Endometriosis is a chronic and surprisingly common condition that happens when the tissue that lines the uterus (the endometrium) grows in areas where it’s not supposed to grow.
While some women have endometriosis and never know it, many suffer from severe cramps, pelvic pain, and lower back pain, along with problems with fertility or pregnancy.
Endometriosis can’t be cured, but we can help you manage it. The key is finding the treatment that works best for you and then continuing with the therapy to manage symptoms over time.
At the Center for Urogynecology and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery, OB/GYN Rafael J. Perez, MD, FACOG, helps women manage their endometriosis symptoms with therapies tailored to their needs, their lifestyles, and their future goals.
Here, learn about treatments that can help you avoid painful symptoms.
For milder symptoms, you may find over-the-counter medications, like ibuprofen, naproxen, or medications for menstrual symptoms, help relieve pain and inflammation. Use these medications as prescribed to prevent complications.
You might find it helpful to combine the OTC medications with the use of a heating pad as a first-step treatment to see if your symptoms resolve.
Because of the link between hormonal fluctuations and symptom severity, Dr. Perez might suggest HRT to manage endometriosis. Hormonal contraceptives, including birth control pills, patches, and shots, can help many women by regulating menstrual cycles and reducing painful symptoms.
Birth control pills can also help shrink endometrial implants.
Other hormone-based medications used to treat endometriosis symptoms include progestin and medications that temporarily lower estrogen levels, including some medicines used to treat breast cancer. These medicines may prevent new implants from forming, as well.
While hormone therapy provides many women with symptom relief, it’s not effective for everyone. If you have more severe or persistent symptoms or if implanted endometrial tissue poses problems for pregnancy or fertility, surgery is typically a better solution.
Dr. Perez can perform many surgeries with minimally invasive techniques using a special instrument called a laparoscope. With this instrument, he can remove the endometrial tissue with tiny incisions, resulting in less tissue damage and a quicker and more comfortable recovery.
This type of surgery focuses solely on removing implant tissue, leaving the uterus and ovaries intact. For this reason, implant removal can be an ideal solution for women with large or numerous implants who want to become pregnant.
For women who don’t plan to become pregnant and who are plagued by severe endometriosis symptoms that don’t respond to medication or HRT, hysterectomy is an effective way to find relief for debilitating pain.
There are different types of hysterectomies: Some remove the uterus and leave the cervix (the uterine opening) intact, while other surgeries remove the entire uterus, including the cervix.
You may also opt to have your ovaries removed, a procedure called oophorectomy, but you begin menopause immediately afterward.
Dr. Perez can perform a hysterectomy using minimally invasive techniques or by using a single, larger incision. The approach he recommends depends on your anatomy, the location of the implants, and other factors.
Endometriosis affects different women in different ways, and that’s why you should work with a physician like Dr. Perez who offers multiple therapies focused on helping you improve your comfort and your overall wellness.
To learn how he can help you manage your endometriosis symptoms, call 305-240-6047 today to request an appointment with Dr. Perez and our team at Center for Urogynecology and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery in South Miami, Florida.
