GnRH-agonists are fairly effective, but the down side is that they put the patient into a temporary menopausal state. After a few months of the treatment, assuming the patient hasn't discontinued therapy herself because of the menopausal side effects, the drug must be withdrawn anyway because of the dangers of osteoporosis. What all of this means is that the disease is terrible, the diagnosis method is very inconvenient, and the treatment is terrible, too. But we strive to do better. Newer drugs are on the pipeline already in hopes of treating the disease without the side effects.
Endometriosis tends to run in families.
But this theory doesn't explain how some women can have endometriosis in their lungs, brain, or elsewhere. Although our treatment of this very frustrating disease still goes unperfected, we nevertheless are pursuing it aggressively in the research areas of pharmaceuticals, surgical techniques, and early detection. The most important thing a woman can do is report pelvic pain to her gynecologist. Her very fertility may depend on it.