Endometriosis can be an extremely painful disabling disease for women; over 10 percent of women with the disease have problems with conceiving; unfortunately some may never have a baby.

Men can not get Endometriosis; it is defined only as a female disease directly related to the female reproductive organs.

Endometriosis has been found to spread on rare occasions to sites outside of the abdominal areas such as the lungs, and even as far away as the brain. I have had endometriosis, and have gone through most of the surgical treatments.

After a woman is diagnosed with Endometriosis there are several options for surgical treatment. The doctor treating the disease will first assess what stage the patient is in; a secondary issue the treating physician must consider is the amount of "adhesions" or scarring caused by Endometriosis. Adhesions must be removed as they behave like "weeds" within the pelvic area; adhesions are the body's natural response to the healing processes from a ruptured implant. Endometriosis has 4 stages and they are defined by the amount of "lesions" or Implants; they are given a point dependant upon amount, size, location and if they involve ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, cul-de-sac, and peritoneum.

Stage 1 (minimal) of Endometriosis is defined by visually confirming between 1 to 6 points.

Stage 2 (mild) of Endometriosis is visually confirmed by 6-15 points.

Stage 3 (moderate) of Endometriosis is visually confirmed by 16-40 points.

Stage 4 (severe) of Endometriosis is visually confirmed by over 40 points.

The greater the severity of the disease (higher the stage) the more likely it will be difficult to conceive; not all cases involve high pain loads, each case is as unique as the patient.

Laparoscopy is used to diagnose endometriosis, and it is also used for treating it. The following are laparoscopy treatments. A small incision or several are made within the abdominal region, and a light thin tube explores possible lesion or implant sites. There are a number of different types of laparoscopies, the best one is the laser. Laser laparoscopy is precise, causes less damage, and less bleeding.

Laparoscopic Excision slices out or removes the endometrial implants; this procedure takes a long time and depends on the level of involvement of endometriosis.

Laparoscopic Vaporization is a high powered laser that destroys the endometrial implants.

Laparoscopic Coagulation is an electrical current that destroys endometrial tissue and should only be used by a physician who is familiar with the different appearances of endometrial lesions or implants, or it will not be successful.

This is the last and most effective surgery to treat endometriosis; Hysterectomy. It is the surgical removal of the uterus. Ovaries are often removed in addition to the uterus when treating endometriosis. Should the ovaries not be removed re-occurrence of endometriosis is much higher. On occasion in addition to the removal of these organs part of the bowl is removed, again this all depends upon involvement of implants and adhesions.

It is important for the patient to understand that there is no cure for endometriosis; there are usually re-occurrences even with surgical treatment. I know this first hand as I have gone through a number of these procedures; finally a hysterectomy was required in my case. Keep in mind that everyone is unique and results may vary based upon the individual, as well as the treating physician. Removal of any organ should be an absolute last resort.

The disease Endometriosis is not fatal; but it does and can cause great suffering and reduced quality of life.