Pain treatment is done by using pain
medications.
For women with mild symptoms, doctors
may suggest taking over-the-counter pain relievers to help ease painful
menstrual cramps and pelvic pain.
These include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): ibuprofen
(Advil and Motrin) or naproxen sodium (Aleve).
These analgesic medications
have no effect on the endometrial implants.
However,
they do decrease prostaglandin production, and
prostaglandins are well-known to have a role in
production of pain sensation.
There are many women who are suspected of having
endometriosis based on the nature of their pelvic pain
symptoms, but the diagnosis of endometriosis is only
definite after a woman undergoes surgery.
In such a situation,
`NSAID's are the most common treatment used.
If they
work to control pain, no other procedures or medical
treatments are needed.
If they do not relieve the pain,
additional evaluation and treatment generally occur.
When these medicines don't help, doctors
may advise using stronger pain relievers available by prescription.
- Medroxyprogesterone acetate (Danazol),
- GnRH agonists with add-back therapy,
- OCP's
have all
been used to give pain relief from
endometriosis-associated pain.
These medications are
described belove.
All of these medications work for pain,
and it is likely that they all work similarly well.
However, if the maximum dose doesn't provide full relief, you may need to
try another treatment to overcome the
symptoms.
In addition to remove or
destroy endometrial tissue (discussed belove), surgery
is also used to relieve pain associated with
endometriosis.
However, procedures are different when
the goal is pain relief.
Pain-sensing nerves are
destroyed or removed via a few different types of
techniques.
Research is lacking to tell us whether these procedures
should be routinely performed in all women undergoing
removal or destruction of endometriosis tissue.
Women who have had
surgery for endometriosis should consider taking
medication after surgery to help maintain symptom
relief.
Next: Hormone treatment |