In spite of the medical advances in treatment for endometriosis, real symptoms continue to pester a ton of people with uteruses. Pain is one of the main symptoms of endometriosis and can include painful periods, chronic pelvic pain, painful intercourse, painful bowel movements and/or urination. Because only a few treatment options have been studied to address these symptoms, there are very few therapeutic options supported by scientific evidence.
Within the limited studies focused on pain management, science looked at the way acupuncture, exercise, electrotherapy and yoga affects these symptoms. While early evidence showed that these treatments offered some relief, acupuncture was the only treatment to demonstrate a significant improvement.
If you aren’t wary of needles, you could give acupuncture a go! It could help you out. The other methods of exercise, yoga and electrotherapy could find their way into your wellness routine, as many of the women studied found improvements with their pain symptoms.
A scientific review emphasized that the results of these studies should awaken health professionals who treat women with endometriosis. And this is where we come in! My Normative is working to improve the way science studies female health. Our platform will help medicine make the right advancements towards studies that support women and people who menstruate in their pursuit of health and wellness.
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Science, Feminism, and Love.
Mira TAA, Buen MM, Borges MG, Yela DA, Benetti-Pinto CL. Systematic review and meta-analysis of complementary treatments for women with symptomatic endometriosis. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2018 Oct;143(1):2-9. doi: 10.1002/ijgo.12576. Epub 2018 Jul 9. PMID: 29944729.
