Bayer unveils guidelines on latest diagnosis and therapy of endometriosis, more popularly “dysmenorrhea” affecting up to 10% of women

Bayer Pharmaceuticals has unveiled a new guideline, “Clinical Diagnosis and Early Medical Management for Endometriosis,” a first-of-its-kind consensus that helps healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and early medical treatment of endometriosis, more popularly “dysmenorrhea” which affects 6-10% of Filipino women.

   The guidelines, a consensus made by medical experts in Asia, aligns with the latest 2022 guidelines published by European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), which details the best practices of caring for women with endometriosis.

    Both works emphasize the importance of non-invasive procedures in early diagnosis and treatment to allow for patient-centred care.

   For instance, symptom recognition is recommended before utilising laparoscopy for diagnosis.  Medical treatments are recommended for the management of pain post-surgery.

      For treatment, the consensus recommends hormonal treatment for patients with no immediate pregnancy desires. 

   These treatments should be individually tailored by considering women’s presentation and therapeutic need. Medical treatment such as the use of GnRHa and progestin are also recommended for early treatment, and management of pain post-surgery.

   “While the consensus is useful in guiding healthcare providers to recommend patient-centric treatment options, there is also a need for us to leverage the right platforms to educate women on endometriosis, empowering them to voice out their pain and seek treatment early by making informed decisions about their condition.

   “These efforts are testament to our long-standing commitment to support our healthcare providers and patients, and ultimately improve women’s health,” added Catherine Donovan, Vice President Head of Medical Affairs Asia-Pacific, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Asia-Pacific.

   Angela Aguilar, Past President of the Philippine Society for Reproductive Medicine and co-author of the “Clinical Diagnosis and Early Medical Management for Endometriosis: Consensus for Asia” said, “This is a huge progress in the management of endometriosis.

   “Through this consensus, early diagnosis and better treatment options will be made available for women to help them achieve an overall improvement in quality of life.    Healthcare providers will be more equipped to deliver patient-centric care and help alleviate the burden brought about by this condition.”

   The consensus serves as a summation of deliberations by clinicians with expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis, where they convened in 2019 to critically evaluate evidence, international guidelines and consensus reports around the clinical diagnosis and early medical management of endometriosis in Asia. 

   Besides proposing an algorithm that utilizes both clinical diagnosis and early medical therapy which will require further evaluation to assess its effectiveness in diagnosis and patient outcomes, the work also provides guidance on clinical diagnosis and early empiric treatment.

   Similar to ESHRE’s 2022 guidelines, the consensus suggests that laparoscopy is no longer considered the diagnostic gold standard. Instead, it proposes focusing on patient history and clinical examination to decrease diagnostic delay, especially in low resource settings.