove an ectopic pregnancy). the ONLY way to give a definite diagnosis is through surgery. the surgery isn't terrible. it's done through 3 very small incisions. they look for lesions and any other signs of endo. they are usually able to remove them at the same time.

i can't tell you for sure if they could be adding to your infertility. for me, i don't think it was. my issues are really tubal factor. but some believe that, depending on the degree, it can cause immune system issues or issues with your anatomy (lesions on the tubes which would prevent implantation).

the problem with endo is that most doctors would rather not put you through the surgery unless they really suspect it is an issue, and there is conflicting evidence on whether or not removing the lesions in fact does help you get pregnant. like i said, not much is known and everyone has a different opinion.

i can't tell you which way to go. you have to go with your gut. if you suspect it may be a problem, there are plenty of RE's that will do the surgery for you. FM me anytime!

ETA: i had ZERO symptoms. periods were light, regular, no bad cramping, none of the usual symptoms.

Message edited 4/1/2011 9:22:59 AM.

Re: Anyone have Endometriosis but with no symptoms??

Thanks so much!

I think Im going to push for the Laparoscopy. I need to either rule it out or get an answer.

Re: Anyone have Endometriosis but with no symptoms??

Did you ever have an HSG to check for blockages? I know a RE would check for this.

I have endo with no symptoms. I did have a polyp that was causing mid cycle spotting though. My Dr. (Pillitteri) did a routine HSG to check and found the blockage. Then I had a lap to remove the polyps and endo. Now I just had testing done with the RE to determine if it's an immune issue. Endo can hinder fertility b/c it's an autoimmune disease, but it doesn't always. Endo is one of the reasons people go to the RE.

Re: Anyone have Endometriosis but with no symptoms??

Yes, I had an HSG about 2 years ago when I first started to see an RE. All was clear. I mentioned that to my DR; and she said even an HSG wouldnt show Endo; unless of course there were other issues that surfaced.

Its weird.......about a year ago for almost a whole year I would spot (brown) about 2 days before AF would arrive. I read that was a symptom. I'd say the past 10 months or so; I havent had any spotting before AF.

Oh, I also have an elevated IGG level. Which I also read can be linked.

Re: Anyone have Endometriosis but with no symptoms??

I didn't know I had endo until it was confirmed and then all of the "odd" things during my cycle made sense.

I also had the brown spotting a couple of days before AF. Brown spotting during O time. I also felt pain during intercourse. It progressively got worse and that is when my OBGYN decided to run some test for Endo. Basically I had an internal ultrasound at the hospital and they detected it that way.

Has your doc mentioned about trying an ultrasound to get a better idea if a Lap is needed?

Re: Anyone have Endometriosis but with no symptoms??

She mentioned an ultrasound but then kept mentioning the surgery.

When I meet w/ Dr. Rosenfeld in a few weeks, Im going to ask if hed be willing to do a sono first before cutting me up, ya know?

Thanks for mentioning it since you just confirmed for me that definitley can be done first!!!

Re: Anyone have Endometriosis but with no symptoms??

I have endo and did have a lap a few years. My ob/gyn found the cyst on my ovary by doing an internal sono...that was the only time it was ever mentioned to me that i may have endo!

during the surgery my doc said he also found lots of scar tissue (which is a symptom of endo) which he was able to remove all of it. The surgery is not bad at all.

someone mentioned earlier that surgery is the only way to diagnosis endo and that is correct.. it is so hard to determine if you have endo only based on symptoms. If i didnt have a cyst i probably would have never known i had endo. The internal sono didnt show the adhesions.

good luck & if you strongly feel that you need the surgery to rule out endo then you should def push for it

Re: Anyone have Endometriosis but with no symptoms??

Re: Anyone have Endometriosis but with no symptoms??

RE's would definitely do an ultrasound before they even consider surgery. Good Luck!!!

Re: Anyone have Endometriosis but with no symptoms??