While there is no current cure, there are medical treatments that your doctor might offer
There is currently no cure for endometriosis, but there are medical treatments that can doctors offer to help ease symptoms.
Medications
These include anti-inflammatory painkillers, such as ibuprofen, and hormone medicines and contraceptives, including the combined pill, the contraceptive patch and the intrauterine hormonal system (Mirena coil). The hormonal options, such as the pill taken back to back for three months or injections that temporarily put your ovaries to sleep, are to stop menstruation.
Surgery
“For some women, surgery is needed to treat or remove the endometriotic tissue, especially when scar tissue and/or cysts are present,” Professor Nick Raine-Fenning, a consultant gynaecologist and spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), says. In minor cases of endometriosis, there is evidence that removing or destroying endometriotic tissue during surgery can improve a woman’s chances of having a successful pregnancy, either naturally or following fertility treatment. “This type of surgery can be complicated but there are several centres of excellence in the UK,” he says.
“Surgery aims to break apart any adhesions causing your organs to stick together, and also locates as many of these tiny endometrium-like tissue deposits as can be found and either burns or removes them to reduce the amount of inflammation that occurs when they bleed each month,” explains Dr. Natasha Abdul Aziz, senior clinical fellow in Obstetrics and Gynaecology with the Chelsea & Westminster NHS foundation trust, on TheFemedic.com.
“If you have cysts caused by endometriosis, your fertility specialist or gynaecologist will discuss the best way forward to manage these surgically. This takes into account your age, the size of the cysts, how easy or difficult a surgery might be, and whether removing the cysts or draining them would cause the least damage to your ovaries (and thus preserve your eggs for getting pregnant).”
But, Professor Raine-Fenning says, many women find that lifestyle changes can also help: “Some women find that lifestyle changes and natural remedies can help relieve some of the symptoms, such as exercise, a healthy, well-balanced diet and the use of a hot water bottle or taking a hot bath.
Read more from Moody Month’s endometriosis mini-series:
Endometriosis: How to get diagnosed
Endometriosis: Lifestyle factors that can help manage symptoms
Daily wellness for women, tailored to your cycle.
