If you have heavy bleeding, very long periods, and many miserable days of pain each month, endometriosis may be the cause. There’s help available, but it starts by getting an accurate diagnosis at Gyn-Care in Atlantic Station, Atlanta. Count on Eric Brown, MD and the experienced OB/GYN team for accurate diagnosis and effective endometriosis relief. Book your appointment now through the online tool or by phone.
In endometriosis, your uterine lining grows in other parts of your body. Often, this extra uterine lining grows on the outside of the uterus, on the ovaries, and on the fallopian tubes. Sometimes it also spreads other areas in the abdomen, or even as far away as your chest, arms, or legs.
Endometriosis doesn't cause symptoms for all women, but for some women, it causes severe and even debilitating issues.
Symptoms can vary among sufferers, but the most common effects of endometriosis are:
Patients who have severe endometriosis often have several or all of these symptoms at one time.
Although any premenopausal woman can develop endometriosis, it's most common in women who have immediate family members with the condition. Some other risk factors for endometriosis include:
These risk factors aren't a guarantee that you'll develop endometriosis, but they're a warning sign to watch closely for symptoms.
Treatment depends on your symptoms and on how endometriosis is negatively impacting your life. Pain medicine can offer short-term relief. However other options can relieve symptoms long-term or permanently.
Prescription medicines to control hormones can help. Options including oral contraceptives, Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists and antagonists, aromatase inhibitors, and progestin therapy can slow down or even stop endometrial growth. Some of these options also stop your period for as long as you take them.
Endometriosis resection is a minimally invasive robotic surgery using the da Vinci® system. In this treatment, your OB/GYN removes all visible endometriosis growths but leaves your reproductive system intact. This allows you to have children later if you want.
Hysterectomy, surgical removal of the uterus, is an option for endometriosis relief if the other options are inefficient and you don't want to have children.
Although removing the endometriosis or even the entire uterus can be quite successful, it's not a guarantee that the endometriosis is gone forever. Sometimes, your OB/GYN may recommend ovary removal along with a hysterectomy to lower the chances of recurrence.
Need endometriosis help? Book your appointment online or by phone today.
