I've had endo and PCOS as far back as they could find it was age 15. I have dealt with this now for about 15 years. I have been through everything: the meds, the surgeries, the pain, the suffering.
I would say it is up to your wishes of which you would like to do. Do you want to take meds to put you in a menopause or possibly find another option. Has your doctors given you other options?
My personal story is I refused to take Lupron. I was too afraid that it would mess me up to the point where I wouldnt be able to have children eventually.
I also wont have anything injected into me like Depo or meds such as that because I was worried about long term effects. There's also Uterine Implants they would use but I said no because they could perferate the uterus, once again me saying no because I want a possibility of kids.
It's up to you. My doctor has had me on Aygestin permanently (I don't get off it maybe once or twice a year). That has had the least amount of side effects for me as well as the least chances of problems conceiving etc in the future. It has worked very well for me.
I wish you all the best in making the decision that is best for you.
Unfortunately, hormone treatments work differently for everyone, and you never really know how you react until you get into them.
I've had endo since forever, diagnosed almost 30 years ago. I've done Lupron twice, and managed to get pregnant when I was 37, so Lupron does not necessarily affect fertility. A friend took it while undergoing fertility treatments and never managed to get pregnant. I don't think it was the Lupron that affected our outcomes.
IF you can take bcps, and there are so many out there that having issues with one means you will have issues with all, they are awesome for some women with endo. I was one of my doctor's first patients to simply take them non-stop: no periods. At that point, I'd done the then-available hormone treatments twice, but still ended up hospitalized when having a period. It was my only option other than hysterectomy at that point.
I took them for 9 years, then took 3 months off completely, then a year normally before my painful periods came back. Went back on non-stop for a few more years, then did surgery, Lupron (twice), and successfully got pregnant first try (assisted).
After a year, my periods were almost normal, but dr and I decided to go back on non-stop bcps because we didn't know how long that would be good for.
So... once I reached a 'certain' age, my dr and I decided to see if I could slide thru menopause gently. Not. After about 4 months, I had a period that woudln't end. Went on Aygestin to stop it, and it worked. I took Aygestin for the six months before my hysterectomy. Granted, at the time, I was already old enough that my estrogen levels were dropping. However, I nearly lost my job due to problems with my cognitive abilities. Post-surgery, I went on hrt and have re-acquainted myself with my brain.
Everyone's experience is different with hormones. At 19, you will hopefully have many opportunities to find out what your experience will be. Just remember, there are many different things to try. Your biggest challenge will be to find a doctor that you trust (and who trusts you) so that you will have a good partnership. I've had two doctors, and they were wonderful. I've also had a few that I've ended up walking out of.
Good luck. (Sorry for hijacking your post, OP!)
p.s. on Lupron, I had no hot flashes, but I was mean. And paranoid. I felt like I had no friends. And I didn't, because I was mean. But, after the 6-month course, I was myself again. No permanent changes. My friend had hot flashes. Her admin assistant quit when she heard that my friend was going on Lupron again.
I used patches for a month or two, but the adhesive was too harsh for my skin, so now I am on bioidentical hormones. Still haven't had any side effects. I may take them forever.......
