I'm a little confused as to why the doctor wants you to do Depo before having a hysterectomy? I did Depo and it just made me bleed worse, but a lot of women get some relief from it. I guess the decision really depends on if you want to try to have kids later or not. A lot of women are told they are infertile, but end up having kids later. But I can understand wanting some relief. I also have adno, and if it wasn't for me wanting to try to have a baby next year, I would have my uterus removed in a minute if it meant no more bleeding and pain. I would recommend you maybe getting a second opinion.

I am in almost the same position as you. I am currently on the depo injection. To me it has just made things worse, as I now bleed all the time. I also can't have children due to my endo. I just know exactly how you feel. Sorry I can't offer any help or advice, but I just thought I would let you know that you are not alone. I now have the same decision to make

Depo Provra made me bleed all the time, too. I was also in a lot of pain, gained weight, and it made my emotions go completely haywire. No other medicine has messed with my head like that! I don't want to be the bearer of bad news or anything, but be careful, especially if you're already scared of it. I knew that it was a bad idea to take it for me, but I let my doctor talk me into it any way. Boy, was I wrong. :/ But I hope you get everything worked out!! My mom had endo, and when she had a hysterectomy, she never had another problem with it. I know some people still do, but you never know. I hope you find some relief!!

Depo before surgery will do nothing to help you. It only works following surgeries when you are all cleaned up and helps slow the endo. As for me, I had a total hysterectomy 2 years ago. I still get minor pain about once a week, but it's compared to what a normal cramp would be to normal women, nothing like what we have experienced. I too never had kids. That's a decision only you can make, quality of life or a small chance at having your own child. Some days I do regret my decision, but mostly I'm glad I did it. I'd say about 90% of the time. If you haven't tried depo right after a surgery, I would recommend that first though, to buy you some time. I also took cenestin with the depo and that kept the mood swings at bay.

Im sorry for you, ok, so, a hyst does help some women, but.. I had one and still have chronic pain, it grew back on bladder, bowel, ureter. Now I take pain meds and hormones, medical menopause is not fun. Even if you keep your ovaries, they have no blood supply and will eventually stop working. Def something to think about, good luck in your decision, can you fina a endo apecialist? not just a gyn.

Yea, I don't get why he/she wants to put you on provera THEN perform a hysterectomy! The thing that I've read about provera is either it works great or it's a complete nightmare. There is a 19 year old gal on here that was on provera and she got osteoporosis as a result. I was told to go on it and I absolutely refused as the injection would have lasted 3 months which scared the hell out of me due to I had no control once it was in. If the side effects would get really bad, I would have to live with it until it wears off. I eventually opted for the Lupron as I was given the monthly injection version. Needless to say, it was completely horrid!! If you had a bad time with zoladex ( which is pretty much the same as Lupron ) then my guess is you'll be just as sensitive to the provera.
Adenomyosis is pretty much endometriosis growing inside your uterus, so you're right, it will come back the same as anywhere else. I suppose if you had your uterus removed, that would take care of the pain from the adeno. BUT, if you have endo growing beyond the reproductive organs, a hysterectomy will fail. The idea is when he/she goes in to remove these organs, he/she will also remove all of the endo growing else where. I have to say that it is next to impossible to remove it all as it is "insidious" ( that is a quote from my endo. specialist ). Not only does it just grow on the organs, it can grow INSIDE ( perfect example: adenomyosis ) and is different in colors. Aside from all of that, I wouldn't accept any kind of removal unless it was excision. That is when the lesions are "cut out" at the root. If it's cauterized, ( or like to call it: "Using a magic wand" ) it usually grows back quickly.
I currently have Mirena in, which I am not very thrilled about, but I was willing to try it and it seemed to be the lesser evil. I've had it in since March 4th of this year and it has done nothing for the pain. I am very glad that the side effects only lasted about 2-3 weeks and not as bad, but I was hoping for some relief. I still have pain everyday which I see a pain specialist for.
As far as your fertility being non-existent, I would see a fertility specialist. If you want children, I think it would be worth your time and effort to check it out. A 2nd opinion is always a good idea, especially when it's for something as important as this. That is, if you are planning on having a family. My husband and I don't plan on having children but it doesn't matter, I refuse "surgical intervention". I love every part of being a woman and would much rather enter menopause naturally. I will embrace it as I have embraced all the changes my body has gone through my whole life. A woman's body goes through many stages, more than any of us even realize. I see it as a very powerful thing, it separates us from the rest of the animals! LOL! I know that must sound strange to most of you, but that is the pagan in me. Don't get me wrong, I could certainly do without the endo but it just goes to show how powerful the female anatomy/hormones really are.

SORRY!! I GOT A LITTLE TOO DEEP!!

