Diagnosis of endometriosis?

At the moment it is only a gynaecologist who can confirm endometriosis and that is after you have had an operation called a laparoscopy and has seen the endometrial tissue.

Once a gynaecologist has confirmed that you have endometriosis, there are a range of options to prevent the endometriosis from developing further. In younger women, the contraceptive pill is often prescribed as a way of treating period pain by stopping ovulation. Painkillers are often prescribed too.

If you choose to use the Pill there are a few things that you need to bear in mind:

1. You should try the types of pill that have the lowest dose of hormones needed to provide regular monthly bleeding.
2. In teenagers it is better to choose a pill with more progesterone as progesterone is meant to protect against endometriosis.
3. It is best to use the combined pill, which contains both progesterone and oestrogen, and is ‘phasic’, meaning that the dose of hormones matches the amount of hormones that naturally occur in your monthly cycle.

NB. Remember that the Pill does not stop you from catching sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), and that it is still necessary to use a condom to protect yourself from these.