Therapeutic Options for Endometriosis

Endometriosis(EM) frequently causes pain and infertility.The medical treatments for EM-associated pain show a comparable effectiveness but vary greatly in adverse effects.Surgical treatment reduces the pain score significantly,whereas the conservative surgery is subject to EM recurrence.The outcomes of surgery in combination with medical treatment remain controversial,requiring further study.For the treatment of infertility,the drugs inhibitory on ovulation are documented to disfavour the improvement in reproduction,therefore not recommended.Surgical treatment is effective for EM of various stages.Gonadotropin-releasing hormone controlled ovulation and in vitro fertilization are preferable for early EM and postsurgical EM.Surgery in combination with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist treatment has been used the first-line therapeutic option for severe EM,whereas in vitro fertilization is a second-line option.The researches in the pathogenesis of EM may identify novel interventions of EM.