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© 2021 by PRISTYN CARE Pristyn Care® is a trademark of GHV Advanced Care Private Limited
© 2021 by PRISTYN CARE Pristyn Care® is a trademark of GHV Advanced Care Private Limited
Everything About Endometriosis and its Treatment
Endometriosis is a fairly common condition affecting 190 million women worldwide. Typically, it is diagnosed a few years after puberty, the symptoms temporarily pause during pregnancy, and end after menopause. This page lists down everything about the condition, its grades, treatment options, cost, best doctors in India, and more.
Table Of Index
What is Endometriosis?
Why does it happen?
Grades of Endometriosis
Causes
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Severity
Risks & Complications
When to consult a doctor?
Endometriosis Doctors
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
Treatment Options & Cost
Insurance Coverage
Recovery Rate
Long Term Outlook
What is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a condition where the uterine blood lining that typically grows inside the uterus starts to grow outside it.
In a healthy female body, the endometrium blood lining grows inside the uterus and sheds out through the vaginal opening during menstruation. However, in endometriosis, instead of flowing out, this menstrual blood starts to deposit around the small intestine, rectum, fallopian tubes, ovaries, fundas, and other body organs in the abdomen. With no way out, these blood deposits start to swell, causing unbearable pain, heaviness, exertion, fever, and at times, blood in the vomit. It also severely degrades a woman’s fertility by affecting both- the health and patency of the fallopian tubes.
Why does it happen?
While the exact cause of endometriosis is uncertain, reverse menses, that is, retrograde menstrual flow is the most commonly agreed upon medical theory.
This understanding holds that while the endometrium responds to the hormones just as it should in a normal cycle and proliferates and enlarges during ovulation, it reverses its direction during menstruation. That is, instead of only flowing out of the vaginal opening, it reverses and flows inside the abdomen and creates layers of microscopic blood deposits across different organs around the uterus.
Grades of Endometriosis
Grade I
Grade II
Grade III
Grade IV
Causes
- Uncertain
Symptoms
- Heaviness and pain in the abdominal area
- Acute pain and abdominal cramps during menses
- Pain during or after sex
- Pain during urination or bowel movement
- Difficulty in conception (female infertility issues)
Diagnosis
Laparoscopy is the only successful diagnostic test for endometriosis (unless the patient develops an endometrioma cyst which can be diagnosed through an ultrasound).
Procedure: As the name suggests, it is performed using a laparoscope, that is, a tiny catheter-like instrument with a camera and lens on its end.
Once you are under the influence of anesthesia, the doctor makes a minor keyhole in the abdominal areas and injects carbon dioxide gas to lift it above the small intestines and create space for the procedure. Then, the laparoscope is inserted to provide a high-definition view of the internal organs on a digital monitor. This imaging helps provide the exact status of endometriosis, its severity, and grade.
If needed, the laparoscopy test may be combined with the corresponding treatment.
Severity
Endometriosis grade 1 is the first stage of endometriosis with only minimum to mild symptoms of pain felt during menstruation.
Typically, the pain can be relieved through medications and hormone therapy.
Risks & Complications
The risks and complications during the surgical treatment for endometriosis depend directly on the kind of treatment method used.
- Laparoscopic Excision: Mild risk of general anaesthetic complications and excessive bleeding
- Laparoscopic Ablation: Mild risk of general anaesthetic complications, excessive bleeding, infection, and abrasions around the sites the ablation is used to burn the blood deposits. While the chances of recurrence remain, the treatment is long-term.
- Laparoscopic Chromopertubation and Recanalization: Mild risk of bleeding or general anaesthetic complications.
- Ovarian Cystectomy: Mild risk of general anaesthetic complications, excessive bleeding, infection, and damage to ovaries.
- Hysterectomy: Mild- moderate risk of general anaesthetic complications, excessive bleeding, blood clots, and damage to the ureter, bladder, or ovaries.
