Have you had a laparoscopy as a treatment for endometriosis?

Yes, I've had two. One was done just to diagnose me, as the surgeon admitted she didn't know enough of the disease to remove any adhesions. The second was done by a specialist (almost 2 years ago) who removed all of my adhesions via excision and some ablation. After my recovery, I stopped having pain in my bladder, pain during intercourse, and also pain the the sacrum area. None of those symptoms have returned. – Jessie (team member)

Yes, I've had a laparocopy (excision and ablation). I hadn't even been diagnosed, but had a laparoscopy for another reason and my surgeon found extensive endometriosis. As he was the hospital's endometriosis expert, he decided to try and get rid of as much as he could at the time.
I think it definitely helped. I felt a lot better right after the surgery and my first couple of periods were relatively pain free. I got pregnant soon after that, which also helped keep the endometriosis at bay. I did find that after my pregnancy my endometriosis came back quite soon again, causing me the same painful periods, bladder pain and overall pelvic pain as I had before my first laparoscopy.
When I had a hysterectomy a few years ago due to recurring pain, the surgeon told me that he found very little endometriosis and the pain was actually caused by extensive adenomyosis I think if it hadn't been for the adenomyosis I would still have been pain free from endometriosis.
Christina (team member)

Yes! I have had two. My first one was ablation, done by a reg gynecologist. Just so I could finally receive a diagnosis. He had warned me though that he was not qualified to do much more besides diagnosis. And at that point, I was okay with that! This happened in March of 2017. Honestly, I felt so much better afterwards, or at least I thought. 3 months later, I started with my symptoms again and they had seemed to worsen!

I tried to manage my pain and everything else naturally. At the time, I could not find an endometriosis I could afford, to perform the proper surgery I needed. In summer of 2019, I finally found a miracle doctor. He was out of state but it was only a 2 and a half hour drive. If it meant finding possible relief, it was worth it. I really liked him and we proceeded with surgery in December. Because he was an endometriosis specialist, he was able to remove and do everything he needed to do. I have felt much better since surgery. I still have some bad days, but I would say for the most part, as of right now, the surgery was helpful. I also have adeno, so he said I will still experience symptoms from that unless I have a hysterectomy. Which, I am definitely not ready for yet!

But for now, I am certainly able to manage life much better than I ever have 😀 -Kimberli (Team Member)