Endometriosis affects more than 10% of women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the United States, and although endometriosis isn’t life-threatening, the symptoms it causes can have a significant impact on your quality of life. The team at Burlington OBGYN Associates Inc. specializes in diagnosing and treating endometriosis and can provide the care you need to reduce your symptoms and help you get back to doing what brings you joy. For a consultation, call the office in Burlington, Massachusetts, or request one online today.
Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological condition in which the endometrial tissue that lines your uterus grows in other areas of your body where it doesn’t belong. The displaced cells are most often found in your pelvic area, although they can also grow on other organs, including your bowels and organs inside your chest cavity.
The chronic condition isn’t cancerous or life-threatening, but the symptoms it causes can affect your day-to-day life. Burlington OBGYN Associates Inc. specializes in managing endometriosis and can provide the care you need to relieve your symptoms.
The type and severity of your symptoms from endometriosis may vary. In fact, some women don’t experience any symptoms at all, while others suffer from them every day.
Common symptoms include:
Endometriosis may also cause gastrointestinal distress, such as diarrhea, constipation, bloating, or nausea, which may worsen during menstruation.
Endometriosis can be difficult to diagnose due to the types of symptoms experienced, which can result from many causes. Burlington OBGYN Associates Inc. diagnoses endometriosis through a surgical procedure known as a laparoscopy. During this minimally invasive procedure, your provider inserts a surgical camera through a tiny incision in your abdominal area to view your reproductive organs and look for the displaced endometrial tissue.
Treatment for endometriosis varies and depends on the severity of your symptoms and your future pregnancy plans. First-line treatment for women with endometriosis who don’t currently desire to get pregnant is hormonal contraceptive therapy for hormonal suppression.
Your provider at Burlington OBGYN Associates Inc. may prescribe a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist, which stops the hormones that create the endometrial tissue and ovulation. This treatment puts you into temporary menopause but halts the growth of the tissue.
There are also newer medications that can facilitate relief of symptoms from endometriosis that can be used as well.
If you’re trying to get pregnant and have known endometriosis, a consultation with the team at Burlington OBGYN Associates Inc. is encouraged. A consultation will allow you to narrow down any aspects of fertility that may be problematic. Sometimes this requires simple testing, and other times it may require surgical intervention.
If future fertility is not a priority, your provider can also talk to you about the various surgical options for your endometriosis if conservative treatments fail to improve your symptoms.
Endometriosis is common, but it can alter your quality of life. For comprehensive and compassionate care of endometriosis and all of your gynecological needs, call Burlington OBGYN Associates Inc. or request an appointment online today.