Celebrities with Endometriosis- Hilary Clinton (Former Presidential candidate, US secretary, and first lady of United States)
- Queen Victoria (The famous British monarch)
- Marlyn Monroe (The famous American actress and style icon)
- Katrina Kaif (One of the top Bollywood actress)
- Celena Jaitley (Indian actress and Miss India, 2001)
- Sumona Chakravarti (The Kapil Sharma Show fame actress)
- Padma Laxmi (Indian author, actress, and food expert)
- Jamie King (American actress and model)
- Halsey (Grammy winner singer)
- Julianne Hough (American dancer, actress, and singer)
- Tia Mowry (The “Sister, Sister” famed Actress)
- Susan Sarandon (Academy award-winning American actress and activist)
Myths and facts on Endometriosis- Period pain is the same for all women.
False. The pain and cramping felt during menses differ between every two women, and there is no standardized quantification of pain. This is especially true for women with endometriosis. The pain can become strikingly high with a burning sensation, nausea, and fever. Delay in treatment can severe the condition, leading to a similar pain being felt even in-between the periods.
- Endometriosis is caused by having sex during periods.
No. While some medical studies do propose this theory, it is not accepted by a vast majority of medical practitioners. The exact cause for endometriosis still remains uncertain.
- Endometriosis can be easily diagnosed.
No. Endometriosis cannot be diagnosed unless through laparoscopic surgery.
- There is no cure for endometriosis.
Not entirely true. While there is no permanent cure for endometriosis, various medical and surgical procedures such as laparoscopy and ablation and laparoscopy and excision are great for providing not only immediate but long-term relief.
- Women with endometriosis cannot become pregnant.
False. While women with endometriosis do face trouble with infertility, various procedures such as recanalization of fallopian tubes, or assisted reproductive technology such as IVF or ICSI have made pregnancy possible with endometriosis.
PreventionSince there is no definite identified cause of endometriosis, medical sciences currently lack the methods of prevention.
When to consult a doctor?
Consult your gynecologist as soon as you experience :
- Regular abdominal pain with heaviness and exertion
- Mild to no menstrual blood with extreme pain and cramping
- Difficulty in conception
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
What is my grade of endometriosis?
Can I be treated through medications, or is surgical treatment necessary?
What is the health and patency of my fallopian tubes?
What are my chances at natural conception?
What are my best options for fertility treatments using assisted reproductive technology?
What are the different modes of payment accepted?
Which insurances do you accept?
Treatment Options & Cost
Symptoms of Grade I endometriosis can be managed through pain killers and oral contraceptives. The OC pills help halt ovulation through hormonal control. With no ovulation, the endometrium lining stops growing and in turn, provides the body a rest period. With this rest, the body heals itself and gradually absorbs the microscopic blood deposits to help control the pain and cluster symptoms.
For similar results, the doctor may also suggest hormone therapy.
However, note that this is not a long-term treatment. Hormonal medications must not be taken for longer than five years. Else, they pose a risk to lipid profile and increase the chances of heart-related diseases.
Typically, doctor consultations and medications for endometriosis cost an average of INR 2000- INR 3000 in India.
Insurance CoverageYes, insurance covers the surgical treatment cost for endometriosis. However, fertility treatments are an exception. That is, all surgical options such as LAPEX, laparoscopy and ablation, ovarian cystectomy, or LAPEX and hysterectomy are covered under insurance as they fall under the ‘medically necessary’ list of treatments. However, fertility treatments such as recanalization, IVF, and ICSI are voted out because of their classification under treatments taken out of voluntary choice.
Insurance coverage and the treatment cost capping varies case to case. Please confirm the same from your healthcare or insurance provider.
Recovery RateFor laparoscopic surgeries, the recovery period runs around 3-5 days. Whereas open-cut surgeries require a rest period of a minimum of 2 weeks.
Long Term Outlook
While surgical treatments of endometriosis, such as laparoscopy and ablation, LAPEX, or ovarian cystectomy, do provide immediate and long-term relief, the chances of recurrence remain. This is why, if you desire child-birth, fertility treatments must be taken up with immediate effect.
As for the long-term, LAPEX and hysterectomy, that is, excising every endometrial blood deposit in the abdomen while removing the uterus permanently, remains the only definite resolve.
