Long-term management platform for endometriosis patients

A unified diagnosis and treatment platform for endometriosis was established in the city on the eve of World Endometriosis Day on Sunday.

Endometriosis is a condition in which the endometrium, the layer of tissue that covers the inside of the uterus, grows outside the uterus. The disease can cause severe effects such as pain and sub-fertility.

The incidence is about 10 to 15 percent of women at birth age. About 70 to 80 percent of patients can suffer painful menstruation and belly pain, and 50 percent also suffer infertility, according to Gynecology and Obstetrics Hospital of Fudan University, where the platform is located.

“It is like a benign cancer, as its invasion and spread are the same as cancer," said Xu Congjian, president of the hospital. "There is no particularly good treatment.

“Even though undergoing treatment, there is a high possibility of relapse. Repeated surgery can influence the ovary and seriously impact women’s fertility. With age, there is a risk of cancerous change.”

Long-term and effective management can help reduce and control pain, protect fertility and reduce the risk of relapse.

“If we can detect the disease in an early stage and give proper treatment, we can prevent its development," said Yi Xiaofang from the hospital. "Detection and long-term management are both important for patients.We are educating women that endometriosis is a chronic disease. Surgery is an important treatment for the disease. But proper after-surgery management is key to reduce and control relapse and improve patients’ life quality.”

The platform aims to achieve early detection, precise treatment, drug instruction, pregnancy direction and relapse control through regular and long-term patient management, hospital officials said.

Ti Gong