How to live with endometriosis

While many of us have heard of endometriosis, much is still unknown and misunderstood about this disease that impacts more than 830,000 Australian women. Many sufferers face a long path to getting diagnosed and receiving treatment. At present, there is no known cure. In this final episode of a three-part series, hear how a patient’s quality of life can be improved through a multidisciplinary approach to treatment.

A yellow ribbon is the emblem for endometriosis awareness, especially during March which is endometriosis awareness month. Source: iStockphoto / ThitareeSarmkasat/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Getting diagnosed with endometriosis is just the start for women who have the disease.

Once someone gets an official diagnosis, they need to be treated and learn how to live with their symptoms.

Treatment may include medications and or surgery depending on an individual’s circumstances.

A multidisciplinary approach has been proven to provide the strongest benefits for patients. This may involve pain specialists, pelvic physiotherapists, complementary and alternative medicine, general practitioners, and psychologists, as well as gynaecologists.

The aim is to help control symptoms and improve overall health and wellbeing.

For some people, hormonal treatments may be effective. Others may go down a surgical route. Many patients change their lifestyle to help manage their pain including adjusting their diet, exercise, perhaps acupuncture. Most patients find that a multidisciplinary approach is effective whilst also quite tiring...

Alexis Wolfe, Endometriosis Australia

Effective treatment can temporarily reduce symptoms, but there is no cure for endometriosis and no treatment completely eradicates the disease.

Women who have endometriosis must learn to live with the disease, with support from their family, friends and workplaces.

One in six endometriosis patients have lost their jobs due to endometriosis. 50% said a lack of flexibility was a significant problem. We encourage all workplaces to work with individuals with endometriosis to understand what flexibility they may need.

Alexis Wolfe

There is an urgent need for greater awareness of endometriosis among medical professionals and the general population to ensure early diagnosis and improved management of the disease. More research is also vital to improve our understanding of the disease.

There's a lot of investment in endometriosis now... The big, big breakthrough will be the day when you can take a pill and dissolve the endometriotic cells. But I think we are far away from that at the moment.

Associate Professor Alex Ades