When I was 14 and started getting my periods, I had horrible pain that left me sidelined for about 5 days every month. I told the doctors it was like 1000 tiny fishhooks piercing my gut, all with fishlines pulling DOWN. The pain was constant and blinding, and predictably started 1 day before my period every 28 days. I wasn't bleeding very much, but the stuff that did come out of me was like somethin gout of Aliens... all veiny and membranes. Truely horrific. I was taking 36 advil at the time, as serious meds weren't available to me (Yeah, my parents don't BELIEVE in pain management for kids.  )
Doctors told me the lining was forming mostly on the outside of my uterine wall instead of the inside, and that's what accounted for all the pain-- it was being reabsorbed into my bloodstream instead of coming out of me. This also accounted for the small flow.
I was treated with different bc pills-- first in the US where there are still only about 17 different kinds out there, then in France where over 100 are available (I went to France every year to visit my family over the summer, so that's where I got a lot of my treatment). I took all of the Orthos, plus some lighter estrogen ones and even the mini-pill. Unf, all of them made me bleed every day of the month, and gave me headaches which felt like I had an ax stuck in my skull.
Unf, they told me, you can't take estrogen. Well, s***! That sucks! 
So when I heard about the progestrone shot (depo provera) I was the first in line when it got approved in the States. I've been on it constantly for the last 6 years (last period was in August '99, thank god!!! :grin), and all the endo symptoms, the cramping, PMS, etc. have dissappeared. I also have no more ovarian or uterine cysts (I had one that exploded when I was 14 or 15, truely a terrible experience).
A doctor can diagnose endo by you having the above symptoms, or if it seems that the tissue isn't being reabsorbed into your system, they can cut you open and scrape it off. Many women have this kind of surgery. I personally would rather set myself on fire, so I would rather control it with drugs. Hope I answered your questions!!
~nelly~
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