...but I'm worrying about it, so I need to get it written out so I'll stop. Don't read on if you don't want the gory details of my problems with my girly-bits.

Last fall, I had a period that just wouldn't end. It seemed normal, tapered off, but just never quite finished. After 5 weeks of this, I decided enough was enough, asked my doctor, and she told me to get a pelvic ultrasound. By the time I did, it had finished on its own (after 6 weeks), and they found a "complex cyst" about 4cm on my right ovary. Doctor said "it'll probably go away on its own, schedule another ultrasound for 2-3 months later". So I did, and in January, they found nothing on the right ovary, and another complex cyst on my left ovary. So, I should follow up again, another 2-3 months later. My period started the last Friday in March. I scheduled the followup for last Friday, April 10th, figuring it'd be over. Guess again. Same thing that happened last fall is happening now, and I'm going on almost 3 weeks right now. I had the ultrasound anyway, and yesterday, my doctor called me because she was concerned by the findings, which included "prominent vascularity within endometrium" "echogeneic area within distal uterus with appearance of IUD" (this is a mystery because I have essure, which should look like coils in my tubes, but no IUD), small compex cysts on both ovaries, and a 4x2.5x5cm soft heterogeneous soft tissue mass anterior to the right ovary that doesn't seem to be exhibiting peristalsis (which would mean it was probably bowel).

So, basically, nobody knows what's going on, there are lots of things that could be going on, the three ultrasounds were performed by two different techs, and read by three different radiologists, and the most likely cause of all the weirdness is wacky hormones...but then what would be causing that? Early menopause?

The upshot is that I've been referred to ob/gyn, and have an appointment for next Thursday, and hopefully we'll start to get to the bottom of it then.

I've discovered, in this process, that it doesn't always matter if you know people and know who the very best people are to go to. In this case, the two ob/gyns in the cleveland clinic system who were most highly recommended to me by those who would know...are in high enough demand that I wouldn't have been able to get in to see either of them before May (three weeks, which is longer than my PCP wants me to wait).

DH has been looking up all sorts of stuff on pelvic masses, some of which he's been sharing. Most of what it's taught me is that accurate diagnosis is *hard*, and that not having kids is a factor that increases risk of ovarian cancer. Also, that I need to try to find out what my family history is, if any. I'm pretty sure no first-degree relatives had breast or ovarian cancer, but I'm not positive. My family is small, but it's also not really open about this kind of thing.

Ah, well. Good thing I got all caught up with my medical bills over the weekend!