worried...

Hi :)
I haven't been diagnosed with anything, I'm just really worried that I might have something.
I'm 19, mum told me a couple of years ago she had/has endometriosis, but I didnt really think much of it. However, my periods dont seem to be normal...I'm on the pill at the moment- purely to control my periods, I'm still a virgin. But before I was on the pill I would be doubled over in pain for the first couple of days of my period- I would get hot, sweaty, have the shakes and feel so so weak. Mum wanted to take me to the hospital one time but I just begged her to take me home. I also never had regular periods- there would be a 14-25 day gap between, and the actual period could last 2 days or 7 days. I would spot inbetween periods, and would sometimes bleed after exercise.

I've been of the pill for about 2 years now, which is probably why I didnt think much of mum telling me she has endometriosis- as the pill seems to have calmed most things down- I do get spotting still, but I know when I'm going to get my 'period'- but I do still bleed after exercise sometimes as well.

I'm worried that I might have endo or somethings else, and that by being on the pill, I'm really just covering it up. Is it urgent that I see a doctor? Or can I leave it for awhile? Or does it seem that theres nothing wrong and I'm just stressing?
Thanks for any help!

I do think that there is something going on with you and I think you really need to get a referral to a Gynocologist (as GP's just don't have the specialised skills to deal with Endo), plus the only way to confirm it is to have a Laparoscopy (which is a surgery that is done via keyholes in your abdomen and a camera is inserted to get a clear picture of what is going on in there). The sooner you get it sorted out and find out if there is anything going on (or not) the better as the longer you leave it, it can impact on your fertility when you decide to start a family.

Feel free to ask more questions if you have them.

Thanks for the reply.
I'm going off the pill in just under a month, so I think I'll wait to see how things are going without the pill.
I just can't afford to really do anything about it at the moment....I'm a student and only earn $50-100 a week. I don't feel comfortable discussing this with my mum, and if I have to have surgery, my parents really cant afford it atm as I come from a large family, and a brother has just been diagnosed with a genetic condition and will be needing lots of medical care this year.
For now...I'm just hoping that everything will be fine...and all things that happened before the pill was just my body still adjusting.

Can't you get bulk-billed or something as a low-income student? My GP bulk-billed me and sent me to a Gyno that worked out of a public hospital clinic - it wasn't the most personal warm fuzzy service but it did the job and it was free...

I've just been looking up PCOS, and this seems like the more likely condition, as I do have excessive hair growth- which I try to hide/get rid of, and suffer from acne as well as the actual symptoms of the periods.
Whats the procedure for diagnosing this? Can a GP do it?
I probably will find a bulk billing GP and see where they tell me to go from here.
Thanks :)

I know very little about endo - however, a co-worker of mine who later found out she had endo was told the worst thing she did was go off the pill. She was told this by a specialist GYN. I think the advice to see a doctor before you make any decisions is solid advice. Fertility treatments (if needed down the road because of something neglected now) are extremely expensive, it is best to sort things out now.

Hi Banana: What state are you in ? I will give you further advice from there..

I live in melbourne.
Well....if I want to continue the pill, I'll need to go to the doctor to get another prescription as I've run out....so I could combine that with my worries about pcos/ endo.

sorry, i might be double posting here- not sure if the last one went through.
I live in Melbourne.
I need to go to the doctor if I'm going to continue on the pill as I've run out of my prescription, so I could discuss all my worries about PCOS/endo at that time.