Estrogen is what 'feeds' endometriosis which is probably why they have suggested a progesterone only pill. When I took the pill continuously it helped my pain a lot. I can't comment on having a child after because endometriosis has left me infertile rather than the pill.

My surgeon told me visanne has been studied for it was 6 years at the time and that was a couple of years ago. So he said it was safe for me to take it for at least that long. But you are right they don’t know the long term effects of it.

Visanne should not affect fertility negatively in any way. My doctor advised it can take up to 2 months for the hormones to leave my system, my period returned after just 3 weeks.

Yes I took them continuously, that is how they were designed to be taken. I’ve never heard of taking a break every 4 months. Menstruation = a chance for more endo to grow so that would be a bad thing in my opinion as far as fertility goes.

As for side effects I had night sweats for quite some time, spotting in the first month as my body adjusted to the hormones, some weight gain (about 15-20lbs), acne, loss of libido, depression. They did make me go a little nuts.... I cried a lot for no reason or over the littlest things. My dr however felt the benefits of the drug outweighed the level of depression I was experiencing and didn’t want I put me on anti depressants or take me off visanne. After close to a year the side effects did taper off and I started feeling pretty great, the only side effect that stayed was loss of libido.

I would recommend the visanne over regular BC pills if hormonal treatment is your preference. I was on it for 2.5 years until I was ready for a baby and while the side effects were hard to get used to it was amazing to not have a period anymore. Helped a lot with the pain and helped to preserve my fertility. I had stage 4 removed and continued to take visanne to prevent regrowth and concieved within 5 months of stopping visanne.

What are your concerns about not having a period? If it is bone density related you could request to have your bone densities tested at the start of taking the pills and monitor it periodically to know for sure whether it may or may not be affecting you. This was a concern for me and while I didn’t do the bone density test my dr assured me the drug is tested on small framed Japanese women and some gain bone density and some lose it with a net effect of zero.

@A MyEndometriosisTeam Member I am so so sorry. I can only imagine how hard this is for you. I know it scares you to finds out more especially given your family history..for me not knowing was the hardest part, but I can understand for you it works differently. I can only recommend the laparoscopy because it does make life bettee afterwards. I know is terrifying but is better to take any action you can. You had many bad things outside of your control happening to you, but the laparoscopy is one thing you can do, you can control this. It s scary but it is also good to do whatever in in your power. Ans don t giev up on yourself. Go to many doctors ask more opinions also for the thyroid.
I am not in your situation so is easy for me to talk. But I really hope you can find the strength to go through it. Take your time maybe start easily to get used to it and remember you are not alone.
Again, just talking here and please don t take it the wrong way. I just hope you can find some peace of mind.

All the best to you and stay strong!

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