premature menopause and endemetriosis...will I get them?

[Titania]

On my dads side all the women have premature menopause (before the age of 35). On my mums side all the women have endemetriosis. (I have always suffered with really really bad periods lasting for up to 2 weeks and bad pelvic and back pain which the doc suspects I might have early symptoms of it but not done anything about it)

I just wondered if anyone knew how likely I am to get either of these?

Premature menopause can be genetic, and can come through both your mother's or your father's side. I don't know about the endometriosis, though. Have a word with your GP, see if he can put your mind at rest or get you checked out for either.

Titania - have you heard of the peri-menopause? I have an article from The Telegraph from 18/1/2002 which is extremely interesting but too long to type out. The article mentions a blood test you can have on the third day of your menstrual cycle which measures hormone levels that give an indication of whether you are peri-menopausal but is not definitive.

There is a book - The Change Before the Change (Piatkus) byDr Laura Corio and Linda G. Kahn. No idea what it's like but is linked (obviously) to the article.

I think you should go back to your GP and ask to be referred to a gynae. NObody should put up with pain and 2 week long periods without having some kind of intervention. It could be a totally curable condition such as ovarian cysts or it could be a hormonal problem that would also respond to treatment. I really think you should ask for a referral.

well i am on the depo injection at the moment which has stopped them altogether. I am just worried about if i decide to have another baby I have got to go through all the pain first. Plus I dont want to be on the depo anyway cos i dont like pumping my body full of hormones.

All the more reason to push for a referral. I had large ovarian cysts donkeys years ago. They gave me periods that lasted two weeks and agonising back pain - took one scan to diagnose them, one op to treat them and they never recurred. If my Gp hadn't referred me promptly I would never have known what was causing my symptoms and I could have had serious complications.

Also, how old are you? If you want another baby and you have a family history of premature menopause, I'd do it. Get a referral and explain to the gynae that you want another child.

I am only 23. But I don't want to get to later in life and find out I can't have another baby.

I know 23 is no age to be worrying but I do.

Soya Milk is very good for premature menopause onset ...

its suppsosed to help prevent it?

Nothing can prevent premature menopause, sadly. Just alleviate the symptoms - but not the infertility. I really think you need to see a consultant gynae and your GP should refer you.

but will they do that if i havent actually got it? my doctor seems very reluctant. And if there is only a chance i might get it cos the rest of my family have then surely she wont want to waste the time and the money?

But you already have symptoms that IMO need checking out - ie the bad periods and the pain. They aren't normal and could be symptoms of all sorts of things including endometriosis or ovarian cysts which are treatable. Also, if you want another baby in the next couple of years (which is probably advisable with your family history of early menopause) then you need to ensure that the symptoms you have been showing are not a sign of anything awry. It's NOT a waste of money to refer a woman who is having to take hormonal treatment to deal with physical problems that haven't been investigated.

Even if it's neither, painful periods lasting 2 weeks need to be checked out.

im not getting them at the moment cos i am on the depo injection. i dont want to be pumped full of hormones but i dont want periods like that again so thats why i am on it.......

YES!!! That's WHY I keep saying you need to see a specialist. You can't have a baby taking Depo, you MAY have a premature menopause so should be thinking sooner rather than much later to have a baby, BUT you don't want to have a baby because of your two week periods and pain....SO....get yourself checked out! I really don't understand why you are so reluctant. I've explained that I had two week periods and awful pelvic and back pain and it was two large ovarian cysts that were seen on a scan, I had an op and they never came back and I've about to have my second child. But if they had been left then who knows what would have happened to me?

ok. sorry.

Sorry, don't mean to rant, but really, from my own experience I feel very strongly that it is important not to accept things like 14 day periods and pain as 'normal', because they aren't. And clearly your fertility is important to you. Only a specialist and a scan can see what is going on inside you and your GP can help by referring you. Good luck.

there is also a lot that can be done for endometriosis if you do have it... laser treatment can be very effective

endometriosis can affect fertility but doesn't have to - I had laser treatment, which made a big difference, and got pregnant easily when I tried for a baby 3 years later

good luck and do push for a referral, GPs don't know everything. it was a friend who diagnosed me with endo and I had been going to the GP for ages getting ever stronger painkillers and it never occurred to them to send me to a gynaecologist until I asked...

I had very painful periods for fourteen years - treated with ludicrous dosies of anti-spasmodic drugs which didn't work and overdoses of painkillers - before my doctor referred me for a laparoscopy and endemetriosis was diagnosed. 6 monthly subcutaneous shots of Zoladex later - and all the joys of a mini-menopause - my periods were not painless but much better, never even the need for a paracetemol, and I've since had two kids with no problem. But now my youngest is three, I'm finding the painful periods are returning. Any other endemetriosis sufferers who've had this experience??

I would certainly agree with the suggestions made to get a gynae referral via your GP as soon as possible. Some GPs are atrocious at dealing with such gynae problems and it is outside their remit.

Your symptoms could very well be symptomatic of endometriosis especially if they are cyclical in nature. Infact pelvic pain is one of the symptoms. The only way it is actually diagnosed is through a keyhole surgery operation called a laparoscopy.

There seems to be a family link to endometriosis. This may be genetic, although some researchers beleive that family predisposition is not necessarily due to genetic inheritance. It could be environmental e.g diet or smoking. Studies show that endometriosis is present in 7 to 10 percent of first degree relatives (nother, sister, daughter) of an affected woman, and 2 percent of second degree relatives (grandmother, aunt, cousin). Women with an affected first degree relative are also more likely to have a more severe version of the disease. The pattern of inheritance seems to be passed on through the mother's family rather than the father's.

Some researchers beleive there are 2 forms of endometriosis, one being due to a single, inherited gene, the other being a result of non-genetic factors, e.g diet, environment, smoking, or the interaction of several different genes.