Treatment Options for Endometriosis
Endometriosis can be treated with hormone therapy, surgery, or a combination
of both. Talk to your health care provider to see which treatment is best for
your condition
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy regulates or blocks the hormones that control your menstrual
cycle. This means it can limit the swelling of your endometrium and extra
endometrial tissue (implants). This treatment may be used before, instead of,
or after surgery. Following are different types of hormone therapies:
- GnRH Agonists and FSH and LH Inhibitors
stop or lower the production of estrogen and progesterone hormones.
- Birth control pills contain estrogen and progesterone.
Birth control pills help to regulate the levels of estrogen and
progesterone in your body.
- Progestins are a form of progesterone. Progestins help
keep estrogen levels low.
- Danazol® is a hormone that stops or lowers the
production of estrogen and progesterone.
Surgery
Surgery can be used to remove implants of endometrial tissue or for removal of
the reproductive organs.
- With laparoscopy a laparoscope (a thin, lighted tube)
is inserted through a small incision in your abdomen. Your doctor uses the
laparoscope and another small instrument to remove the implants.
- Laparotomy is open surgery to remove large implants
that can’t be reached with the laparoscope or when pelvic organs such as
your bowel are involved.
- Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of your uterus.
Any implants or adhesions in your pelvic cavity will also be removed.
- During a Total Hysterectomy with Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy
procedure, your uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes are removed. Any
implants or adhesions in nearby tissue are also removed.
