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You may have heard that you can’t see Endometriosis on an imaging study. Well, this is true…BUT, it’s not to say that imaging studies are useless in helping to suspect/diagnose Endometriosis. They can spot things that may indicate Endometriosis is present…One such tool is a transvaginal ultrasound (aka TVU, TVS, or TVUS).

Have you ever heard of, or had, a transvaginal ultrasound? Let me tell you : it’s not the ultrasounds you see in the movies. No cold cream squished onto my belly with a technician rubbing a scanner along my abdomen. Nope…imagine if you will : squishy cold cream rubbed onto the tip of a rather large probe…and said probe is shoved up your hoohaw (yes, that’s a technical term). It allows a better look at your organs around your feminine bits. It’s not the most comfortable procedure in the world…and can downright hurt at times. But…

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Bottle of Letrozole — Photo courtesy of JLD

One of my local EndoWarriors has started a new medication to help with her Endometriosis pain and symptoms, based upon the recommendation of her new physician. It’s Letrozole, which I had never heard of. And she asked me if I had any info on it…so…now I’m inspired to do some research!

What is Letrozole?

Letrozole is the generic name for Femara, a drug classified as an aromatase inhibitor. What is aromatase? It’s an enzyme that is crucial in the creation of estrogen. Aromatase inhibitors have been FDA approved for treating breast cancer in post-menopausal patients. However, it has piqued the interest of the medical community in controlling Endometriosis symptoms. It is not yet FDA approved for this treatment, but is used as an off-label, accepted treatment among the medical community. As of today’s research, there are no indications that drug manufacturers are going to seek FDA approval for aromatase inhibitors to treat Endometriosis.

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