Laparoscopy or no?

With your combination of symptoms, I would highly recommend surgery. This is coming from someone who has had four surgeries and my first lap, which I was quite scared about and didn't want to do, diagnosed endometriosis. Having that knowledge was highly valuable and allowed me to manage my care properly. Further, the doctor will be able to determine what kind of cyst you have. If it is an endometrioma, it is vital to have it removed. I had recurring endometriomas that ruptured (extremely painful) and they are often a sign of more advanced disease. With more advanced disease, you can have adhesions that glue your organs together, and that causes even more complicated issues. The crappy thing about endo is that doctors cannot definitively diagnose without surgery, and in this case, I would say it is definitely worth the recovery period. Better to know than not know. Please feel free to reach out with more questions. ~Katrina, Endometriosis.net Advocate

hi there Colleen. I just wanted to chime in and say, I agree with what Katrina said. I too have had 4 surgeries already. My first surgery where I finally found a doctor
who would do it to look for endometriosis, was the surgery I needed for that confirmation and realization that I wasn't making things up. That it wasn't all in my head,
I did indeed have endometriosis. No more wondering what the heck was going on. I finally had an answer and it was the best thing I could have done. Of course, the journey
itself isn't an easy one. But I am grateful for that one doctor and that first surgery. And again, like Katrina said, right now, there really is no other way to diagnose endometriosis for sure,
except surgery. Sometimes it may show up on a scan but it is very rare. All of my scans always missed it. Because of how much it sounds like you are suffering and everything
you are dealing with, I would definitely say surgery is the next best course of action. I think the cons of surgery is that, it can grow back and one surgery may turn into 2, 3, 4... but
to have that peace of mind to have actual answers, is worth all of the things that come to follow. I want you to know I felt the same way before my surgery. In fact, I still feel that
way before every surgery. So you are not alone. If you have any more questions or just want to talk, especially leading up to your surgery, please reach out. Here for you anytime.
Sending you big hugs and good thoughts. I hope you get the answers and relief you need <3 -Kimberli (endometriosis.net advocate)

You’ve already heard some great advice from Katrina and Kimberli, but I’ll offer up my two cents. I definitely think my laparoscopies have been helpful, especially when it comes to pain with sex.
I couldn’t physically have intercourse until after my first laparoscopy — I had too much scar tissue in the way. I also had endometriomas removed at the same time, which also caused pain nausea and vomiting. That sickness went away after they were removed.

With that said, some of the pain you’re describing after sex could be from pelvic floor tension. That’s been the case for me. What happens is the pelvic floor muscles around my butt and vagina can spasm during sex and after orgasm because of chronic tightness. For me, this can lead to intense pain that radiates pretty far and that causes serious nausea (with or without a cyst) for 5 to 45 minutes. In addition to removing the cysts through surgery, pelvic floor therapy to reduce tension helped ease that post-sex pain for me.
I also had a third surgery in 2021. This was my first excision. And the doctor removed endometriosis and other abnormal tissue under and around my uterus and ligaments. And now I have NO pain with sex at all thanks to that surgery. A first for me.

I’ve always been told that surgery may be necessary to remove cysts with blood or other tissue — fluid-filled cysts tend to come and go a lot on their own. My doctors have also been worried about further complications caused by cysts that may burst or cause ovarian torsion. That’s why they’ve always suggested I remove larger cysts through surgery. I hope this helps give you a little more info to make your decision! Let us know how things go! - Keri (team member)

Thank you guys so much for your input it is greatly appreciated. Am I correct in thinking and with my research that if I have an endometrioma that my endometriosis is more severe than not? Doctor said everything else on my ultrasound looks good, so I'm confused. I assume the surgery with tell us exactly what I'm dealing with? What should I expect after surgery. I do physical therapy for a living and want to know if a week off is enough or if I will need more. I'm such an indecisive person , but you are all helping and I'd say opening my eyes.
Thank you all sooo much!