As endometriosis responds and grows when exposed to the female hormone oestrogen, a number of hormone treatments attempt to block or reduce the production of oestrogen in the body. This means the endometriosis will be unable to continue growing and will help to relieve symptoms.
If you are offered the choice of hormone treatment, you may want to discuss with your doctor what the treatment involves, the pros and cons, along with the possible side effects of the treatment.
Hormone treatments for endometriosis either put the woman into an artificial pregnancy state or an artificial menopausal state. Both states are temporary and are reversed when the patient has stopped taking the hormones. Please note that these drugs have no effect on adhesions neither do they help to improve fertility.
Your doctor will be able to discuss different hormone treatment options that are available to you.
The following hormone treatment options are available to women with endometriosis:
- Combined oral contraceptive pill (‘the Pill’)
- Mirena Coil
- Progestogens
- GnRH analogues
- Testosterone derivatives