Austin doctor talks about endometriosis, how to treat your condition

Austin, Texas – March is Endometriosis Awareness Month.

It is often a painful and debilitating condition that can lead to infertility, and federal health officials at the Women's Health Department say it can affect more than 11% of American women between the ages of 15 and 44.

Dr. Meena Aserlind, an alumnus at St. David Women's Center in Texas, participated in the Fox 7 Austin's Rebecca Thomas to discuss.

Rebecca Thomas: Dr. Meena Aserlind, for those who are not aware, what is endometriosis?

Dr. Meena Aserlind: Endometriosis is inside the uterus. It is called the endometrium. That part that comes out in your cycle every month. Tissue within the uterus can actually be implanted in the pelvis, creating a lot of pain and discomfort when you have periods.

Rebecca Thomas: So, what are some of the more common symptoms women need to notice, and will they often come to seek treatment?

Dr. Meena Aserlind: This is the most common complaint that the people we come in are in pretty severe pain during the cycle. Some people start with severe pain during the cycle and continue to pain even outside the cycle. However, most often endometriosis begins with severe pain during the cycle itself, typically with some severe bleeding and convulsions and sharp pain.

Rebecca Thomas: Do you know the cause of endometriosis? Are women at greater risk, or are certain women at greater risk? Is there a way to prevent that?

Dr. Meena Aserlind: So it's hard to say exactly where it came from. There are three theories where endometriosis comes from most places. A common theory people use is that around 80% feel that they are retrograde menstruation. This means that a little blood will pass through the tube during your cycle. And this generally happens in women. So, I really don't understand why some women really don't know why the tissue coming out through the tube actually implants into the belly. Not in some women. There is really no good information about that. What they know is that there are several risk factors, including genetic predispositions to it. Therefore, some women, if you saw it in the family, it is not necessarily a mom to your daughter, but if you see it in the family in general, you have a higher risk for it. Interestingly, tall, thin women tend to be at risk for endometriosis. When you bring in frustration complaints, people with infertility will see it many times. Approximately 38% of women with infertile problems also suffer from endometrial problems. This is not well known where it comes from, how to prevent it, how to cause it. I know that some women tend to have implants that create pain rather than just sitting there and leaving on their own.

Rebecca Thomas: So how do you diagnose your condition?

Dr. Meena Aserlind: Diagnosis can be difficult. So, usually people come with complaints of pain. And the only way to truly diagnose endometriosis is to put the camera in your belly. That's what we call diagnostic laparoscopy. Therefore, the belly camera looks around and actually looks for an endometriosis implant. These implants generally have a very wide range of ways to see them everywhere, from small, clear bubbles in very young women to look like cigarette burns on the inside of the abdomen. You may see it in many scar tissues that hold the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. And when we enter, we sometimes miss it, especially with younger women. You may miss the diagnosis early and not see it until later. However, diagnosis generally requires the presence of tissue samples. Therefore, we must go to the belly and actually take a sample of the implant and send it to pathology to diagnose it completely.

Rebecca Thomas: If diagnosed, how do you treat endometriosis?

Dr. Meena Aserlind: Treatment can begin in the same way as simply taking it. And it's like ibuprofen. Therefore, to do high doses of ibuprofen three times a day, it can help with the inflammation that comes from it. The other option is hormones. So, can you take birth control pills that contain estrogen and progesterone, which help to suppress the ovaries? True treatment of the endometrium requires suppression of the ovaries. Because that's where the problem arises. So estrogen and progesterone help to prevent the ovaries from causing pain problems. If that is not possible, you can only do progesterone. IUDs can also be used to aid pain. Finally, if it doesn't work, or if you have very severe symptoms due to endometriosis, surgery is an option. It's not therapeutic. It cannot correct endometriosis, but it can relieve a lot of pain. And finally, if childbirth and symptoms still persist, you can even remove the uterus and both ovaries. If the disease is in a place where it has progressed outside.

Rebecca Thomas: It's okay, we're out of hours. But thank you, Dr. Meena Aserlind, for sharing your time and your expertise with us tonight.