There is a new approach that doctors are trying out at the moment as part of their drug management for endometriosis.
Now doctors have found a way to relieve the pain with a pill. They’re combining aromatase inhibitors with the endometriosis drug Lupron.
“When you use the combination of these two drugs, you have a better chance,” Dr. Barrueto said.
Dr. Barrueto says aromatase inhibitors block the production of estrogen which suppresses the growth of endometriosis and reduces inflammation.
But the drugs are not without side effects. Some of the most common ones are hot flashes, mood swings and reduced libido.
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Popularity: 11% [?]
When & Where
19 to 22 October 2008
Hilton Hotel, Brisbane
Queensland, Australia
Theme: Working Together For Reproductive Health
The conference theme, “Working Together For Reproductive Health” guided the development of the sessions, though we retained some of the discipline based sessions. This theme was chosen to highlight potential benefits for our patients if we all recognize our respective skill sets and organise ourselves around a common theme. The overall aim of the program is to provide sessions that stimulate further discussions with your colleagues in the many IVF Units in Australia and New Zealand.
Keynote Speakers
John Collins
Bart Fauser
Jonathan Van Blerkom
Andrew Van Steirteghem
Registration is now open. For more information, please visit the FSA Conference website.
Popularity: 22% [?]
The Pain of Urological Origin (PUGO) special interest group of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) held a two-day meeting last August 15 and 16, 2008 in Scotland prior to the IASP 12th World Congress on Pain to consider the past, present and future of urogenital pain. The aim was to outline current practices and have a look at what the future may hold.
The following excerpt discussed on endometriosis:
Fred Howard from the University of Rochester spoke on the endometriosis pain syndrome. Chronic pelvic pain in women is most commonly of gastrointestinal origin followed by the urinary tract and finally the reproductive tract. Endometriosis is a histologic finding, not a syndrome per se. We don’t know the percentage of patients with endometriosis who also have pelvic pain, nor do we know the percent of women with pelvic pain who have endometriosis. We don’t understand how it causes pelvic pain, why removing lesions doesn’t always end the pain, or why similar symptoms are seen in patients with and without endometriosis. The triad of symptoms associated with endometriosis includes dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and chronic pelvic pain. This can be referred to as the endometriosis pain syndrome. Dr. Howard quoted Frank Ling’s report (Obstetrics and Gynecology, 93:51-58, 1999) showing the efficacy of depot leuprolide for chronic pelvic pain in women suspected of having endometriosis, whether or not the diagnosis was borne out on subsequent laparoscopy, a rather curious finding. Work by Sutton, Jones, and Abbott strongly suggests that endometriosis lesions can cause pain and that surgical treatment is more effective than diagnostic laparoscopy in randomized, controlled trials (Fertility and Sterility, 62:696-700, 1994) (JSLS, 5:111-115, 2001) (Fertility and Sterility, 82:878-884, 2004).
Source: Newswise
Popularity: 14% [?]
Women, especially those who have or are prone to pelvic health disorders, should try to educate themselves more about their options of treatment. The study made by the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) indicates the lack of knowledge when it comes to these things.
Cypress, CA · August 13, 2008 /PRNewswire/ – A new awareness study found that virtually all women expect their OB/GYN to inform them about minimally invasive treatments for common pelvic health disorders (PHDs), yet comparatively few are aware of the newer treatments designed to cause less pain and provide shorter recoveries. Russell Research conducted the study for AAGL, the preeminent organization of gynecologic endoscopic surgeons.
“I expect my OB/GYN to tell me about the least invasive treatments, even if he or she doesn’t offer them and would need to refer me to someone else,” was the near-universal assumption (98%). Women expect their gynecologist to offer them treatment options with the least amount of pain (98%) and to consider how treatment will affect their lifestyle — factors such as recovery time, lost wages and additional child care costs (94%).
The survey results revealed that women’s expectations are not being met:
- Endometrial ablation is over 90 percent effective in providing relief from heavy menstrual bleeding, but less than half of those suffering from heavy bleeding had ever heard of it.
- Myomectomy, a minimally invasive procedure for removing fibroids, relieves heavy bleeding due to fibroids in 90 percent of cases. Only 45 percent of women with fibroids were aware of this option.
- Sling procedures are effective in treating women with mild to moderate Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) and in some cases can be performed on an outpatient basis with no incisions. Two-thirds of those with SUI had never heard of sling procedures.
“This survey confirms what we have long suspected – that women with PHDs are not being fully informed about the range of available treatment options,” said Charles E. Miller, MD, President of AAGL. “When half of women suffering from a given condition are unaware that they may be candidates for a minimally invasive procedure that spares them pain, time and disruption of their lives, there is a clear need for stronger efforts in patient education.”
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Popularity: 12% [?]
It looks like all those hard work in research is starting to pay off. At least we are getting somewhere.
Researchers discovered that an enzyme, called telomerase, is released by cells in the inner lining of the womb during the latter stages of the menstrual cycle in women who are affected by endometriosis. Telomerase is not commonly found in the cells that make up the body, but is uniquely found in the inner lining of the womb and in some special cells, such as sperm and egg cells. The enzyme is also found in cancer cells and is thought to be responsible for replicating DNA sequences during cell division in chromosomes.
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Popularity: 14% [?]
This recent bit of research is an eye-opener for all General Practitioners.
The first population-based study of pelvic pain in Australia has found that general practitioners need to be aware of the high prevalence of chronic pelvic pain (CPP) in women and be ready to discuss the issue with patients, particularly in relation to underlying issues of anxiety and depression.
The research, which is published in the latest issue of the Medical Journal of Australia, also found correlations between CPP and other health conditions and women’s sexual health and reproductive histories.
Professor Marian Pitts, Director of the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University, and her co-authors analysed data from nearly 2,000 Australian women aged 16 - 49 years who were still menstruating and sexually active.
A key finding of their study was the high prevalence of pelvic pain, with only one in four participants reporting no pelvic pain of any kind.
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Popularity: 17% [?]
Cheers to this initiative for trying to nip endometriosis in the bud. It is high time that this was introduced to the younger generation. Let’s hope other countries follow suit.
Canberra schoolgirls will follow a new method - described as the first of its type - to identify those who suffer from a debilitating condition that can cause infertility.
Melissa Parker, of the Canberra Endometriosis Clinic, says work is under way on a “self-screening tool” - a checklist - that will soon be tested among teenage girls.
Health Minister Katy Gallagher said the ACT was “leading the world” in developing the approach, which could indicate whether young women had endometriosis.
The idea came after Ms Parker and gynaecologist Anne Sneddon studied menstrual disorders among more than 1000 females aged 16 to 18 years living in the ACT.
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Popularity: 18% [?]
