Two types of treatments women's healthcare clinics can offer women with endometriosis

Here are two types of treatments a women's healthcare clinic could offer to a woman who has endometriosis (a condition that results in endometrial tissue forming outside the uterus).

They can prescribe hormone-balancing and pain-relieving medications

Women who've been diagnosed with this condition and who seek treatment from women's healthcare clinics will often be prescribed a variety of medications. Because endometriosis can cause severe pelvic and lower back pain, doctors will often prescribe women who have this issue strong prescription medications, such as muscle relaxants (if the endometriosis is causing painful muscle cramps in the pelvic region) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (in higher doses than can be purchased over-the-counter). In some situations, if a woman's endometriosis is causing her severe pain that cannot be managed with the aforementioned medications, her doctor might prescribe opioids for a short period of time. Whilst opioids are effective painkillers, they can also be addictive and so are rarely used to manage chronic pain caused by endometriosis.

Women with this health condition will also sometimes be prescribed medication to manage their hormones. Some of these medications can inhibit the production of certain hormones, which can, in turn, suppress the formation of endometrial tissue. Because the pain this condition causes can often be at its most severe when the woman is menstruating, doctors will also sometimes prescribe continuous hormonal contraceptives. These are designed to suppress the natural menstrual cycle and thus prevent this particularly intense bout of pain.

They can provide surgical procedures

In some situations, doctors at women's healthcare clinics will also provide patients who have this condition with surgical procedures. One of these is a laparoscopy. This keyhole surgery is minimally invasive and is done to remove as much of the endometrial tissue and associated scar tissue as possible. In many situations, this surgery can not only reduce the pain women with this condition experience but can also improve their fertility (endometriosis can sometimes cause a reduction in fertility). As such, doctors may recommend that a woman with endometriosis undergo this procedure if they are struggling to conceive or are in pain that they cannot manage with medication.

If a woman with this issue does not want to have any (or any more) children and is in a lot of chronic pain as a result of this condition, she might be advised by the clinic's medical team to undergo a hysterectomy to remove her uterus. This is only usually carried out in extreme cases, as it is a major surgery that not only comes with many potential complications but can also affect a woman's hormone production for the remainder of her life.