HRT cutoff...how long to heal naturally from endo?

in April of '07 I had a total hysterectomy - TAH/BSO - ovaries gone, everything gone due to severe endo and adeno. my doctor tried to put me on HRT, since I was 39 at the time and didn't really want to go through life without hormones yet.

Symptoms returned and this past February he went back in with laparo and found that the endo had come back with a vengeance, and he didn't even try and remove any, most of it was all over my intestines and he felt it would've endangered them to try and remove the endo.

so he stitched me back up and cut me completely off of estrogen, that's really the only thing he did to solve it. so basically I left knowing that all of a sudden I was going to have to go through menopause immediately cold turkey, plus my body still had all of the endo lesions and adhesions.

my question is if you decide to kill endo by stopping HRT, how long does it take for your tissue to heal? I know the estrogen leaves gradually... wondering if after 6 months my tissue is healed. Another question....I am assuming there will be scar tissue where the endo was?.....if so, is this still going to cause problems even without any estrogen or endo left? Am I still going to need to go back and have scar tissue removed after all of this? Worried about pain, especially during sex due to remaining scar tissue.

just trying to figure out how long it takes to heal from this. I of course am also dealing with menopause, but that's for another forum board, just wondering if some of my struggle might be related to my body still healing. any wisdom appreciated, Google was a black hole of a nightmare trying to find answers.

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Originally Posted by thisonegoesto11 my question is if you decide to kill endo by stopping HRT, how long does it take for your tissue to heal?

I am sorry to have to tell you this, but endometriosis can create its own supply of estrogen and be self-sustaining. Going off of estrogen isn't necessarily going to do anything for you except open the door to new health issues that are the result of no or low estrogen. They key for successfully treating endometriosis is to skillfully excise it, something your surgeon did not do at the time of your hysterectomy or recent surgery. As long as endometriosis exists, it can cause problems ovaries or not, HRT or not.

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Another question....I am assuming there will be scar tissue where the endo was?.....if so, is this still going to cause problems even without any estrogen or endo left?

Endometriosis doesn't just magically disappear or every woman with endometriosis would have her ovaries removed and not touch ERT for however long it took for endometriosis to go away. Again, endometriosis can create its own supply of estrogen whether we have ovaries or use ERT. There are also many other ways to introduce estrogen to the body including dietary means and the fat cells producing and storing estrone.

Adhesions are often mixed in with the endometriosis because of the inflammation issues that go along with endometriosis and because endometriosis is trying to bleed but there is no place for the blood to go.

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Am I still going to need to go back and have scar tissue removed after all of this?

Surgery to remove adhesions causes more adhesions. And like I said, endometriosis isn't going to magically disappear without estrogn and leave behind adhesions. If you have adhesions, they are going to remain. If you have endometriosis, it is likely going to remain as well unless you find a treatment option that does cause it to go into a remission type state. Even then, once you stop the treatment it can flare right back up again. Without using ERT it is possible your symptoms will reside, but that in no way means the endometriosis has actually disappeared. Women in menopause can have endometriosis issues, menopause is not a cure.

I would strongly advise you to find a more knowledgeable physician to help you. You need someone who is able to treat endometriosis and not assume it will disappear without ERT. An endometriosis specialist would be a really good choice. I saw mine specifically to have endometriosis excised from my bowel walls. Once he excised everything, I have been endometriosis pain and symptom free even with two ovaries produce far more estrogen than a woman uses as part of HRT. The key is removing the endometriosis implants, not depriving us of estrogen which can be critical for overall health.

I do wish you the best and hope you will use the resources at the top of this forum to help you find a doctor who can help you.

in there!

thanks for the info. pretty discouraging and sufficiently scared, but I appreciate your help. I'll find a specialist.

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Originally Posted by thisonegoesto11 thanks for the info.

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pretty discouraging and sufficiently scared, but I appreciate your help.

Sometimes I think I shouldn't reply as I know I have to pass on bad news. But, if that information can help a woman find a better doctor and make more informed decisions, then maybe she, too, can become a success story like me!

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I'll find a specialist.

Best wishes in your search! There are a couple articles that should help.

thanks so much. I don't know what I'd do without this site.