coming from the pelvic floor or bladder.
At-home relief
To manage symptoms at home, Riley and her team work with patients to create a personalized “flare care” kit, with options for the patient in case of a flare-up.
This can include anti-inflammatory over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen (Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve); warm baths or heating pads; a battery-powered device that delivers electric impulses through electrodes on the skin known as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy; meditation; and yoga.
Treatment may start with medication to ease discomfort. Taking hormones may slow the growths and prevent new ones, but it’s not a permanent solution.
If you’re trying to get pregnant, you might first need surgery to remove the growths. While up to 70 percent of women with endometriosis are able to get pregnant, new research suggests that they may have a higher risk of complications and should have careful monitoring during and after pregnancy.
“The good news is that there are a lot of new medicines being developed specifically for endometriosis,” Riley said in a Penn State news release.
While endometriosis is a chronic condition, it can be managed effectively, and “women don’t need to suffer in silence,” Riley emphasizes.