What is the first step in diagnosing endometriosis?
For the moment, the only true and standard way to make the diagnosis of endometriosis is by taking a sample piece of tissue during a surgical procedure called a laparoscopy. How is the condition treated? Most of the time, we just treat the endometriosis without the surgery. If someone says, “I have bad periods,” then you say, “Well, look, if I do surgery, there’s risks. Why don’t you take some ibuprofen?” And if the ibuprofen works, fine. The next step is to try the birth control pill. After you’ve tried the Pill and ibuprofen and it still doesn’t work, the woman might have a laparoscopy. Alternatively, a doctor can continue to treat this condition with more intense treatments without a clear diagnosis and that’s where the medical community has a debate about what you do. The purist will say, “Look, we don’t have a diagnosis so we’ll do a laparoscopy, take a piece of tissue, confirm it and then we’ll treat one way or the other.” The other approach is more practical. People say, “Treat
