I was diagnosed with endo at age 40, I'm now 42, My daughter, 18, was diagnosed last week and when my mother finally gets to the gyno, I'm pretty sure that she's had it too, Mum's 62.

I see a pattern down the line, and think about it, how long have we been using tampons. Mum and Dad came from large families...I have 26 first cousins. I don't remember my aunties carrying tampons, the majority used pads.

I think it was my generation that embraced tampons.

Mum started menses age 15..1st child 20, 2nd 24..Tubal ligation at 25(unrelated medical reason)..several D&C's over the years.
I started menses age 12..1st child 21, 2nd 24..D&C at 31 or 32, Diagnosed with Endo,Complicated Laparoscopy age 40, Hysterectomy age 42.
My daughter Alana started menses age 10, diagnosed HPV age 17 then the all clear, Diagnosed with Endo (waiting for results) age 18.

All three generations had the same sort of periods,1st day.. pain like labour contractions, heavy flow with clots, sometimes nausea and even vomiting. Each day would get better but each generation was clutching a hot water bottle and taking pain killers for the first day or two. Never complaining because "all women go through this".

My Mum's (our family's too) GP was a Gyno and he told her that she shouldn't use tampons because it stopped the natural flow. That was that; Mum never used tampons. I started using tampons at around age 14, only through the day and pads at night.
Alana used tampons from around age 12, full time, day and night from around 13.

I did a bit of research 2 years ago and remember that tampons contain Asbestos, bleaching and another chemical starting with "Diox....." all detrimental, designed to make you bleed more. I anyone can fill me in that'd be great.

Another angle I've heard is that tampons act like a cork and sometimes the blood has nowhere to flow but up through the fallopian tubes....makes sense to me.

I'm no doctor, my research is flimsy but I can't help wondering if this could be a BIG contributing factor.

I would love to put our heads together and ponder. I don't see why we can't discuss the possibilities as experts in the "experience" of living with this creeping epidemic. I'll be damned if I'll just stand idly by when my daughter's fertility is at stake. I thank God that it's been diagnosed early in her so that she has a better fighting chance than others, like my friends who tried for tooo many years before she was diagnosed at 40....she now has 1 baby and one on the way

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope that we women can help each other. I'd love to know how similar my story is to others.

Linda