Endometriosis Treatment Options
for Hormones, Pain, and Infertility
According to WebMD, endometriosis affects up to 80% of women who suffer from pelvic pain. Endometriosis is a common health condition that affects women, resulting in painful, chronic symptoms. While endometriosis typically affects the reproductive organs, it can spread to other body areas.
If you're suffering from this condition, there are multiple endometriosis treatment options your doctor might prescribe. What your healthcare provider recommends depends upon what symptoms you're experiencing and their severity.
This guide will discuss the most common treatment options for endometriosis. Make sure you make an appointment with your doctor to receive a tailored treatment plan.
What Are the Treatment Options for Endometriosis?
The best ways to treat endometriosis depends upon your symptoms. According to Hopkins Medicine, some common side effects of endometriosis include:
- Cysts
- Pelvic pain
- Infertility
- Pain during intercourse
- Heavy or abnormal menstrual flow
- Painful bowel movements
- Gastrointestinal problems
If you have any of the above symptoms, you should make an appointment with your doctor. They can conduct various tests and evaluations to determine if you have endometriosis.
Endometriosis treatment plans typically involve surgery or medication. Whether or not you'd like to get pregnant will play a factor in what route your doctor takes.
Your doctor will likely try conservative treatment options at first. They'll only opt for surgical intervention if all other methods fail.
Best Treatment for Endometriosis Pain
Pelvic and abdominal pain are common symptoms for women with endometriosis. Let's discuss the best treatment for endometriosis pain.
Pain Relievers
Some women can experience pain relief with over-the-counter medications. Your doctor might also combine hormone therapy with pain relievers if you're not seeking to get pregnant.
Some common pain medications include:
- Motrin IB
- Advil
- Aleve
- Ponstan
- Naprogesic
You can purchase most pain relievers at your local pharmacy or grocery store.
Laparoscopy
Laparoscopic surgery can help your doctor diagnose endometriosis. Surgical intervention is beneficial if you have mild or moderate endometriosis. Endometriosis at those stages doesn't always show up on ultrasounds.
Laparoscopic surgery might improve your pain symptoms. A tiny camera gets inserted through an incision in your belly button during the procedure. Your doctor can view your abdominal cavity to identify signs of endometriosis.
Your doctor can also perform the following treatments during the surgery:
- Ablation: Destroying the lining of the uterus
- Excision: Removing endometrial tissue
The surgeon might perform a combination of both treatments during your surgery. Your doctor will decide the best course of action depending upon the location and size of your endometrial tissues.
Hysterectomy
Your doctor might recommend a hysterectomy if you have severe symptoms and don't wish to get pregnant. A hysterectomy removes the following organs from your body:
- Fallopian tubes
- Cervix
- Uterus
Your doctor will remove these organs with the key-hole surgery method. The recovery from a hysterectomy is long. It's much longer than the recovery for removal of endometrial tissue.
Endometriosis Infertility Treatment Options
Endometriosis can play a part in your ability to get pregnant. However, it doesn't completely prevent you from getting pregnant. According to Medical News Today, 50% of women with endometriosis have infertility.
Endometriosis affects fertility in the following ways:
- Fallopian tubes scarring
- Preventing a fertilized egg from implanting
- Egg growth problems
- Hormonal imbalances
- Pelvic region inflammation
Women can typically receive fertility treatment if they haven't gotten pregnant after six to 12 months of trying. The type of treatment your doctor will recommend depends upon the type and stage of endometriosis you have.
Stage One to Two Treatment Options
If you have the earlier stages of endometriosis, you might not have any issues getting pregnant. For those who are having difficulties, your doctor might perform laparoscopic surgery. During this procedure, they'll remove any lesions on your ovaries.
For women over 35, your healthcare provider might recommend a combination of two things:
- The medication clomiphene
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
With this treatment plan, the clomiphene triggers ovulation. While you're ovulating, your doctor will put sperm into your uterus. If this method isn't successful, you might try IVF or other fertility medications.
Stage Three and Four Treatment Options
IVF, or in-vitro fertilization, is recommended for those with moderate or severe endometriosis. Women will inject small amounts of fertility medications into their bodies during this treatment option. These medications help eggs grow in fluid pockets in your ovaries called follicles.
