Endometriosis treatment

        The first thing that anyone wants to know after they have been diagnosed with a disease is if it is treatable and what will it take for said patient to be cured of that particular illness. Well, when talking about endometriosis, the news is slightly worse then expected, but not as bad as it might sound at first.

       The endometriosis diagnosis is scary for a lot of the sufferers, for the simple reason that this is a condition that cannot be cured. Yes, this myth about endometriosis is real. Unlike other incurable diseases, this one is not deadly, but it is life altering and, in most cases, emotionally crippling. So, does the fact that endometriosis cannot be cured mean that there is no endometriosis treatment? No, actually, that myth is false. Of course that there are several types of endometriosis treatments, of course that they are each destined to a certain stage of endometriosis or a certain type of patient. What is not so obvious is what the endometriosis treatment does. After all, it cannot cure the sufferers. True, it does not offer miraculous healing, but it gives the sufferers the next best thing: alleviation of symptoms.

        ...read more about endometriosis natural treatment: Endometriosis natural treatment

       Therefore, to understand endometriosis treatment, one should be aware of the symptoms it alleviates:

• Pain: see, the problem with endometriosis pain is that it is constant and very intense. Also, it appears randomly, without any warning signs and it is truly crippling. There are several types of endometriosis pain. For example, the most common type of pain is the one associated with the premenstrual syndrome. If the woman suffers from intense pain during the period of time that precedes her menstruation, then she might be an undiagnosed endometriosis patient. On a scale of one to ten, the premenstrual pains should not be higher then four or five, for very pain - sensitive females. If it passes that number frequently, then there is a problem somewhere in the reproductive system. Usually, that problem is called endometriosis. Another type of pain that the endometriosis treatment alleviates is the pain that comes with sexual contact.
• Infertility: this one is a bit tricky, since scientists are not exactly aware whether the infertility is a symptom of endometriosis or one of its physiological effects. Basically, it is well known that most women who suffer from this condition are, at least to a certain extent, infertile. Technically, if an endometriosis patient tries to conceive naturally, even after a very long time, her chances are minimal. However, this is where the treatment plays its role.

       There are two main types of endometriosis treatment, each with its upsides and downsides. If you choose to pursue the more accessible course of treatment, the one that offers a non - surgical lessening of the intensity of the symptoms, then you could be dealing with a permanent course of treatment, one that will last for your entire life. Unfortunately, if you miss one single dose, the symptoms will be back with a vengeance. Of course, its advantages are not to be trifled with. For one, it ensures that your body does not undergo the stress of a surgery. Also, there are women who suffer from intense pain caused by endometriosis, women who are not in a stage of this disease that justifies a surgical intervention. For them, there is no other course of treatment.

        ...read more about treatments for endometriosis: Treatments for endometriosis

Endometriosis pictures

        ...see more Endometriosis pictures: Endometriosis pictures

       Usually, in this type of endometriosis treatment, the most common drugs prescribed by physicians are the non steroidal anti - inflammatory drugs. How do they work and what do they do? Well, the answer is pretty simple: they decrease the inflammation of the affected areas, thus lowering the pressure on the nerves that run through those places. When there is no more pressure or more than usual, the pain ceases or alleviates. Why are they non steroidal and why is it so important? The steroids would help with the pain, but they would actually increase the swelling. Thus, it is preferred that the pain relievers are of the non steroidal type.

       Now, the non steroidal anti - inflammatory drugs act only on the healthy, but inflamed tissue. They have no influence on the actual problem, the endometrium cells that are spread all over the body of the woman, causing the disease. For them, another course of treatment has been developed. Basically, endometrium cells develop in other areas of the body because the woman produces an excess of sexual hormones. Thus, the natural course of treatment is to inhibit the synthesis of hormones. This can be done with a type of drugs called gonadrotropin - releasing hormone analogs (GnRH analogs). They suppress the estrogen synthesis and ensure the involution of the rogue endometrium cells. Once these are reduced, the symptoms decrease as well, making the pain manageable. The problem with these GnRH analogs is that with the suppression of estrogen comes a whole other series of issues. The most important one is that it induces an early menopause. While that might not be a problem for some women, there are patients that are as young as fourteen and for them menopause is more then forty years away. In this case, another type of estrogen suppression is preferred: contraceptive pills.

       The contraceptive pills are easy to administer and do not cause the ceasing of the menstrual cycle, they just stop the endometrium from developing fully. Just like any other type of medication, they also have adverse effects. The most common are weight gain, high blood pressure, increased risk of thrombosis and, ironically, infertility in the long run.

        ...read more about endometriosis cures: Endometriosis cures

       When it comes to the more extreme type of treatment, there is only one thing that you should be made aware of: this surgery does not offer a permanent improvement. What does that mean? Well, the surgical procedure will eliminate patches of rogue endometrium cells, but it will not stop them from reappearing as soon as the estrogen levels in the patients' body go up again. Also, this type of surgery is indicated for the most serious of cases, usually for patients that have entered the stage four of endometriosis.