TOUCHING LIVES

Five years ago when we first told her story in Touching Lives, Amanda Kottke was Amanda Peterson. She was single, working days as a science teacher and volleyball coach at Renville County West and nights as a waitress while pursuing her master’s degree on the side. A busy life for anyone, but Amanda managed it all while struggling with endometriosis, a disabling condition that is a leading cause of infertility.

Today as we revisit her story, Amanda is juggling a marriage, a new job, still the endometriosis and, oh, three kids under the age of four.

Intense Pain With Periods

Endometriosis causes the tissue that normally builds up inside a woman’s uterus each month to grow where it doesn’t belong. Most often the abnormal tissue grows on the outside of the uterus, the ovaries and fallopian tubes. It can also build up on the vagina, bowel, bladder or rectum. It’s even possible for it to spread outside the pelvis.

When tissue grows outside the uterus, it has nowhere to go when hormones tell it to break down and exit the body through menstruation. The result is pelvic inflammation and pain during periods. Over time, the process causes scar tissue to form, which can cause even more pain and prevent pregnancy by blocking eggs from reaching the uterus.

Amanda wanted nothing more than to be a mom. But it seemed unlikely because her endometriosis was severe. By the time she was in her 20s, it caused pain so bad she sometimes fainted and blood loss so heavy she developed anemia.

Carefully Guided Treatment

Birth control pills can provide pain relief and more normal periods for many women with endometriosis, but not Amanda. When standard treatments failed, she was referred to a specialist, GRHS obstetriciangynecologist John Mark Johnson, DO, FACOOG.

Dr. Johnson performed laparoscopic surgery to remove scar tissue from Amanda’s pelvis and prescribed one series of Lupron injections. Lupron is a hormonal medication that gave Amanda a respite from painful periods for about a year, but can only be used twice in a lifetime due to potentially strong side effects. When Amanda’s painful, heavy periods returned, Dr. Johnson performed a second surgery to clear more scar tissue.

Being aware of Amanda’s desire for children, Dr. Johnson recommended she try to become pregnant soon after the second surgery. “It’s always better to try to conceive when the pain is under optimal control,” he says.