“There are currently no treatments to rid a person of endometriosis entirely. However, there are plenty of treatment plans to help ease pain and to treat the symptom of infertility.”

If you are experiencing extreme pain in your lower back, abdomen and thighs consistently, it may mean that something could be wrong with your body. It is important to not jump into conclusions and assume based on five second google searches, because there is a lot of misleading information on the internet. Please read this information carefully. However, do not use this information to self- diagnose before consulting with your doctor. 

Endometriosis is a disease that affects the tissue that lines the uterus. In endometriosis, this tissue can abnormally implant outside of the uterus, thus causing symptoms. Symptoms that may make you suspicious of this disease are incredibly painful periods, chronic pelvic pain, nausea, and severe pain during sexual intercourse. This is not the complete list of symptoms for endometriosis, so it is possible to be concerned that you are suffering from endometriosis and experiencing different symptoms. If you are actively and consistently experiencing these symptoms, you should strongly consider speaking to your primary care physician. 

There are currently no treatments to rid a person of endometriosis entirely. However, there are plenty of treatment plans to help ease pain and to treat the symptom of infertility. The options for treatment plans are hormonal therapy, pain medications, and surgical treatments. For hormonal therapy, there are several options that include progesterone and progestin, birth control, danazol, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone. 

If you are a woman who is experiencing infertility, there is a possibility that you may have endometriosis. Around 40% of women who experience infertility have endometriosis. Suffering from infertility is a reason to bring up to your doctor that you may be impacted by endometriosis. There are treatments for women who are suffering from infertility. The most recommended option for treatments in relation to infertility is laparoscopic therapy to remove the abnormal growths outside of the uterus. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is also an option that is open to women to help improve their fertility. While these are not guaranteed, they are potentially great options for treating infertility. 

It is important that while reading this article if you decide to reach out to your primary care physician about endometriosis that you compile a list of questions to ask. Some questions you may want to include are listed below. 

• If you are not suffering from severe symptoms, you may want to ask how to continue to avoid them or prolong them?
• How will this disease affect my ability to have a successful pregnancy?
• How does this affect the rest of your body? How does this affect your overall health?
• What are the potential side effects of each treatment option?
• Are their natural ways to relieve my symptoms?
• How expensive is each treatment option?
• Are there activities that need to be avoided?

Furthermore, it is very important that if you are diagnosed with endometriosis to remember that your life is not over. There are many women out there in the world who can relate to you and help you through your journey. Lean into your community and commit to further understanding your body.