Although different treatment methods are used for endometriosis, a definitive treatment has not yet been found. The probability of the disease continuing or recurring, on the other hand, is high.
Painkillers are generally used for the pains seen in endometriosis. With hormone treatment the aim is to stop ovulation for as long a time as possible.
As a result of treatment, a regression in the endometriosis can sometimes be seen after months and years. Drug treatment unfortunately does not completely eliminate the disease of endometriosis. Some time after the medicines are stopped, the pains begin to be felt again.
Milder Pain Is Felt or It May Not Be Felt at All
In cases of endometriosis, no correlation could be determined between the pain and the stage of the disease. Sometimes severe pain is felt in milder cases of endometriosis, while in advanced-stage endometriosis (in large endometriomas) milder pain is felt or no pain may be felt at all.
While the medicines relieve the pain in some patients, the same medicines may not show this effect in other patients. Hormonal treatment includes contraceptive pills, progesterone medicines, testosterone derivatives (danazol) and GnRH agonists (gonadotropin-releasing hormone medicines).
Do Hormonal Treatments Have Side Effects?
The side effects of hormonal treatments can create a problem for some patients. Because it is believed that the chance of becoming pregnant is reduced by the disease and because a regression in the symptoms of endometriosis is experienced with pregnancy, those who wish to have a child are advised not to wait.
However, in patients with endometriosis the chance of an ectopic pregnancy and of miscarriage may be high. It is possible to remove or destroy the endometriosis lesions with surgery performed by the laparoscopic or the classic method.
Despite this, as with the other treatments, there is a probability of the disease recurring. In long-lasting stubborn cases, the removal of the uterus, the ovaries and all the endometriosis foci may come into question.
A Long-Term Treatment System
The drug treatment of endometriosis is a long-term treatment system. For this reason the side effects and the prices of the medicines should also be taken into account. Progestins, a quite effective group of medicines, when used at a high dose are effective both on the pains and in shrinking the lesions.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are quite effective in relieving the menstrual pains linked to endometriosis. They have no effect in shrinking the lesions.
The use of aromatase inhibitors is a new strategy in the treatment of endometriosis. They are used more in patients with endometriosis who are close to the menopause.
Today the most widely used medicines for the pain symptoms of endometriosis are contraceptive pills and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.