Don’t suffer alone

Take charge of your endometriosis symptoms today

Often, it starts with pelvic pain, painful or irregular periods or nausea. Endometriosis is a painful disorder that occurs when tissue similar to the uterine lining is found outside the uterus, in the pelvic cavity—especially the ovaries—as well as in the bowels, rectum or urinary tract, and other areas.

Cases of endometriosis have been documented on every organ of the body. About 200 million people worldwide suffer with endometriosis every day, and March is recognized as Endometriosis Awareness Month.

Symptoms

Pain related to endometriosis can be chronic and can occur at any time of the month, not just when someone is experiencing their period. Endometriosis can also cause painful bowel movements, painful intercourse, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. People with endometriosis may experience infertility as well as other chronic illnesses, such as irritable bowel syndrome, interstitial cystitis and polycystic ovary syndrome. Patients may be misdiagnosed with other illnesses before endometriosis is identified.

Treatment options

There is no known cause or cure for endometriosis. However, there are treatment options that people can try to decrease their pain and other symptoms.

Laparoscopic surgery involves a surgeon making incisions in the abdominal area to insert a camera and instruments to try to remove endometriosis. All techniques for removing endometriosis are not created equal, and it’s important to know the differences between them:

Ablation is burning the diseased tissue. It does not get to the root of the disease and can increase the growth of scar tissue. Excision is cutting the disease at the root, and many experts believe it has a much higher success rate of decreasing symptoms. It is often performed by an endometriosis specialist rather than a gynecologist.

Hormonal birth control is a treatment often prescribed when patients first suspect endometriosis. It comes in many forms (pill, shot, patch or implant). Medical professionals think birth control could or should help because of the hormones they contain.

Pain medicationmay help relieve symptoms for a short time. It can mask the pain, but won’t fix the problem.

Lupronis a medication that is injected and puts someone into medically induced menopause. This means they will not have periods. Many medical professionals think that if someone does not have a period, endometriosis cannot continue to grow. However, endometriosis can continue to grow even when the patient is in menopause.

Pelvic floor physical therapycan be beneficial for patients with endometriosis. Chronic pelvic pain can cause muscles to be tight, sore and subject to spasms. Physical therapists specializing in the pelvic floor can help to alleviate muscle tightness and spasms as well as other pelvic floor complications.

Bioidentical hormonescan be prescribed. Usually a medical provider will order testing (saliva or blood) to determine the patient’s hormone level. This will help the provider determine the best course of action. Bioidentical hormones can be tailored to each specific person and can help patients with endometriosis balance their hormones and provide some symptom relief.

Exercise, diet changes and natural remedies,while not a cure, may help alleviate some symptoms. This could include stretching and yoga, reducing gluten and dairy, and adding some supplements to the diet.

All medications have side effects. What works for one person may not work for another person, because endometriosis can present differently for each individual. Do as much research as possible before agreeing to any treatment option. This will allow you to make the best possible decision for your health care.

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