Pelvic Endometriosis Treatment

Pelvic pain is the primary symptom of endometriosis, often associated with menstruation. Endometriosis patients typically describe severe menstrual pain, which is far worse than normal cramps. As time goes on, pain may also become more severe. Endometriosis is a chronic benign condition that is influenced by estrogen. In women with endometriosis, 20–55% develop ovarian endometrial cysts. Patients of reproductive age are most likely to suffer from it, and its prevalence is estimated at 5–10% in this population. An endometrial condition is characterized by active endometrial tissue located outside the uterine cavity, such as in the minor pelvis peritoneum, myometrium, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and some extraperitoneal tissues. There are also endometriotic lesions in the intestines, urinary bladder, lungs, and even the brain in severe cases. Endometriosis is most commonly characterized by painful menstrual periods, heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, dyspareunia, infertility, and sometimes pain when urinating or defecating. A consistent treatment option is not available for endometriosis due to a lack of sufficient understanding of its etiology. In the development and maintenance of the disease, however, functional dysregulation of the ovarian steroid hormones P4 and E2 and their downstream signaling targets play an important role. It may also result in increased pelvic pain due to the imbalance of hormones, as well as a decrease in endometrial receptivity to embryo implantation due to the imbalance of hormones. Infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, endometriosis, pelvic pain, endometrial cancer, and uterine leiomyoma are among the uterine pathologies associated with steroid hormone signaling dysfunction.

During pregnancy and uterine function, E2 and P4 pathways need to cooperate and regulate one another, and dysregulation of these pathways can lead to infertility and endometriosis. Many treatments targeting the E2 and P4 signaling pathways are currently being used to treat endometriosis, such as combined oral contraceptives, progestins, and GnRH agonists. Typically, these treatments target the growth of the lesion itself as well as the pelvic pain associated with it. Endometriosis-related infertility cannot be treated with hormone therapies because they interfere with ovarian function.

Infertility can be treated successfully with acupuncture. There are three endocrine axes in the hypothalamus: the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA), the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG), and the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT). Several studies have examined the effects of acupuncture on these axes of the endocrine system in recent years. According to these studies, acupuncture modulates the function of the HPA, HPG, and HPT axes. Acupuncture could, for example, restore the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis function in ovariectomized rats by regulating estrogen levels in the uterus, pituitary follicular-stimulating hormone levels, luteinizing hormone levels, and hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone levels. Acupuncture works so profoundly because of that. The use of acupuncture can improve nerve and endocrine control, improve sleep, and increase mental tolerance to anxiety and depression. As a result, acupuncture can be considered a successful treatment for restoring normal hormonal regulation and eradicating endometriosis.