On the outside, women suffering from endometriosis look healthy, but
inside are tortured by pain, and commonly misdiagnosed by their doctors.
Endometriosis and Chronic Pelvic Pain can be even more devastating than
cancer. Physically and emotionally, the pain of endometriosis can
cripple the ability of women and teens to lead a normal life.
Endometriosis is a progressive and debilitating disease, impacting the
lives of an estimated 5.5 million women and teenage girls in the U.S.
Statistics reveal that endometriosis is more common than AIDS and
cancer. Studies indicate that 30 to 40 percent of women with
endometriosis are infertile, and many suffered painful periods as
teens. An estimated 77 million women worldwide have endometriosis.
The most common symptom of endometriosis is PAIN...painful periods, pain
during ovulation, painful bowel movements, and painful sex. Other
symptoms can include infertility, irregular periods, diarrhea, fatigue,
leg and back pain, and abdominal bloating.
Many women suffering from endometriosis can't explain what
endometriosis is. They can't describe it, because they don't understand
it. Even for a doctor, endometriosis poses formidable diagnostic and
surgical challenges. Because many of the symptoms of endometriosis are
similar to those of other conditions, it is frequently misdiagnosed. In
addition to the reproductive system, other systems often affected by
the disease are the lungs, intestines, diaphragm, bladder and ureter.
"In my career as a gynecologist and reproductive endocrinologist, I
have met and successfully treated thousands of women suffering from
serious pelvic pain. Often they had tried all types of treatments,
including several surgeries, to no avail. I wanted to help, and have
devoted my career as a doctor to understanding and treating
endometriosis and pelvic pain," says Andrew S. Cook, M.D., FACOG.
Dr. Cook believes that early diagnosis and treatment is the key to
limiting the impact of the disease on a patient's life. "As any one who
suffers from endometriosis and pelvic pain will tell you, going from
doctor to doctor, year after year, having surgery after surgery without
resolution of symptoms is all to common and simply unacceptable," says
Dr. Cook.
"I believe that successful treatment of the endometriosis patient
involves two distinctly different areas: (1) complete removal of the
endometrial implants at surgery, and (2) post-surgery medical treatment
of the patient to restore her overall health, including the immune
system and hormonal balance, with the best of both traditional and
alternative medicine."
Dr. Cook is world renowned for his pioneering, aggressive and
successful treatment of endometriosis. According to Dr. Cook, "The most
important aspect of successful surgical treatment is the skill and
experience of the surgeon. I believe that the core concept in effective
surgical treatment of endometriosis is complete removal of the disease
from the body. Any cells remaining after surgery will continue to grow,
resulting in an eventual recurrence of symptoms. This is not to say
that there is a cure for endometriosisthere is not. But, it is
important to differentiate between true recurrence which is very low,
as low as 15% over 5 years, and persistence of endometriosis as a
result of incomplete treatment."
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