In the first Blog of My Story shared some of the symptoms I was suffering with. My Normal was Different and all of my annual tests came back normal. My hormones were normal and I showed no signs of menopause. I was left to survive the holidays in pain and worry waiting for my next doctor’s appointment.
In January I had a Pelvic Ultrasound. A small amount of saline water was placed inside my uterus to help see if there was “something” inside of it that might be causing the enlarging and hardening my gynecologist noticed. But, everything inside looked relatively normal with the exception of some thinking on the wall of my uterus.
My gynecologist decided to go ahead and do an Endometrial Biopsy in the office, which for me was more painful then a root-canal and frankly hurt more then my back surgery did! I was in incredible pain for several days following the biopsy and still worried about the results. After all just the word biopsy makes an ordinary person think of cancer.
Waiting for my tests results to come back was excruciating not only because I was suffering so much pain but because of the fear connected and the feeling that my doctor had some real concerns.
Finally, the call came in the day before my 44th Birthday. My doctor informed me that the Moon and Stars must have all been aligned perfectly when I had my tests done because they were able to determine that I have Adenomyosis without any further testing. Apparently, the pelvic ultra sound caught me ovulating which firmly ruled out any possible perimenopause or hormonal change. And the biopsy included muscle tissue which was a primary indicator of Adenomyosis.
In many cases a woman will also need an MRI to diagnose and in some cases women are not diagnosed until after they have had a hysterectomy.
According to WebMD:
Adenomyosis is a disease that occurs when the cells that normally line the uterus grow into the muscular tissue of the uterine wall. It occurs most frequently in women over age 30 who have had a full-term pregnancy and is rare in women who have not had a full-term pregnancy.
Adenomyosis does not occur after menopause. However, Adenomyosis that was present before menopause may be diagnosed after menopause. It may also be found in tissue samples following pelvic surgery in postmenopausal women.
I also learned that the cause of Adenomyosis is not completely know, but some researchers believe it may be the result of damage to the inner wall of the uterus caused during pregnancy and delivery as well as other surgical procedures, including C-sections. I had two c-section babies in 1983 and 1984.
Several books and websites say the following about Adenomyosis
Sometimes a focal area of Adenomyosis appears to cause a mass or growth within the uterus, which is called an adenomyoma. The disease usually occurs in women older than 30 who have borne children and rarely occurs in women who have not carried a pregnancy to term. Although the cause of adenomyosis remains unknown, the disease typically disappears after menopause.
Some experts believe that adenomyosis results from the direct invasion of endometrial cells into the uterine walls
Sometimes a focal area of adenomyosis appears to cause a mass or growth within the uterus
So my next step was to have a consultation for my “surgical options” Of course, I did my research my next Blog will let you know what I learned.
Other Blogs In This Series Adenomyosis My Story:
- When Normal is Different
- Surgical Options: Hysterectomy
- Advance Planning Before Mom Has Surgery: Home and Family
Related Blogs:
Anna is a Families.com Insurance and Guest Blogger. Read her Blogs at: http://members.families.com/happymomanna/blog