Health is Wealth

Living with endometriosis takes strength, resilience, and courage. While the pain and challenges can be overwhelming, remember that you are not alone and especially  not powerless.

With the right treatment, support, and self-care, you can reclaim control over your body and your life. Treatments are based on individual preferences and effectiveness, side effects, long-term safety, costs and availability and here are some options :

Supportive Lifestyle Changes
Before any medical therapy, focusing on one’s lifestyle is the first step towards a healthier life. Without a healthy good base, one would be too dependent on medicine and improvement would take a very long while.

A supportive lifestyle would include regular exercise, a balanced anti-inflammatory diet, stress management, and physical therapy which will help manage symptoms. 

While lifestyle changes don’t replace medical treatment, they often improve overall well-being and quality of life so try to work on it !

Pain Management
Treatments to manage endometriosis can vary based on the severity of symptoms and whether pregnancy is desired, but at the moment no treatments cure the disease.

However a certain range of medications can help manage endometriosis and its symptoms. First-line treatments typically include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which help reduce inflammation and relieve menstrual pain. Hormonal therapies, such as oral contraceptives or progestins, are also used to suppress the menstrual cycle and lessen pain by controlling the growth of endometrial tissue.  

Hormonal Therapies
Hormonal therapies are a key part of managing endometriosis, especially for women who aren’t trying to get pregnant right away. 

These treatments work by stopping menstruation and slowing down the growth of endometriosis tissue. 

One common option is combined hormonal contraceptives (like birth control pills) which block ovulation and reduce estrogen levels. This creates a progesterone-rich environment that helps shrink lesions and ease symptoms. These contraceptives are usually well-tolerated, effective, and affordable.

Surgical Options
Surgical intervention remains a critical component in the management of endometriosis, particularly for patients with severe symptoms or those who do not respond to medical therapies. Laparoscopic surgery is the preferred approach, offering advantages such as reduced recovery time and lower complication rates compared to traditional open surgery . The primary goal of surgery is to remove or destroy visible endometriotic lesions and restore normal pelvic anatomy. Techniques employed include excision, ablation, and laser vaporization of lesions, as well as lysis of adhesions. In cases of deep infiltrating endometriosis, more extensive procedures such as bowel or bladder resections may be necessary . For women with endometriomas, laparoscopic cystectomy is recommended to improve fertility outcomes, although it carries a risk of decreased ovarian reserve . Postoperative medical therapy, including hormonal treatments, is often utilized to reduce the risk of recurrence and manage symptoms effectively .