When heavy periods, pain, and menstrual irregularities prevent you from enjoying life, help is available. At Virtuosa GYN, the OB/GYNs have decades of experience and understand the struggle and pain caused by endometriosis. They provide long-lasting medical and surgical solutions to endometriosis that also protect your fertility. Conveniently located in San Antonio, Texas, Virtuosa GYN provides compassionate, gentle care. To stop your suffering, call to schedule a consultation or make an appointment online now.
Endometriosis is a condition in which the tissue that lines your uterus is found in other areas, like the peritoneum, ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, ureters, rectum, and spaces outside and around the uterus. Endometrial tissues that develop outside the uterus are called implants.
Endometriosis symptoms include:
Endometriosis implants respond to fluctuating levels of estrogen. Due to the effect of this female hormone, implants may grow and bleed like your uterine lining during menstruation. Other tissues near an implant may become irritated, inflamed, swollen, or develop scar tissue, called adhesions.
Together, the bleeding, scarring, and inflammation are responsible for your pain. Inflammation may damage eggs or sperm, or cause difficulty in their movement through the Fallopian tubes. In severe cases, endometriosis implants may block the Fallopian tubes, leading to infertility.
Your doctor determines if an endometriosis diagnosis is appropriate after a thorough evaluation, including a pelvic examination and diagnostic ultrasound. If more information is required, she performs a laparoscopic procedure to look for endometrial tissues inside your abdomen.
The procedure is performed while you’re sedated. Your doctor makes a small, half-inch incision near your navel, inserts a laparoscope, and utilizes robotic technology to guide the scope to visualize the area and collect a tissue sample. The tissue sample collected for a biopsy is tested to determine if the presence of endometrial tissue.
In many cases, your doctor begins treatment before a laparoscopy to avoid the cost and stress of the procedure.
Virtuosa GYN focuses on long-term and fertility-sparing solutions to endometriosis. To relieve your pain, your doctor recommends appropriate medications, like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and other over-the-counter pain relievers, as needed.
To reduce your symptoms, your doctor works with you to identify an effective hormonal treatment, like birth control pills, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) agonists and antagonists, progestin therapy, and Danazol®.
If you require surgery to remove endometrial implants, the doctors at Virtuosa GYN specialize in minimally invasive laparoscopic surgeries like endometrial ablation.
When you’re ready for a solution to endometriosis, call Virtuosa GYN or schedule a consultation online today to learn about your options.
