Originally appeared on Health & Wellness

By Parveen Vahora, M.D.

Do you have pain with your periods or pelvic pain or with intimacy? It may be endometri­osis. What is endometriosis? The endome­trium is a mucous membrane that lines the uterus. The endometrial tissue and cells normally grow and shed within the uterus during the female reproduc­tive years. When there is an overgrowth of the endometrial tissue, it begins to grow outside of the uterus onto the ovaries and fallopian tubes.

Endometriosis can lead to adhesions, which are sticky bands of scar tissue that adhere and tighten the inner space and organs within the Pelvic floor and womb. Adhesions can cause a great deal of pain on a regular basis and become even more stretched and begin pulling at the organs during the menstrual cycle. This can cause pain with menses, pelvic pain and pain with intimacy

There are multiple therapy options are available that include conservative therapies to surgery depending on the severity of your condition, your age, lifestyle, and your overall health.

For many women endometriosis is the primary disorder causing their ongoing bleeding and pain. Endometriosis and intrauterine disorder. For older women that are finished having children, gynecolo­gists often recommend hysterectomy. The same holds true for women that are finished having children and may have complications due to cancer, ovarian cysts or tumors.

Deciding to have a hysterectomy is a big decision because once the reproductive organs are removed, hormone replacement therapy is absolutely neces­sary for overall wellbeing and health. Thankfully, there are alternative options.

Symptoms of Endometriosis

• Painful periods
• Pelvic pain in between periods
• Excessive bleeding
• Discomfort during sexual intercourse
• Infertility
• Fatigue
• Bloating
• Discomfort during Bowel movements and urination

Treatment Options

Medications:

ORILISSA is an oral pill that’s clinically proven to relieve moderate to severe endometriosis pain. It’s different-it’s not a painkiller, injection, surgery, or birth control. And it does not contain hormones. ORI LISSA works differently than other endometriosis pain treatments.

It is a pill that dials down the amount of estrogent in the body (estrogen fuels painful endometriosis lesions). Less estrogen equals less fuel for painful endometriosis lesions.

ORILISSA is available in 2 doses. Each dose lowers estrogen by different amounts so you and your gyne­cologist can choose which dose is best for your indi­vidual needs.

LUPRON DEPOT is a prescription injectable medica­tion for the management of endometriosis. It decreases estrogen levels to a very minimal level. It can help relieve the pain of endometriosis and reduce endometriotic lesions. LUPRON DEPOT has been prescribed by doctors since 1990.

It offers two different dosing options for treatment which are:

• Injected once every 3 months (11.25 mg dose)
• Injected once each month (3.75 mg dose)

LUPRON DEPOT suppresses the hormones that cause endometrial tissue to grow. LUPRON DEPOT therapy suppresses the signals from the pituitary gland in the brain to the ovaries, which stimulate estrogen production. By doing this, LUPRON DEPOT injections also suppress the hormones that cause the endometrial to grow.

Suppressing the hormones helps:

Provide endometriosis pain relief

Reduce endometriotic lesions

There are minimally invasive options with laparos­copy. In most cases, women do not have to undergo long surgeries with large incisions. However, a combination of medications and mini­mally invasive surgery often provide optimal outcomes.

Minimally Invasive Surgery

Laparoscopic diagnostic procedures can detect wear growths have formed. Dr. Vahora is able to remove endometriosis through laparoscopic methods, relieving patients of pain quickly and effectively. The field of gynecology has seen an emerging trend of minimally invasive procedures (MIP). These advances result in a shorter recovery period, less pain, and less scarring for women than the traditional surgical procedures.

Laparoscopy is the surgical technique where a camera is placed through a small incision in the umbilicus. Two smaller incisions are used to insert the surgical instruments. Laparoscopy allows the surgeon to visualize the entire abdomen and pelvis without making a large incision on the patient’s abdomen.

Laparoscopic Hysterectomies

Having a hysterectomy is a decision one in every three women in the United States will face. In fact, hysterectomy is the second most common major surgery among women in this country. Of those sur­geries, approximately one-third will be performed as a minimally invasive procedure that can result in a shorter recovery and leave a smaller scar.

Women do not need to be sidelined by hysterecto­mies. Dr. Vahora introduces “Not Your Grand­mother’s Hysterectomy“. Those who have a minimally invasive procedure typically return to normal activities in a few weeks. Traditional hyster­ectomies require an average hospital stay of five to seven days, and complete recovery may require up to two months. In other words, if you are a candi­date for a minimally invasive procedure, you could return to your normal life in a much shorter time and experience a less painful recovery. “Not Your Grandmother’s Hysterectomy“ makes a monumental difference for patients.

Techniques and technology have dramatically improved treatment. You don’t have to live with the pain of endometriosis; there are many alternatives for you to get back to being pain free.

Get the relief and new beginning that you are worthy of Call (727) 376-1536 today to schedule an appointment or email lnfo@ParveenVahoraMD.com.

To find out more, please visit ParveenVahoraMD.com or email  info@ParveenVahoraMD.com.