Question about Endo while suffering with pcos?

Hello everyone,

I was diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 19 after not having a period for about a year. I am 23 now and it is really striking me hard now. I am in a really serious relationship and more than ever i am think about having a family and am worried about everything. I hate taking BC my hair is thinning out in the middle and my self esteem isn't there as it use to be especially when people ask the question are you going bald? My mother has been diagnosed with Endo. several years ago and three of my aunts have been also. Two of them had serious pain and needed hysto.. my mother and my other aunt had no symptoms. they found out due to trying to conceive unfortunately my mother was to late (she hasn't had to do any surgery she is completely okay no pain what so ever) but my aunt caught it in time she was able to conceive. I have several concerns. I would like to be tested for endo but everytime I have brought it up to my Gyno she says I probably don't have it. Lately I have had some painful periods something i hadn't experienced in a looooonnnnnggggg time and I am kind of concerned. I am stuck right now between making the appointment with my gyno and disscussing all of my concerns as well as telling her that i would like to be tested to ease my mind of endo. I don't know what to do. I know as a patient I have the right to ask for a test if I feel I need it but I don't know if thats really what I want to do. I rather be safe than sorry but do i want to go through with a "surgery" I guess my question is should I request to be tested or should I leave it alone would it be worth it? Do I demand her to do it or change doctors?
please help trying to cope with PCOS is hard as it is I need some kind of advice.

I think that considering your family history I would definately either demand that she test you or find another Gyno, because it really does need treatment right away if you do have it, so you can get on top of it before you do try to concieve, because you don't want to find out when you get to that stage that it is too late IYKWIM and you are held up because you are getting the Endo sorted out. Good luck.

Endo can be indicated by a bt called CA125. Give that a go first. Then there is also an u/sound that may or may not pick up on endo via fluid (possibly in the puch of douglas) or chocolate cysts. Probably a good idea to have your PCOS reviewed too. Be mindful that endo can really only be diagnosed via a laparoscopy.

There are many benefits to have the lap, as they can tell you exactly what is happening. You minght want to consider ovarian drilling for your PCOS too. I hope you get some answers and that your suffering reduces/goes away.

I ignored the pain for 3 years, being a in bad situation at the time and a husband that would not tolerate me getting sick or needing an op.

3 years later, at 2 am I woke up in a huge amount of pain, I had to wait till 7pm that night to get to the doctor as my husband was busy. I was convinced I had appendicitis. By the time I got to the doctor, there was blood all through my body, I looked 9 months pregnant and was in pain everywhere. At first I refused surgery as I was too afraid to leave my kids, and they had sorted out it wasn't appendicitis. A month later I had it done, They opened me up and the cause was a ruptured endometrioma, and all through my pelvic region was bad endo, and on my bowel. Next to nothing had showed up on the US, yet it was this bad.

I also have PCOS (controlled) and my advise is that it's worth just a simple keyhole to get it checked due to your history and symptoms. It took me so long to recover from what had happened to me physcially, it all could have been saved if I had listened to my body years before.