A little education

I don't want to bore those who are already way too familiar with endo, but for those who aren't and think they may have it, here is some info from wikipedia:

"Endometriosis is a debilitating medical condition in females in which endometrial-like cells appear and flourish in areas outside the uterine cavity, most commonly on the ovaries. The uterine cavity is lined by endometrial cells, which are under the influence of female hormones. These endometrial-like cells in areas outside the uterus (endometriosis) are influenced by hormonal changes and respond similarly as do those cells found inside the uterus. Symptoms often worsen in time with the menstrual cycle.

Endometriosis is typically seen during the reproductive years; it has been estimated that it occurs in roughly 5% to 10% of women.^[1] Symptoms may depend on the site of active endometriosis. Its main but not universal symptom is pelvic pain in various manifestations. Endometriosis is a common finding in women with infertility.

Symptoms: (also from wiki)

Pelvic pain

A major symptom of endometriosis is recurring pelvic pain. The pain can be mild to severe cramping that occurs on both sides of the pelvis, to the lower back and rectal area and even down the legs. The amount of pain a woman feels is not necessarily related to the extent or stage (1 through 4) of endometriosis. Some women will have little or no pain despite having extensive endometriosis affecting large areas or having endometriosis with scarring. On the other hand, women may have severe pain even though they have only a few small areas of endometriosis. However, pain does typically worsen with severity. Symptoms of endometriosic-related pain may include ^[2]:

• dysmenorrhea – painful, sometimes disabling cramps; pain may get worse over time (progressive pain), also lower back pains linked to the pelvis
• chronic pelvic pain – typically accompanied by lower back pain or abdominal pain
• dyspareunia – painful sex
• dysuria – urinary urgency, frequency, and sometimes painful voiding

[edit] Infertility

Many women with infertility have endometriosis. As endometriosis can lead to anatomical distorsions and adhesions (the fibrous bands that form between tissues and organs following recovery from an injury), the causality may be easy to understand; however, the link between infertility and endometriosis remains enigmatic when the extent of endometriosis is limited.^[3] It has been suggested that endometriotic lesions release factors which are detrimental to gametes or embryos, or, alternatively, endometriosis may more likely develop in women who fail to conceive for other reasons and thus be a secondary phenomenon; for this reason it is preferable to speak of endometriosis-associated infertility^[4] in such cases.

The only real way to diagnose endo is by having a laparoscopy. The endo tissue can be just a speck some where and still cause horrible pain. IT CAN NOT BE DETECTED BY ANY KIND IF IMAGING. If a doctor has you have and MRI, and says I don't see anything, find a new doctor-- get to a specialist. Even through trans-vaginal sonogram, it's never definitive.

I had the procedure done in 2008. Before then many doctors thought I was slightly hysterical about the pain. I finally found a specialist and he said it was a no brainer to do the lap and check me out. It ended up being just about every where. My ovaries, my tubes, my uterus, my bladder, and uterine wall. He was able to remove it all and not have to remove any of my reproductive organs thank G-d. It's really an important procedure to have done if you want to know if you are suffering from this disease. Keep in mind, the most frustrating part of this disease is that there is no cure. Because there's no cure, there are also no guarantees with how anyone will respond to any treatment. It's a case by case basis. And every person is different. It's a crap shoot with each woman.