Once the follicles have gotten to the desired size, they'll get removed from your ovaries. This procedure is done while the person is under light anesthesia. The entire process takes around 10 minutes.
The retrieved eggs get put into dishes that contain sperm. The goal is to fertilize as many eggs as possible, so they grow into embryos.
After a few days, a few embryos will get put into the uterus via a thin tube. The process feels like a Pap exam. The woman will take a pregnancy test within a few weeks to see if the process was successful.
Best Hormone Treatment for Endometriosis
The best hormone treatment for endometriosis typically starts with birth control pills. Birth control options are the safest type of hormone that you can take long-term.
Hormone therapy works to reduce your body's estrogen levels. If you want to get pregnant, this treatment option won't be ideal.
Hormone-based treatments might include:
- Progestogens, such as pills or the implant
- A combined birth control pill
A combined oral contraceptive pill includes the hormones progestogen and estrogen. This pill might help relieve some of your mild or moderate symptoms.
This form of birth control also stops you from ovulating. Your periods might become less painful and lighter.
Progestogen hormone therapy includes synthetic hormones. It functions like progesterone, a natural hormone.
These synthetic hormones prevent your uterine and endometrial tissue from growing fast. Some of the side effects of this treatment plan include:
- Mood changes
- Bloating
- Weight gain
- Irregular bleeding
There is more than one way that you can take progestogen. The progestogens that get used to treat the symptoms of endometriosis include:
- Injection
- Implant
- Progestogen-only-pill (POP)
- IUD (intrauterine device)
Your doctor will likely recommend that you take three packs of pills in a row before altering your dosage.
Now You Know the Best Ways to Treat Endometriosis
The Knowell supplement was designed to help alleviate the symptoms of endometriosis while balancing your hormones. Our supplement includes 28 ingredients that can help regulate your cycle and provide you with relief.
Some of the ingredients included in the supplement are:
- Antioxidants
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- Cranberry
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We designed our supplement to support women. We're here to help you work with your hormones, not battle against them.
Frequently Asked Questions About Endometriosis
Even though endometriosis is so common, there are still many unanswered questions about the topic. Let's go over some of the most frequently asked questions we get asked about the health condition.
What's Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is when the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus grows in other areas of the body. These lesions can develop anywhere in the body, but they most commonly appear in the pelvic region. Some places where endometriosis can grow include:
- Ovaries
- Pelvic sidewall
- Fallopian tubes
- Intestines
- Rectum
- Appendix
- Lungs
The endometrial lesions respond to the hormones progesterone and estrogen. They can bleed during a period.
Why Does Endometriosis Cause Pain?
When a person with endometriosis has a menstrual cycle, she's bleeding from the tissues and cells inside her uterus. She's also bleeding from the endometrial tissues located outside of her uterus.
The lesions and tissues can result in irritation and inflammation. This causes pain.
What Causes Endometriosis?
It's difficult to determine why endometriosis occurs in some women. Some of the most common theories are:
- Genetics
- Bacterial infections
- Retrograde menstruation
How Does Endometriosis Get Diagnosed?
Your doctor might employ several methods to diagnose you with endometriosis. You might experience the following examinations:
- Pelvic exam
- Ultrasound
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
- Laparoscopy
Will Endometriosis Treatment Eliminate My Condition?
Unfortunately, the best way to eliminate any pain or discomfort caused by endometriosis is with a hysterectomy. If you still have your ovaries, you still might encounter future pain from endometriosis.
A hysterectomy is typically a last resort method used by healthcare professionals. All lesions and endometrial tissue will need to get removed during this procedure so you can avoid future discomfort.
Will My Symptoms Disappear During Pregnancy?
Some women do experience some relief from endometriosis while they're pregnant. In most scenarios, their symptoms will return after they give birth and stop breastfeeding.
For more information read Top 12 Endometriosis Questions Answered.
Explore Your Endometriosis Treatment Options
You don't have to suffer through the pain and discomfort of endometriosis. Depending upon your symptoms, there are a few endometriosis treatment options your doctor might recommend. Make an appointment with your healthcare provider if you believe you have endometriosis.
Ready to learn more about how the Knowell supplement can help you with your symptoms? Shop our online store today.