March is Endometriosis Awareness Month and in recognition of the event, Women’s Excellence of Michigan launched a campaign on Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome (IC/PBS) and Endometrial Ablation.

Endometriosis Awareness Month events attract thousands of EndoMarchers from around the world every year to raise awareness about the condition, which is the third leading cause of gynecologic hospitalization and the leading cause of an estimated 600,000 hysterectomies performed every year in the United States alone.

This month is not just to raise awareness about endometriosis, but also other conditions that affect women, such as IC/PBS, a chronic syndrome mainly found in women. Symptoms frequently include urinary urgency and frequent pelvic pain. IC/PBS is not thought to stem from bacterial infections and cannot be treated with antibiotics, but it is a chronic inflammatory condition of the bladder. The most appropriate treatments are usually a combination of medication, lifestyle changes, diet adjustments, bladder treatments, and pelvic floor physical therapy.

Heavy menstrual bleeding affects nearly 10 million women worldwide. Women who suffer from it frequently report the first symptoms between the ages of 30 and 40, as they near menopause. Endometrial ablation is a surgical procedure that destroys, or ablates, the lining of a patient’s uterus (endometrium) in order to reduce menstrual flow. No incisions are necessary for the surgery, as the doctor works from the passage between the vagina and the uterus (cervix).

Hologic’s NovaSure endometrial ablation is a fast and safe procedure that lessens or stops women’s periods without hormonal side effects of equivalent risks of a hysterectomy. According to a Women’s Excellence press release, this one-time, five-minute procedure takes place in a doctor’s office and works via the delivery of radio frequency energy.

Women’s Excellence, one of the most comprehensive obstetric and gynecologic offices in Michigan, includes specialists in menopause, weight control, bladder control, endometriosis, robotic surgery, pelvic floor physical therapy, and midwifery services.