Dawn, since we can't be definitive yet, let's look into some of the individual aspects of your question to see if any of it can shed some light for you.
You mention that in the past few years, your cramps have gotten worse and you've even had pain in your leg. Those symptoms can be a sign of endometriosis or of sciatic endometriosis. Endometriosis is when the endometrial lining of your uterus, which normally grows and sheds each month, begins growing in areas outside of the uterus. It can attach to various places in the pelvic area and, fed by your normal hormones, it also increases and causes cramps when you have a normal period. The fact that your cramps changed a few years ago could be an indication of this. Here's a page that discusses endometriosis:
If you scroll down to the bottom third of the page, it also talks about how some endometriosis can affect the sciatic nerve. In one case it was diagnosed with an MRI:
Here is some information on excessive bleeding from an expert forum:
"Many times with bleeding like yours, the doctor will get an endometrial biopsy. That is an office procedure where a thin instrument is placed inside the uterus and a few cells of the lining are scraped out and looked at under a microscope. It is a screening test for uterine cancer and also tells if the lining is normal or abnormal. Sometimes doctors get an ultrasound of the uterus to see if the bleeding is due to a polyp or a fibroid. Both are benign problems but can cause abnormal bleeding."
Here's more information about endometrial biopsies:
Please let us know when you find out more information! And I'm with Alison, I feel like your doctor should have told you what she has the tech looking for and why. Don't be hesitant about asking all your questions. We have to be our own best advocates when there are things going on with our health.
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Dawn, since we can't be definitive yet, let's look into some of the individual aspects of your question to see if any of it can shed some light for you.
You mention that in the past few years, your cramps have gotten worse and you've even had pain in your leg. Those symptoms can be a sign of endometriosis or of sciatic endometriosis. Endometriosis is when the endometrial lining of your uterus, which normally grows and sheds each month, begins growing in areas outside of the uterus. It can attach to various places in the pelvic area and, fed by your normal hormones, it also increases and causes cramps when you have a normal period. The fact that your cramps changed a few years ago could be an indication of this. Here's a page that discusses endometriosis:
http://www.endo-resolved.com/symptoms.html
If you scroll down to the bottom third of the page, it also talks about how some endometriosis can affect the sciatic nerve. In one case it was diagnosed with an MRI:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2322887
Here is some information on excessive bleeding from an expert forum:
"Many times with bleeding like yours, the doctor will get an endometrial biopsy. That is an office procedure where a thin instrument is placed inside the uterus and a few cells of the lining are scraped out and looked at under a microscope. It is a screening test for uterine cancer and also tells if the lining is normal or abnormal. Sometimes doctors get an ultrasound of the uterus to see if the bleeding is due to a polyp or a fibroid. Both are benign problems but can cause abnormal bleeding."
Here's more information about endometrial biopsies:
http://www.health.harvard.edu/diagnostic-tests/endometrial-biopsy.htm
And here's some good information on fibroids:
http://www.4woman.gov/faq/fibroids.htm
Please let us know when you find out more information! And I'm with Alison, I feel like your doctor should have told you what she has the tech looking for and why. Don't be hesitant about asking all your questions. We have to be our own best advocates when there are things going on with our health.
October 21, 2008 - 6:07pmThis Comment
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