Endometriosis : The Complete Reference for Taking Charge of Your Health Paperback – September 29, 2003

This book breaks down Endometriosis and for the first time I realized it is not crazy complicated, and I am NOT alone. Great explanations, wonderful stories shared by other women, and a resource I plan to keep going back to. If you have questions, get this book as a resource. Don't be afraid, be informed.

I highly recommend this book along with the Endometriosis Sourcebook as a starting point for those suffering from endometriosis. It deals with the whole person and has a tremendous amount of information about the disease.

This book will tell you things about the human body you didn't know about. This book is purely amazing. My mom got it since we both thought that I had endometriosis since I was having so much pain in my pelvis.In 2007 I had a small 2cm cyst on my right ovary and it had grown to 7cm by 2012. I had to have surgery to remove it. I got this book and I think it did go into cysts. This book goes into the importance of diet and I can't remember if this book touches on the dangers of too much soy in the diet (it can act like estrogen).I found out I do not have any endometriosis, but my cyst was entangled in my right ovary and it had to be removed. I can't imagine the pain women are going through with endometriosis. I know I was doubling over for a good 2 weeks in Aug 2012, due to the tangling. But that was only for 2 weeks and then Oct 2012 I had it removed. I felt so much better after surgery. I think this book does go into surgery. It has been almost a year since I read this book but if you want to understand what your wife or girlfriend is going through, read this book. Any woman would want this book if she thinks she has endometriosis.

Ehhh! Could hardly continue reading it as most of the information suggests potent pharmaceuticals and synthetic hormones. I was hoping it would include the use and successes of bioidentical progesterone. As many know, estrogen dominance is the root of endo and other female issues. I'll give it two stars, tops!

Very valuable resource

My doctor specializing in endo treatment gave me this book, and I have found it very useful. I also have Mary Lou Ballweg's previous endo book, which is also great.This Complete Reference compassionately discusses the pain, the symptoms, the medical diagnosis and treatments, immunotherapy and nutrition and how they help decrease symptoms, how endo can affect fertility, connections it may have to cancer, how it impacts menopause, how it affects teenagers...It also has motivating chapters on how we can stay strong and continue to be productive through our endo, but with reassuring messages that if the pain and procedures do affect our energy and mental health, what we can do to manage this stress. It also talks about new research and finally, how important it is to share our experience with other women.I've had endo for probably over 10 years now. I've had 4 laparoscopies (need another one soon), and I've tried every procedure available. Women need to KNOW that there IS NO CURE. Pregnancy does NOT CURE endo. Some undereducated doctors that do not specialize in this disease mistakenly persuade hundreds of thousands of women to have a child when they may not be ready in hopes of curing their disease. Also, some of the procedures MAY cause temporarily symptom relief, but they WILL NOT CURE you of endo. I've been treated in a clinical trial by the best endo team in the world in Maryland, and with research, one day we may have a cure. At this time, we only know it is a stubborn and sometimes debilitating disease. But it does NOT define us. Surround yourself with supportive friends and family. If your doctor doesn't take the time you need to answer your many questions satisfactorily, find another. Respect your right to the best-possible healthcare. Do not be afraid of participating in clinical studies: You can help progress our understanding of the disease and possibly find a cure. They saved me tens of thousands of dollars on much-needed endo treatment for several years, and they supported my mental and emotional health as well.

This book is a follow-up to the Endometriosis Sourcebook, and makes more sense if you've read that one first. The first book has more details about causes and treatments. This book focuses on adding information learned in the ten years after the first one was written. I recommend both. If you can only afford one, buy the Sourcebook - even if you think you have found all there is to learn about this disease. I found the Sourcebook to be the most comprehensive of anything I could get my hands on. As a follow-up, this is really good reading, and I find myself looking forward to the next book to see what researchers can do to finally find a cure.I would also like to add to a previous reviewer's comments ("Extremely Helpful Endo Reference Guide") and say that a total hysterectomy with removal of the ovaries is NOT necessarily a cure, either - despite the fact many women desperately seeking relief undergo this drastic measure. Women who have their ovaries removed go through tremendous suffering, only to find out their endo is still there, and they are still in pain.After a laparotomy with one ovary removed, I woke to find myself suffering even more than before the surgery. Finally, years later, I was able to get a copy of the surgery report and found out that despite what I was told, the surgeon did NOT remove ALL the endo - only the active endo. Well, needless to say, I am about to go through yet another surgery with yet another doctor to remove the rest of the endo that is still causing me trouble. The best treatment is TOTAL removal of ALL endo. Read your surgery report. It is likely different and more detailed than what you've been told.