If you want to know more about endometriosis, check out this article on our website: Endometriosis: The Basics. Helpful Hint: You can also find definitions of underlined words at the bottom of this article!

 

        Endometriosis is a disease many young women of reproductive age can get. Even though there is no cure yet, there are many treatments that can help patients deal with endometriosis, such as medication that can relieve pain and help with infertility. 

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        Endometriosis has been mentioned as early as 1850 BC. Endometriosis is idiopathic, meaning there is no cause known yet, so you can get diagnosed based on your symptoms, or by using a laparoscopy or biopsy. You can also diagnose endometriosis by MRI and ultrasounds, which don’t require surgery. While there is no lasting treatment, there are treatment plans based on your stage of endometriosis, symptoms, age, and sometimes whether or not you plan to have a child. 

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       Most of the time, treatments can be taken by pill, nasal spray, injection, or surgery, which is surprisingly used a lot. It's important to remember that treatments don't cure the disease, but help relieve pain or symptoms. Let’s focus on the common treatments offered today. 

• Oral Contraceptives

       This type of treatment is also known as birth control pills, which contain two hormones, estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen is a hormone that maintains female characteristics. Progesterone is classified within another group called progestogens, this hormone is used in feminizing hormone therapy and was first prescribed in 1934.

• Progestin treatment

       Progestin is a type of progesterone, a lab-made hormone in women's menstrual cycles. This type of hormone can stop menstrual cycles and further tissue growth that may lead to or cause endometriosis.

• Gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist

       This type of substance stops the pituitary gland from releasing hormones. This causes women to stop producing natural estrogen and progesterone. This helps them because it balances out the pain and symptoms.

• Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist

       This can affect sex hormones and similar to Gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonists, it can stop women from producing natural estrogen and progesterone. Similar to what was mentioned above, this type of treatment can help women with side effects during endometriosis.

       Listed above are some of the most common treatment plans chosen by patients, but over-the-counter NSA-IDs can also be used to manage pain.

Some treatments that involve surgery include:

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• Laparoscopy

       Laparoscopy is commonly used for patients who have more complex cases of endometriosis because sometimes other treatments don’t help the patient feel better. A surgeon will make a small cut on your stomach, then with a tube, light, and tools, endometrial tissue is removed. 

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       Another procedure similar to this is laparotomy, this procedure is similar to laparoscopy, except a larger cut is made. This is not common but may be used during more advanced stages of endometriosis. 

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       Laparoscopy and laparotomy are both also used for diagnosis. Sometimes surgeons will remove unwanted tissues during the diagnosis, and other times another procedure may be needed. Both of these treatments are only temporary, because the pain may return.

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• Hysterectomy

       This treatment involves removing the whole uterus and is the second most common surgical procedure for women in the U.S. After a hysterectomy, menstrual cycles will not return and you will not be able to reproduce.

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• Oophorectomy

       This treatment involves removing both or one of your ovaries. Ovaries contain eggs and generate hormones to control menstrual cycles. Sometimes oophorectomy can be performed with a hysterectomy. This procedure can not only help with endometriosis but can also lower your chances of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

 

        All of these treatment options and aspects of these processes, like the cleanliness of tools for surgery, and the safety of any type of non-surgical procedure, have changed throughout the evolution of women's health. More treatment options, besides the ones above, are becoming available for more and more women and girls with endometriosis, and even more treatments are being invented to improve the lives of women and girls living with endometriosis.

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Difficult Words:

*Note that some words are not underlined because their definition is explained within the text.​

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Biopsy: Pronounced: “bai-aap-see”. Definition: A procedure where doctors remove a piece of tissue from the body and study and test it.

 

Endometriosis: Pronounced “En-do-ME-TREE-o-sis”. Definition: A disease commonly found in women and girls of reproductive age.

 

Inflammation: Pronounced: “IN-flam-ma-TION”. Definition: When a part of the body becomes reddened, swollen, hot, and painful. Caused by injuries or infection. Example: When you twist your ankle it becomes swollen and painful. Your body is reacting to something being wrong.

 

Laparoscopy: Pronounced “lap-a-ros-ca-pi”. Definition: A surgical procedure where an instrument is inserted into someone to view organs.

 

Menstruation: Pronounced “Men-stur-a-tion”. Definition: The process where a woman discharges blood and other materials lining the uterus. This happens about once a month from puberty until menopause. Menstruation stops during pregnancy.

 

MRI: Stands for ‘magnetic resonance imaging’. Definition: a medical examination using magnetic resonance imaging to produce an image.

 

NSAIDs: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: Definition: a therapeutic drug that reduces pain, some can be found over the counter for fevers, inflammation, and pain.

 

Progestogens: Pronounced “pro-GES-to-gen”. Definition: also sometimes known as progestin and are hormones that bind and activate progesterone receptors.\

 

Progesterone: Pronounced “pro-GES-ter-one”. Definition: hormone involved in the menstrual cycle, and pregnancy in women.

 

Pituitary Gland: Pronounced “pi-TU-i-tar-y gl-AND” Definition: this is a small pea-sized gland found at the base of your brain.

 

Tissue: Pronounced: “Ti-Shoo”. Definition: A group of cells that work together to do a specific job in the body. 

 

Ultrasound: Pronounced: “UHL-tra-sound”. Definition: An imaging test that uses sound waves to take pictures of your body and things like organs and tissue.

 

Uterus: Pronounced, “YOU-ter-us”. Definition: The pear-shaped hollow organ inside a woman’s pelvis. This is where the baby grows, also called the womb.

 

*Some definitions are provided in the text, so there may be no extra definition above.

 

Sources:

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https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8508982/#sec4-ijms-22-10554

 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/endometriosis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354661

 

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/endometriosis