My Endometriosis

I’m sorry you’re dealing with some unwanted side effects. You’re definitely not alone there. I can’t give you medical advice, but I can share my experience. I could not tolerate birth control pills, and they did not prevent my cysts or endometriomas from coming back. I took pills and the vaginal ring off and on for many years in my mid-to-late 20s. I haven’t been on hormonal birth control for more than a decade, and my endometriosis didn’t “spread” uncontrollably in that time. I also haven’t developed any new endometriomas, and I had excision surgery in 2021 to check, along with repeat ultrasounds since. My doc found only one spot of endo under my uterus during surgery and that was likely missed by my previous surgeons.

With that said, my periods are still very painful. And I know some people say they have relief with the Mirena IUD as opposed to BC pills. That could be worth a conversation with your doc if your symptoms are severe. But there’s no good scientific evidence to show that hormonal therapy can get rid of endo or stop it from progressing. I hope this helps! - Keri (endometriosis.net team member)