Endometriosis: An update on management

Abstract

Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease that commonly occurs in women of reproductive age and is associated with pain and infertility. This disease can be challenging to manage given its propensity to progress and recur despite treatment. Although medical therapy is beneficial for controlling pain due to endometriosis, medical management has not proven to be effective in treating infertility resulting from endometriosis. Surgery has historically been performed to both improve pain and treat infertility in women with endometriosis. However, the optimal management of endometriosis in asymptomatic women who desire fertility is unclear. Intrauterine insemination with superovulation and IVF are other treatments that have proven to be effective in assisting women with endometriosis to conceive. As the underlying molecular mechanisms of this disease become better understood, promising new therapies for the treatment of endometriosis continue to be investigated. © 2013 Future Medicine Ltd.