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The Painful Truth
Living with Endometriosis
By Gwen Morrison
Dr. Gilliland has given Hayes-Simperman a 40 percent chance of being able to conceive with the help of fertility drugs. At this point it is his belief that intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in-vitro fertilization (IVF) may be the couple's only remaining options.
Angel Williamson Alexander of Bossier City, La., remembers clearly the intense pain that brought her to see her gynecologist in 1997. "I began hurting so bad that nothing would ease the pain before and during my period," she says. "I felt intense pain in my right lower abdominal quadrant. We later found out that what I was feeling was a large endometrioma rupturing on my right ovary, taking part of the ovary with it."
She underwent a laparotomy, where they discovered endometriomas on both ovaries that were removed, along with part of the ovaries. Her doctors gave her less than encouraging chances of ever conceiving a child. "In 1998, I married the man of my dreams," Alexander says. "We didn't get pregnant after a year, so we went to see a fertility specialist."
Alexander was told that her best chance of becoming pregnant was through in-vitro fertilization. "We started the process in October of 2001 and found out that we were pregnant with twins two months later," she says.
"I believe the only potential cure is surgical in nature," Dr. Gililland says. "Surgery can include using an electrocautery instrument to burn the lesions, a laser to vaporize the lesions or standard instruments to physically remove the disease."
Endometriosis is a painful disease – be sure to talk with your doctor if you are concerned about any symptoms you may have.
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