There are some effective treatments for endometriosis that are available to women who suffer from the ailment. There are medications, therapies and procedures that have had much success in alleviating the symptoms of pain and inflammation. However, with these medications, therapies and procedures come some side effects. Some of these side effects are mild and hardly noticeable while others are downright painful. There may come a time when you have to decide if the benefit of the medication, therapy or procedure is worth the side effects that it produces. You may even have to end a treatment because the side effects simply outweigh the benefits that you may gain.
Birth Control Pills
Birth control pills such as Ortho Novum may relieve the endometriosis symptoms in some women, but in others it can cause side effects that range from a nuisance to absolutely horrid. Weight gain, depression, nausea, breast tenderness, high blood pressure, blood clots, stroke, and a myriad of other side effects accompany birth control pills. Additionally, no one really knows just what effects long term ingestion of synthetic hormones may have of the human body.
Depro Provera
This shot is becoming the drug of choice for treating endometriosis. Many women are reporting great success in lesser pain and bleeding that is not as heavy. However, 70% of women who use Depro Provera gain weight of anywhere from 5 to 10 pounds or even more. Other side effects include irregular or heavy bleeding, no bleeding at all and even bleeding constantly for weeks at a time. Other side effects include headaches, anxiety, changes in mood, hot flashes, bloating, cramps, decreased interest in sex, breast tenderness, acne, back ache and even hair loss.
Lupron Depot
This is a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist that is used to decrease the body's production of certain hormones. Side effects of this treatment may include bone density loss, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood changes, headaches and decreased interest in sex. Some women may have a very light period or they may spot, but after the second month, most women report a complete absence of their period. This is another popular treatment that many women are claiming completely relieved them of their symptoms.
Synarel Nasal Spray
This is another gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist and it is used very commonly in the treatment of endometriosis. It has many of the same side effects as Lupron, including muscle pain, change in weight, insomnia, blood pressure change and other issues. However, many women have found this treatment to be quite effective.
Operative Laparoscopy
This is a procedure that involves actually going into the abdominal cavity and lasering and cutting endometrial growths. It is not completely invasive because the doctor only makes a couple of tiny incisions in the abdomen so that the tools can enter the body. The abdomen is inflated with gas so that the doctor has room to work, but the recovery is usually 2 or 3 days. There is some discomfort such as pressure from the gas that was used to inflate the abdomen and that region may be sore, but it doesn't usually last long.
Hysterectomy
This is the most radical treatment for endometriosis, but for some women it is their last hope. It involves removing the uterus and sometimes the ovaries as well. In some women, the treatment can be done with laparoscopic incisions and removal of the organs through the vagina. This is favored by most women because it has a shorter recovery time of about 2 weeks compared to the 5 week recovery for the hysterectomy conducted through an abdominal incision. There is soreness and there may be mood changes, hot flashes and vaginal dryness for as long as 12 to 18 months if the woman's body is lacking estrogen.
All of these treatments are effective for some women and ineffective for others. One woman's shining savior may be another woman's nightmare. The only thing that you can do is discuss with your doctor your various options and decide on a course of action together. Always know, though, if a treatment is not working, or the side effects are just too much and outweigh the benefits, it is OK to tell your doctor that you want to go off of the treatment. After all, it is your body.
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