American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists

I returned from a fabulous meeting of the AAGL in Miami a couple weeks ago. There are always a vast number of topics to learn about but I concentrated on endometriosis. One the most poignant parts of the conference when was Padma Laksmi of Top Chef fame discussed her almost 20 year battle with endometriosis and the profound impact on her life. What a frustrating , mysterious disease endometriosis is. I was disappointed somewhat that there is not more headway on understanding the underlying cause. It is a combination of hereditary predisposition plus a multitude of other participating factors. The main message was that the treatment is surgical and it is SO important to treat it aggressively and to excise all implants as early as possible and then suppress the disease medically. As we all know, symptoms present often times in adolescence and are often dismissed by medical providers. Lets get the word out about the importance of evaluation in teens with painful periods so that the condition can be managed in the early stage and hopefully contained before the devastating side effects occur.