If you’re among the 176 million women around the world living with endometriosis, you know how painful and disabling it can be. The experienced women’s health care team at Mesbah OB/GYN in Garden City, New York, also understands how severely endometriosis can affect your life. They diagnose endometriosis accurately and offer effective treatment options that reduce and relieve your pain. To find out how they can help, call Mesbah OB/GYN today or use the online scheduling tool to book an appointment.
Endometriosis is a painful gynecological condition where the tissue that normally lines your uterus (the endometrium) starts growing in other places. The abnormal endometrial tissue functions just like the endometrium in your uterus — thickening, bleeding, and breaking down during your menstrual cycle.
The problem is that because the blood and tissue are outside your uterus, it can’t leave your body through your vagina as it normally would. This abnormal tissue growth triggers inflammation and pain. It may also cause scar tissue development and adhesions (areas where tissues or organs stick to one another).
Symptoms of endometriosis include:
The Mesbah OB/GYN team performs a pelvic exam and performs an ultrasound scan or laparoscopy to diagnose your condition.
It’s not clear exactly why some women get endometriosis. It could be due to a dysfunction of your immune system or problems with the way menstrual blood flows inside your body.
Sometimes endometriosis sets in after surgery, which indicates that scar tissue in the pelvic area could trigger the condition. It could also relate to the transformation of peritoneal (abdominal) or embryonic cells into endometrial tissue.
The treatment your provider at Mesbah OB/GYN recommends for endometriosis depends on factors like the severity of your symptoms and whether you wish to have children in the future.
Mild cases might be manageable with medication for pain relief, using a heating pad, and taking warm baths to relax your muscles and relieve pain.
Birth control pills can help in many cases by stopping menstruation and regulating your hormone levels. Hormone replacement therapy is another option for endometriosis. It’s important to be aware that these treatments are likely to prevent conception as well as ease endometriosis pain.
For some patients, surgery is a good option. When possible, the Mesbah OB/GYN team uses conservative approaches that remove the endometrial tissue and leave your reproductive organs unharmed. This method helps to preserve your future fertility.
If you do need surgery for endometriosis, the Mesbah OB/GYN team uses traditional or, where possible, minimally invasive techniques to remove plugs of endometrial tissue, scarring, and adhesions. Laparoscopic and robot-assisted techniques cause less pain, and there’s generally a shorter recovery period.
If your endometriosis is severe, your provider might recommend a full or partial hysterectomy. This operation removes both fallopian tubes, both ovaries, and/or the uterus, so you wouldn’t be able to conceive afterward.
To find the right treatment for endometriosis, call Mesbah OB/GYN today or book an appointment online.