Related: How to choose the right OB/GYN for you Your OB/GYN can help you decide which endometriosis treatment is right for you. The medical therapy for endometriosis typically involves suppressing the ovaries with birth control pills or a medicine that suppresses the pituitary signal to the ovary and causes a medical, temporary menopause. Once we narrow in on endometriosis as the cause of your symptoms, we’ll discuss your treatment options. As a result, many women find that it takes time to pinpoint the exact cause of their pelvic pain. Using other small instruments, the endometriosis can be removed and verified by the pathologist.Įndometriosis can be tricky to identify and treat. The definitive endometriosis diagnosis is made during an outpatient surgery called a laparoscopy, where a small telescope is placed through the belly button. If signs of endometriosis are classic and the physical exam is consistent with an endometriosis diagnosis, you can likely start therapy before endometriosis surgery to definitively diagnosis the condition. Unless there is an endometrioma - an endometriotic cyst of the ovary - then usually a sonogram will be normal. During a pelvic exam, endometriosis typically causes pain under the cervix. If your symptoms match those of endometriosis, your OB/GYN may perform a pelvic exam. Worsening menstrual cramps with pain radiating to the back or down the legs.The typical endometriosis symptoms present as: Diagnosing and treating endometriosisĪlthough there are many other factors that can lead to pelvic pain, it’s important to consider endometriosis as a potential cause. The endometriosis can’t leave the body, which can cause swelling, pain, adhesions and, possibly, infertility. The exception is when you have your period. They can swell as the endometrium in the uterine cavity does. These endometriotic implants respond to the estrogen and progesterone produced by the ovaries. When there is any inflammation, it causes pain. The peritoneal cavity contains many nerve fibers.
What is endometriosis?Įndometriosis is a condition that occurs when the endometrium - which should only line the cavity of the uterus - is located outside the uterine lining, typically in the lining of the abdominal cavity called the peritoneum. After a sonogram, they may be told that an ovarian cyst was the cause of their pain when in actuality, the culprit is endometriosis. When the pain is intolerable, many women find themselves in and out of emergency rooms. Is it indicative of a pathologic process like endometriosis or simply part of a normal process like menstruation?Īs an OB/GYN at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth, I tackle this conundrum on a daily basis, especially when it comes to pain caused by endometriosis.Įndometriosis can be tricky to identify and treat. When experiencing female pelvic pain, many women find it challenging to figure out what is causing their pain and why. Let’s face it - pain is subjective and therefore, difficult to quantify.
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