The Journal of Restorative Medicine has published an article by Dr. Edward Lichen in their December 2016 compilation about non-surgical treatment of Endometriosis.  You can read the article, in it’s entirety, by clicking on the link under “Resources,” but I wanted to give a brief overview of my interpretation:

Causation:

• Causation continues to be a mystery.  An overview of the nine theories of causation is given.
• DNA research is ongoing.
• Estrogen plays a role.  Many women with Endometriosis cannot opt for estrogen replacement therapy (even if post-menopausal) due to high recurrence rates of estrogen stimulation.
• Xenoestrogens, dioxins, and endocrine disruptors increase inflammation and can cause Endometriosis to develop/recur.

Recurrence After Surgery:

• There’s a 10% recurrence rate in less-severe Endometriosis.
• There’s a 62% recurrence rate in women with severe Endometriosis who still have their ovaries.  Keeping the ovaries may lead to a 6 times greater risk of recurrent pain and an 8 times greater risk of recurrent surgery.
• 20%-40% of women who have had surgery continue to suffer from residual pain.
• 3.7% of women who undergo a hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy have have a recurrence of Endometriosis.

Drugs:

• The ideal pharmaceutical treatment of Endometriosis has yet to be developed.
• Lupron Depot, and other similar GnRH agonists, continue to remain the preferred method of symptom suppression, regardless of the side effects.
• Aromatase inhibotors, such as Letrozole, also have similar side effects and symptom relief as Lupron Depot.
• Danazol, a synthetic steroid, is the only alternative to GnRH agonists which offers similar symptom relief with fewer side effects.
• The use of add-back estrogen sometimes offers little relief from the side effects.
• Failure of these treatments often leads to surgery, hysterectomies, and oophorectomies.
• A drug combination of anabolic steroids, Nandrolone and Stanozolol, shows similar symptom suppression without the side effects of Lupron Depot or Danazol.  A case study of one woman treating with both drugs has had symptom suppression and very few side effects over an eight-year period. (See US Doctor abstract under Resources).

What will you do with this new information?  I may talk to my doctor about the steroids combo if my pain returns full-force…but only after doing my own research about the side effects one can expect from that cocktail!

(Updated March 27, 2019)

Resources:

Journal of Restorative Medicine – (Article; Dec. 2016) Paradigm Shift: The Realization of New Medical Alternatives to Surgery for Endometriosis

US Doctor – (Poster; 2014) Novel Medical Endometriosis Protocol Offers Alternative to TAH BSO and Hemicolectomy in Confirmed Stage IV Disease

~ Again, I am a layman.  I do not hold any college degrees, nor mastery of knowledge.  Please take what I say with a grain of salt.  If curious, do your own research Validate my writings.  Or challenge them.  And ALWAYS feel free to consult with your physician. Always.  Yours ~ Lisa