| Tara Langdale
Endometriosis Treatment Options That Work Natural Endometriosis Treatments That You’ll Love Endometriosis Treatment the Natural Way
Endometriosis is a painful affliction that affects 11% of American women. It's prevalent for women between 15 and 44 years of age. For some, the endometriosis pain is mild and manageable, and for others, the severe pain causes crippling lifestyle changes and affects fertility. If you're suffering from endometriosis, there are natural treatments that can help relieve the pain.
What is endometriosis?
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), endometriosis is when the same type of tissue that grows in the uterus develops outside. The endometrial tissue or implants can wrap around the following:
- Fallopian tubes
- Ovaries
- Bladder
- Rectum
- Peritoneum (abdominal cavity)
- Cul-de-sac (the area behind the uterus
Endometrial tissue can also grow in the vulva, vagina, and cervix. In rare cases, implants can build in the brain, lungs, and skin.
The endometrial tissue may result in severe menstrual cramping, abdominal pain, and weight gain. In some cases, the tissue's shedding or irritation may seem like a long menstrual period or another menstrual cycle altogether.
Endometriosis Treatment Options
The Mayo Clinic states that most endometriosis treatment is not natural but requires pain medications, surgical options, or both. However, there are natural treatment options that can help manage the pain. The type of treatment for endometriosis will depend on each woman's medical history, individual circumstances, and doctor’s evaluation.
Surgical Options
Surgical treatments for endometriosis include both major and minimally invasive options.
Laparoscopy surgery entails using a long thin tube (laparoscope) with a light and a camera on it. The laparoscope allows the doctor to see inside a woman's body and then remove the endometrial tissue growth. It's an out-patient procedure that can take 30 minutes to six hours, depending on the endometriosis severity.
Laparotomy surgery requires a large cut in the abdomen. It's a major surgery for severe endometriosis when it can't be treated with laparoscopy. The treatment usually requires an overnight stay in the hospital, and recovery takes longer than other endometriosis treatments.
Hysterectomy for Endometriosis
Sometimes the symptoms of endometriosis haven't gone away after previous surgeries or treatments. In these cases, a hysterectomy or removal of the reproductive organs is necessary.
If the endometrial tissue has grown on the reproductive organs and damaged them, a hysterectomy may be required. Women who don't plan on having children may feel this is a good option. If the ovaries are removed, this is an oophorectomy.
Pain Medications
One treatment for endometriosis is a pain medicine. The types of pain medications prescribed can be classified into the following:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs (GnRH analogs)
- Progestins
- Aromatase inhibitors
Each of these medications can provide pain relief and management of endometriosis. The right one for you depends on your diagnosis and the healthcare practitioner's advice.
Hormonal Therapy
Hormonal treatments of endometriosis include taking estrogen or an estrogen and progesterone combination that helps balance missing hormones. Hormone therapy is typically used for menopausal women to fight painful symptoms. However, hormonal treatments can help reduce endometrial implants' size and growth and keep them from spreading.
Birth Control Pills
Oral contraceptive pills are a mixture of estrogen and progesterone and are used to control endometriosis. Birth control pills help with severe menstrual pain and are asked to be taken continuously when used for the management of endometriosis.
This means that menstruation will be skipped altogether, resulting in no period. Even though birth control is well-tolerated for women with endometriosis, it can result in breast tenderness, nausea, and irregular spotting and bleeding. Also, if you’re trying to get pregnant, this may not be a good option for you.
Vaginal Trainers
Vaginal trainers are also known as vaginal dilators. Women can treat endometriosis naturally without medications or invasive surgery using vaginal dilators. Endometriosis can result in severe pelvic pain and scar tissue to develop around the reproductive organs, vulva, and vagina.
Vaginal dilators can help to naturally stretch and soften scar tissue. Simultaneously, vaginal dilators strengthen pelvic floor muscles that cup and support the abdomen, uterus, and bladder. Vaginal trainers are recommended by pelvic floor therapists for helping women with many different health concerns from vulvodynia to vaginismus.
When used for endometriosis treatment, women have a choice between magnetic vaginal dilators and silicone dilators. Both are natural, and clinical research has proven to help ease pelvic pain and endometriosis management. Shaped like sex toys, they come in various sizes to fit any vagina. It’s recommended that you start with the smallest size and work your way up to the perfect fit.
Causes of Endometriosis Pain
The exact cause of endometriosis is not known, but certain risk factors increase the chances, including:
- Age
- Heavy or short periods
- Never giving birth
- Family history
- Low body mass index
Even though endometriosis's exact cause isn't clear, certain conditions may explain the excess endometrial tissues.
- Sex hormone estrogen: This hormone seems to promote or cause endometriosis.
- Issues with menstrual blood flow: Some tissue shed during menstruation flows through the fallopian tubes to other parts of the body.
- Genetic risks: It may be inherited if endometriosis runs in the family
- Surgery: For women who have cesarean or other surgery due to ovarian cancer or endometrial cancer, some endometrial implants may have been transported to other parts of the body by mistake.
- Poor immune system: The body may have a hard time destroying endometrial tissue.
Diagnosing Endometriosis
The first step is to talk to your doctor and request an appointment. For a diagnosis of endometriosis, you may need a pelvic exam or an endometrial biopsy. Women with endometriosis may also have problems with reproductive health and getting pregnant, making further tests required. Endometriosis and fertility issues are common and may need different treatment options.
If you have endometriosis symptoms, finding a treatment that works is critical for women's health. While the cause and cure of endometriosis are not known at this time, you can manage pelvic pain with vaginal dilators. The treatment is natural and comes with no side effects.
Do you need to order vaginal dilators so you can start your pelvic floor therapy process? Made in the USA. Visit www.vuvatech.com
VuVa Helpful Links:
How do Neodymium Vaginal Dilators work?
7 Reasons for a Tight Vagina and How to Loosen
How to Relax Vaginal Muscles, Vaginismus & Sex
Vaginal Stretching - Keeping in Shape with Dilators
Do Dilators Really Work? Yes, and They can Improve Your Sex Life!
Shop for VuVa Vaginal Dilators
Tara Langdale Schmidt is the inventor of the VuVa Dilator Company. She has pelvic floor dysfunction herself and wanted to create a dilator set that is made in America that women can trust. VuVatech has been in business since 2014 and has helped over 50,000 women all over the globe. She patented the Neodymium Vaginal Dilator, that is clinically proven to help with blood flow and nerve pain.
Podcast Episode 22: Tara Langdale-Schmidt
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