Understanding Endometriosis
In endometriosis, tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside it, most often on the ovaries, the pelvic lining or the bowel. This tissue responds to the monthly hormonal cycle, bleeding and inflaming with each period, which produces pain, scarring and adhesions.
Women with endometriosis wait years for a diagnosis on average, usually because severe period pain gets dismissed as normal. It is not normal. Pain that stops you working, pain during intercourse, pain when passing urine or stool around your period, or difficulty conceiving all deserve proper evaluation.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Treatment depends on the severity of your symptoms, the extent of disease and whether you are trying to conceive.
- Clinical assessment - a detailed pain history and examination, which often points strongly to the diagnosis.
- Imaging - transvaginal ultrasound to identify endometriomas, with MRI where deep disease is suspected.
- Diagnostic laparoscopy - the definitive method, allowing disease to be confirmed and treated in the same procedure.
- Pain management - anti-inflammatory medication and a structured plan rather than escalating painkillers alone.
- Hormonal treatment - to suppress the cycle and slow disease progression, chosen to suit your plans.
- Laparoscopic excision - removal of endometriotic deposits, cysts and adhesions with ovarian tissue carefully preserved.
- Fertility care - endometriosis is a common cause of infertility, and treatment is planned with conception in mind.
- Long-term follow-up - endometriosis can recur, so we plan ongoing review rather than discharging you after surgery.
If you are planning a pregnancy, tell us at the first visit. It changes which treatments are suitable and the order in which we would recommend them.
