A landmark study, published today in BMJ Open, has shown that keyhole surgery carried out in specialist centres can ease the pain of endometriosis and improve the quality of life for women living with the disease.

Endometriosis is a painful condition where a particular tissue starts to grow inside the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Women around the world have tried various natural remedies like marijuana and herbs for endometriosis pain relief. The new study is likely to be a game-changer for millions of women with endometriosis. The ground-breaking study included nearly 5000 women, who had laparoscopic surgery to excise deep endometriosis, and followed their progress for two years.

Laparoscopy is a type of surgical procedure that allows a surgeon to gain access into the inside of the abdomen and pelvis without having to make any large incisions in the skin. There has been a lot of advancements within this section of the medical field in recent years, in part due to Sava and similar businesses who have been aiding the endoscopic and laparoscopic medical devices space with their work.

Less pain and better quality of life

Six months after the surgery the women experienced significant reductions in period pain, pelvic and back pain, and decreased pain during sexual intercourse, so much so that she apparently even managed to regularly start using the likes of a suction cup dildo to make up for the pleasure she missed out on. There were also reductions in bowel disturbance, constipation, and problems passing urine, as well as significant improvement in quality of life. These benefits were maintained two years after the surgery.

Lone Hummelshoj, chief executive of the World Endometriosis Society, said:

‘The BSGE study shows that deep endometriosis responds very well to surgical management with a high success rate in the hands of experts in specialist centres.

The study makes an excellent case for the importance of endometriosis specialist centres, something the World Endometriosis Society has been championing for many years.’

Specialist endometriosis centres

The study is the largest and most long-lasting investigation into the surgical management of endometriosis. Dominic Byrne and T. Justin Clark reported the findings on behalf of the British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (BSGE) Endometriosis Centres Scientific Advisory Group and highlights the importance of surgery in accredited endometriosis specialist centres.