Endometriosis is a disease for which their is no medical cure but there are medical options to treat the symptoms and pain it causes. The type of treatment you choose will depend on what your future plans are as far as having kids. It is important that you talk to your doctor because the treatment can vary from woman to woman depending on their symptoms and future plans.
The cause of endometriosis is unknown but doctors and medical researchers do know a diagnosis of endometriosis refers to the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. This growth usually occurs in the abdomen and can affect the reproductive organs and the bowels.
These endometrial cells react to estrogen just as the lining of the uterus does and they thicken with the blood and nutrients a fertilized egg would need to implant. During menstruation the trapped endometrial cells cannot leave the body a simply bleed into the abdominal cavity. this process repeats every month and causes scar tissue to form in the abdominal cavity.
One form of endometriosis treatment is the use of hormones to regulate a woman's monthly cycle. Sometimes this can be as easy as a prescription for birth control pills. Birth control pills help shrink the endometrial tissue which in turn reduces the pain caused by it. Birth control pills can also be taken in conjunction with NSAIDs like ibuprofen to help relieve the pain.
If birth control pills do not work to control the endometriosis a stronger hormone therapy may be needed. Drugs such as Danazol, Gestrinone and Lupron keep the ovaries from producing estrogen by reducing the hormones released by the pituitary gland. Without estrogen the endometrial cells cannot grow during the woman's monthly cycle. This is in essence drug induced menopause and the symptoms associated with menopause can accompany this type of endometriosis treatment.
If hormone treatment does not effectively deal with the endometriosis then your doctor may recommend surgery. There are two type of surgery for endometriosis.
Operative laparoscopy in which the surgeon uses a slender tube inserted into the abdominal cavity through a small incision. This is the only definitive way to diagnose endometriosis. The surgeon can physically see if endometriosis is attached to the organs in the lower abdomen. They can also remove endometrial cysts and lesions by cutting or cauterizing them. There is a good chance that they will not see or remove all the endometriosis with this method simply for the fact that most of it can be to small to see.
The last method of treating endometriosis is a hysterectomy. In this procedure the entire uterus is removed. In severe cases the fallopian tubes and ovaries are removed. This is the surgical way of forcing menopause with a more permanent way of stopping the release of estrogen.
The treatment of endometriosis can be a a long and winding road. There are many ways to approach its treatment. Only you and your doctor can decide which course or sources of action are best for you.
Treatments for endometriosis: Conventional pain killers are effective in reducing the symptoms of pain only and do nothing to shrink the endometrial deposits. In the long run there are no positive effects of these medications. Hormonal treatments can benefit a few women by reducing the symptoms and leading to shrinkage of endometrial deposits but large endometrial deposits do not respond to hormones. Even those deposits that respond flare up within 1-2 years after stopping hormonal therapy. Conservative or radical surgery is also offered to some women.
Natural remedies for endometriosis: Traditional Chinese Medicine addresses the root cause - liver disorder, and has the potential to cure the condition and prevent future recurrences unlike conventional medications. These herbal medicines work by fundamentally changing the functioning of the liver and female reproductive system.
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