laparoscopy vs. hysterectomy

What do you mean by laparaoscopy vs hysterectomy? Do you mean just excision of the endo vs removing your uterus? I just had to make that decision and chose to do excision with hysterectomy. It was robotic assisted laparoscopy and they removed my uterus, cervix, and tubes through my vagina. So I had a total hysterectomy plus a salpingectomy. They did not remove my ovaries. There is lots of data on the life long value of keeping healthy un-diseased ovaries at any age. Only hysterectomy will treat adeno pain. I've read that endo cycts on ovaries can re-occur because its impossible to see the tiny lesions that can eventually grow. Dig and dig to find a true endometriosis specialist because they are like no doctor I have ever had before. They will believe you and tell you your own life story and that you deserve to life as high a quality of life as possible. They will not tell you that pain is normal. I started with the list on iCare and went with a colleague of someone on that list. I literally went to 14 doctors and specialists in 18 months before I chose my surgeon. The last 4 were all good options but the last worked with my insurance and had the shortest wait. I was told repeatedly that what I was going through was normal for a woman my age and that I needed to lower my expectations. That I just needed to wait 4-6 months for my body to adjust to something that turned out to have gone terribly wrong. The amount of self advocacy that needs to be done is shameful but it is necessary and worth it! Get multiple opinions from expert surgeons. All of our stories are important but at the end of the day we are all unique and what we decide or need isn't going to be exactly the same for you.


Good luck and you deserve to feel great!

great question! Of course, we are not medical professionals so cannot tell you what to do or offer too much advice. But the only treatment for Adenomyosis is hysterectomy. So in a sense, a hysterectomy would be helpful in that way. But a hysterectomy for endometriosis, is not always promised. Many women do find relief, but because endometriosis can grow basically anywhere, there is definitely a great chance of it coming back. Laparoscopy (excision done by a specialist or a at least a really skilled GYN who knows what he/she are doing) can be helpful with endometriosis. Some have a great surgeon and find relief for a while. Some, like myself, don't find relief and continue to have surgery every few years. It's definitely a hard decision to make because at the end of the day it has to be what you think will be best for you and help you find relief. I am pretty sure I have adeno too and that's the one reason I would definitely get a hysterectomy, to at least help with the pain from that and get rid of it. But I know and fear, endometriosis will still be an issue in the long run. I would absolutely consider getting a couple of opinions and maybe even looking into a specialist if you don't have one yet. They may be better at guiding you to what may be best. Either way, hoping you do find the solution that works best for you, and you find all the relief too <3 Sending you hugs and good thoughts. Do keep us posted and reach out if you have any more questions. -Kimberli (team member)

Hi ! I wanted to see how you're feeling about the decision of getting a partial hysterectomy. It's something I've considered, but I still have lots of questions. And I don't feel quite ready. But I'm always talking to other people about their decision-making process. Keep us updated on things are going! - Keri (endometriosis.net team member)