Endometriosis Awareness - Endometriosis Symptoms Treatments Diagnosis

Endometriosis is a painful, chronic immune and endocrine disease that affects over five million girls and women in the United States. Unfortunately, endometriosis is often misdiagnosed and patients undergo years of pain and being told "It's all in your head." before an accurate diagnosis of endometriosis is obtained.

Although women with endometriosis have several traditional and alternative treatment options available to them, there is no cure for endometriosis. Sadly, most treatments for endometriosis provide little, or only short-term, relief. Treatments for endometriosis typically involve expensive hormonal drugs that often cause negative side effects, or invasive surgical procedures.

Determining whether endometriosis is present is difficult. To help girls and women who suspect they may have endometriosis, the Endometriosis Association has a helpful free brochures available on their website. They also provide support, newsletters, and information about the latest research being conducted on endometriosis.

The Endometriosis Research Center offers extensive information, research, support groups, and other relevant material for girls and women (and even men) who suffer from endometriosis.

From the Women's Health Forum:

"I'm looking for some advice before I start the Danocrine my doctor prescribed me. I haven't had a laparoscopy, but I have had abdominal pain for 1.5 years. In January my GYN found a small cyst on the left ovary by ultrasound, and MRI indicated it had characteristics of endometriosis. My GYN prescribed natural progesterone, in case it was a corpus luteum cyst. I went for my control ultrasound today, and now she believes I have endometriosis (but without a lap, no proof). She did not recommend an immediate laparoscopy (my symptoms are not severe), but rather Danocrine, 200 mg taken on days 15-24.

In principle I am opposed to hormonal treatment. But she told me most women have no side effects from this dose when it is not taken every day. In the meantime I've found plenty of horror stories on the net. Does anyone have an opinion or experience with this? I, of course would like to avoid the surgery if possible, but worry about the side effects I've read about, including possible irreversible ones." CLYNE3

Endometriosis Resources

Endometriosis: Questions and Answers

Endometriosis Symptoms and Treatments

Environmental Toxins and Reproductive Health

Laparoscopy Questions and Answers

Lupron Depot Facts

What You Should Know About Hysterectomy

Women Talk About Lupron

Endometriosis Resource Center