Pristyn Care for the treament
Case Study
Mrs. S (28 years, Hyderabad) approached us with complaints of frequent intermenstrual pain and cramping. She reported she had also recently developed a starking abdominal pain on the left side of her abdomen. Her ultrasound report confirmed endometrioma (chocolate cyst) on her left ovary, that is, the grade IV of endometriosis.
After being guided on her condition, possible risks, complications, and problems with fertility, we recommended performing both- laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy for cyst removal and patency tests and treatments for fallopian tubes.
Dr. Juhul Patel successfully removed the endometrioma cyst while burning the different blood deposits in her abdomen through ablation. Thereafter, blockages in her tubes were removed through chromopertubation and recanalization to aid natural conception. However, the natural conception did not work as smoothly for her.
After six months of failed conception, ICSI (assisted reproductive technology) was performed. The treatment was a success, and the couple is now parent to a young, healthy baby girl.
FAQ
How common is endometriosis?
More than 190 million women suffer from endometriosis worldwide.
Which type of doctor treats endometriosis?
Endometriosis is best treated by a gynecologist. At times, both- a gynecologist and endocrinologist, or general surgeon may work together to treat some of the co-morbidities such as thyroid, diabetes, etc.
What are the best medications for endometriosis?
The typical medications prescribed for endometriosis include birth control, pain killers, and hormone therapies. These halt ovulation and endometrial proliferation while the body rests and absorbs the existing blood deposits over the abdomen. However, they are not the best course of treatment because of their short-lived nature and commonly experienced side effects.
What are the common side effects of birth control medications?
Birth control pills take an average of 3 weeks to 3 months to properly adjust to the body. During this time, many patients report extreme mood swings, bloating, intermenstrual bleeding, nausea, drowsiness, and more. Also, they must not be taken for longer than five years, or they may risk heart-related diseases.
Why Choose Pristyn Care for Endometriosis Treatment?
Pristyn Care brings the most advanced and holistic gyne treatments with its experienced doctors and latest laparoscopic and laser technology in 15+ cities in India. We are associated with multiple reputed gyne-clinics and super-specialty hospitals, giving you the option to choose amongst the best hospitals that suit your needs, be it the hospital distance, its infrastructure, or insurance panel.
As you choose Pristyn Care for your treatments, you get some of the added benefits. These include:
- Free online/ in-clinic consultations: We offer free consultations. Also, you have the choice to speak with the doctor in-clinic or offline, sitting from the comfort of your home. You can ask as many questions, and we ensure we give you the right and detailed answers.
- Both surgical and fertility treatments available: We perform both- surgical as well as fertility treatments for endometriosis. That is, we offer laparoscopy ablation, LAPEX, laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy, laparoscopic chromopertubation, and recanalization of the fallopian tube, IVF, ICSI, and LAPEX and hysterectomy.
- Free transportation to and from the hospital: We provide free cab pick up and drop off from and to your residence on the day of surgery.
- Minimal-no waiting time for hospital admission: We perform most of our admission formalities beforehand, so you do not have to wait for hospital admission at the site.
- All paperwork done on your behalf: We do all your hospital admission and discharge paperwork ourselves on your behalf to reduce your hassles and provide a seamless patient experience.
- Multiple payment options: We accepts all modes of payment including cash, credit, and debit card.
- All insurances accepted: We accept all insurances and offer cash-less facilities at most of the hospitals.
- No cost EMI option: You can also opt for the No cost EMI option while paying for your medical bills.
- Free follow-up: We provide free follow-up post consultations to ensure a complete and smooth recovery.
How to Book an Appointment with a Pristyn Care Gynecologist for Endometriosis?
Booking an appointment with a Pristyn Care gynecologist is easy.
Simply call us directly or fill out our ‘Book my Appointment’ form. It would ask you just four basic questions such as ‘Your name’, ‘Contact’, ‘Disease name’, and ‘City’. Just fill them and click ‘submit’. Our medical coordinators will call you shortly and help you speak to a doctor of your choice.
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