Infertility physician Jan Friberg has begun using a simple blood test to diagnose early and mild- to -moderate cases of endometriosis in his patients, thus eliminating the need for invasive diagnostic laparoscopy or even a biopsy.
[...]Other gynecologists and fertility doctors have expressed interested in the new blood test, but it has not yet been accepted as a mainstream practice in the medical world. The test measures the levels of inflammatory protein interleukin-6 in the blood stream,
“If we see a patient has elevated interleukin-6, we are fairly convinced we don’t need to do a laparoscopy (what’s typically done to diagnose endometriosis),” said Friberg, founder of Friberg Medical Associates in Glencoe and Chicago. “Laparoscopy is not a particularly pleasant procedure so it is nicer to be able to do testing this way.”
Friberg decided to offer the test last winter based on studies like one published in October 2006 in England’s Oxford Journals, in which Spanish researchers concluded that a blood test confirming elevated levels of the inflammatory protein interleukin-6 is a reliable marker for early-stage endometriosis. Since endometriosis is a common factor in infertility, Friberg comes across the disease often.
“This will soon become a routine treatment for women with unexplained fertility,” Friberg said. [...]
This diagnostic test may save women from having to undergo unnecessary surgery. Though there is not enough evidence yet of its reliability, it still looks promising. I hope more research will be put into this.
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