Medication involves interfering with ovulation and its accompanying hormonal changes in such a way as to relieve the pain associated with the implants. The goal of surgery is to actually remove the endometrial implants and is generally considered more effective, at least in the long run, than medical treatment. Women may need to undergo a diagnostic laparoscopy before being treated, especially women with severe endometriosis or endometriosis that doesn t respond to initial hormonal treatment. But in women with only mild or moderate symptoms, an initial hormonal treatment is usually instigated to see if it relieves the pain and can preclude the laparascopy. Women should discuss all of the various treatment options with their physicians or other health care providers.
Many physicians use a combination of medication and surgery, usually alternating one with the other.
Typically, preoperative medical treatment is followed later by postoperative hormonal intervention. Medications and Hormones Medical and hormone therapy for endometriosis is to relieve pain by inhibiting the menstrual cycle and interfering with the normal hormonal ups and downs that stimulate a woman s monthly bleeding. But it doesn t prevent recurrences, and it has many side effects. GnRH agonists, or analogs, are a new class of drugs designed to reduce the secretion of estrogen, which helps shrink the implants and reduce the pain. GnRH analogs can be injected under the skin or inhaled with a nasal spray.