​A new BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre (BCWH) study, published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, offers new insights on the life-changing impact of surgery on women and people living with endometriosis and pelvic pain. The paper evaluated patient outcomes at BCWH's Centre for Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis, which provides interdisciplinary care for endometriosis to approximately 900 new patients annually.

 "This study offers hope to patients who wish to conceive and to avoid hysterectomy to alleviate their endometriosis symptoms," said Dr. Caroline Lee, gynecologist and surgeon with BCWH and lead author. "Excision of endometriosis, while keeping the uterus in place, avoiding hysterectomy, resulted in long-term positive benefits for quality-of-life for most patients."

Endometriosis is estimated to affect approximately 10 per cent of women and people of reproductive age. It causes cells, similar to those lining the uterus, to grow in other areas of the pelvis. This can cause significant pain, both during menstruation and on an ongoing basis. Research is limited on the most appropriate treatment, including surgical options.

Katherine Penfold is a BCWH's patient who underwent a hysterectomy to address her endometriosis symptoms in 2022. She lived with the condition for over twenty years, without a diagnosis and appropriate care. Speaking about her experience, she said, "I had a long journey to access the care I needed; I lived with debilitating pain that significantly impacted my quality of life. This surgery has been life-changing. I hope to encourage others who are experiencing pelvic pain to seek the care they need."

In patients who received a hysterectomy, further benefits in pain and quality of life were recorded. Over the past five years, the BCWH Centre has completed over 1,500 surgeries, including both excision and hysterectomy procedures, and it is a national and international leader in endometriosis and pelvic pain care.

BCWH is grateful for the ongoing support of the BC Women's Health Research Institute and BC Women's Health Foundation to enhance research around women's health, including pelvic pain and endometriosis.

*595 patients who received surgical management for endometriosis and pelvic pain at BCWH were included in this research from December 2013 through to July 2016.