I don't mean to scare you or tell you what to do. I just urge you to think about what you are willing to do with your body. There are alot of women that these types of treatments have done wonders for, but it wouldn't hurt any to get a 2nd opinion. Ultimately, it's yours and yours alone, don't be "bullied" by a doctor that has a possible "god complex". I'm not saying that yours has this and you may have a good rapport with him/her, and if that's the case, this is good. Trusting your doctor is half the battle sometimes but still look deeper before making a decision.

GOOD LUCK!!
&
STAY GOLD!!!
xoxoxo

I am sorry I can not be much help.

my drs have been trying to push birth control on me for the last few months now when I thought I was pregnant back in november. turned out I had a dermoid cyst which was causing the problems. ob removed the cyst and the endo that he found as well.

I keep telling my doctors over my dead body and I going back on birth control as I am not putting myself at risk for getting another Blood Clot. they want me to go on Mirena but I cant afford to pay for it myself. I also did some reading up on it and found out that it can cause cysts for some women.

You have at least one more treatment option...come read the thread on Femara started a few days ago. It's an experimental treatment, but definitely worth considering. Surgery does not guarantee that endo pain will go away.

I was on the depo shot for a while and got some relief from it. I didn't bleed, didn't have as severe of cramps, pain, or all the other lovely things that come frome endo. What made me stop was I found out that it increases your chance of breast cancer. For a girl whose already got a 75% chance of getting breast cancer it was no longer worth it. I wish Ihad known ths before or I never would have taken it even if it brought me a few months of managable pain. I'm also gonna have to agree with some of the other girls and say this sounds a little weird. I'd get a second opinion before making any plans.

Hi guys,

Thank you all so much for your replies and I've only decided one thing so far. I'm not going on depo provera. Since may 30th '10, I've had 4 very long heavy periods, so I've only had a few days of no bleeding in between. It has absolutely killed me, not only the pain but the horrendous mood swings, hot flushes and all the other hell that comes with it. So about 3 days ago after a particularly horrendous day, I came to the decision that I would not take the depo as I know that I will feel like that every day and I can't do it again. The zoladex were bad enough.

What isn't making it easier is the several dr's, nurses etc who in their opinion cannot understand and think I'm being "dramatic" for even hesitating with the depo. I have to keep telling myself, it's my body and I'm the one that is going through this and not them. Very hard though.

I agree when all of you say that you don't understand why she's putting me on them first, there is absolutely no reason for it in my opinion and many others opinions also like you ladies who have been through it all. And a second opinion is def what I'm going to do.

Thanks all again and I hope you're all getting some kind of relief from this damned disease.
x

i agree with all of the above and i urge you to look into the Femara thread. i was at the end of my rope and am just now starting this drug tomorrow. it's in a once a day pill form too. so, if it doesn't work...u can just stop taking it. it's definitely worth a try tho. i had 3laps (one with well known endo specialist) and 2 rounds of lupron...prior to learning about the Femara. it also seems to help with the adenomyosis which i have too...i know adeno sux big time because the treatment options are even more limited...but this one is worth a try. i want to like sswarning said...go through menopause naturally. besides, after being on lupron i REALLY don't want to suffer from early medical/surgical menopause. hugs! ~jen

Hey
Ive got Adeno too. Jenny and I thought we were the only ones for a while, lol!!
It is a very, very hard decision to make. I finally went with the partial-hysterectomy, to relieve the Adeno pain. Unfortunately, because Adeno is solely related to the uterus being inflamed, there is only one option to cure it completely and permanently. But, as Jenny has said, there are still options that could help you in the short-to medium term, like Femera.
Its such a huge and personal decision to make, and I had my mega-breakdowns with my partner prior to surgery, but you are the ONLY one who can decide whats best for you and what you can live with.
Im better than I was pre-survery (I had it end of March) but am still not 100%. Hysterectomys take a long time to recover from, so Im learning! so best you get as informed as you can be, and go from there:) Have a look at the website www.hystersisters.com if you'd like more info on recovery times and long-term issues:)

Hugs!

I am concerned with your statement, "I was also told that it's pretty certain I have adenomyosis." They don't know for sure before making such a drastic decision such as a hyst? All I can say hun is make sure you are 100 percent comfortable with you doctor! I know how hard it is to find an actual Endometriosis specialist, but if you can that is what I recommend. I finally did after years of being told some of the same things you are. I went to the CEC in Atlanta and after Excision surgery 2 years ago I am finally living a "normal" life for the first time in years! I have suffered from Endo symptoms (I didn't have Adeno) for over 18 years. I know the hopelessness feeling. Remember, doctors don't know everything and when it comes to Endometriosis they really don't know anything! ;) Hugs.