Decisions Decisions?

Hey everyone,

I am in search for advice. I am leaning heavily toward a hysterectomy but I feel like I need to do my homework. I have been dealing with very heavy periods and pain for a few years now. In the last 6 months its gotten much worse. My last period there were moments when I thought I needed to go to the hospital for the pain. I had an ultrasound and spoke with the doctor today. I have a few fibroids about 3 cm inside my uterous. The doctor said he didnt think my pain was from the fibroids and that my uterous was only slightly enlarged. He laid out my options , birth control pills, iud, abalation and hysterectomy. I am single and 44 year old and never had a child, one miscarriage 6 years ago. I believe at 44 that the chance of a child now is slim and I am thinking of my quality of life. I feel like my life stops for 10 days, i usually spend two days out of work curlled in a ball with heating pad and go thru too many pads and accidents to count. The doctor says that he thinks it may be endometrios causing the pain and he said I should make the decision based on the quality of life I want. Its interesting who i talk to about this, I can see there bias immediately. Its hard to feel like your getting an objective opinion. One other factor to consider is that my older sister had ovarian cancer about 7 years ago and that is always in the back of my mind that i may be predisposed to ovarian cancer. I am very overweight and also think that the horrible cycles help to get me off track when i want to make a difference with my weight. My peroid starts and derails me. I realize today I didnt know what questions to ask the doctor. How do they know if i have endometrious? I feel like in my readings that most people feel like the abalation works for a while but most end up with the hysterectomy. I dont want to postpone the inevitable I just dont want the pain anymore. This last cycle was even painful after the bleeding stopped, that was a first and kinda scary, feeling my uteroous pulsing and the pressuer on my bladder even after the cycle was over, that just doesnt seem right. So what questions do I need to be asking my doctor? I need some quidance on how to navigate this decision process. Thanks
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Personally, I can't wait until I have my hysterectomy and I no longer have to worry about any of it. I've read so many times about how women can't believe they waited so long, or how they wished they had done it sooner. How much better their life is post-hysterectomy. The surgery is no picnic, but the quality of life afterwards was very worth the surgery. Just my opinion. Good luck

I am glad you have found our site and I hope that we are able to offer you the information and support you are looking for! Besides posting your questions in the forums, you may also want to look through our Articles and Resources. Additionally, if you click on Alternatives in the blue bar at the top of the page you will find articles, questions, and resources that can help you work through your decision process.

Before having a hysterectomy for suspected endometriosis, I would suggest asking your doctor about a laparoscopy. For one, a hysterectomy is not a cure for endometriosis. So if you have this condition, you want to know about it so you can find a skilled doctor who will be able to skillfully remove it. Any of it that is missed can continue to cause problems down the road and not all doctors are able to recognize and remove all of it. I finally had surgery with an endometriosis specialist several years after my hysterectomy in order to alleviate my endometriosis pain and issues.

You might want to read through our Endometriosis Resources to learn more about this condition before you make any decisions. The key for treating endometriosis is excision of the endometriosis, not the removal of one's reproductive organs.

You might also ask about a hysteroscopy to see what might be going on inside your uterus. Knowing your specific diagnoses can help you make better decisions.

Because of your sister's diagnose, I would also suggest seeing if you can talk to a gynecological oncologist about your risks for ovarian cancer. You may also want to consider some genetic testing and counseling.

Have you had a second opinion about might be best for you? Are you keeping a symptom journal that you can share with your doctor(s)?

I would not suggest rushing into this surgery at all. While there are women who have found it to be successful, there are others who did not. Personally, I had multiple complications that negatively impacted my life for many years. And since my surgery was for endometriosis, my hysterectomy wasn't a cure all and I required more surgery years after my hysterectomy.

I know it can be difficult to make this decision, especially since we can't see the outcome! If we had a crystal ball that let us look into the future and see how it would all turn out, it would make things so much simpler!

Wishing you well!