While there is currently no cure for the disease, there are many endometriosis treatments that women can go through to improve the quality of their lives and cut down on the discomfort and pain that women who have the condition suffer with. Since the main complication of endometriosis is infertility, many women who want to have babies choose to treat that symptom first and most aggressively. Between one third and one half of women who have difficulty getting pregnant suffer from endometriosis, making it one of the most common diseases in women in America. For this, laparoscopies are common, which removes the growths in women who are affected by mild to moderate endometriosis. Fertility drugs like clomiphene and in-vitro fertilization are also options.



If the women don't want to have a baby, there are several different endometriosis treatments that tackle the pain. In severe cases, narcotic prescriptions may be used. In less severe cases, NSAIDs work very well in both decreasing the pain and reducing the amount of actual menstrual flow. If the women are committed to a long term plan, hormone suppression therapy may work. To be effective, it must be done for at least several months, and can continue for years. This approach reduces and can even eliminate the menstrual flow all together.

Surgical endometriosis treatments can include a hysterectomy. When this is done, the doctor removes the uterus and surrounding tissue. With laparoscopy, the docotor scissors, lasers, scalpels and cauters the endometriotic tissue. When done properly, recurrence rates can be less than 20 percent. Naturally, because of its high success rates laparoscopy is one of the more popular ways to treat endometriosis. In very extreme and rare cases, the doctor may perform a neurectomy, where the nerves to the uterus are cut and the patient feels no more pain associated with it.