At Maimonides Women’s Health Institute, expert providers across a range of disciplines come together to create a comprehensive destination for quality women’s health care across the lifespan. This includes primary care, obstetrics and gynecology, cancer screenings, an Early Pregnancy Assessment Center, Brooklyn’s first dedicated menopause center, and more. Now, Maimonides’ Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Center will create greater access for another critical aspect of women’s health care.
“We are proud to now offer care for patients at this comprehensive center for endometriosis and pelvic pain,” said Scott Chudnoff, MD, Chair of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Maimonides Health. “These are very challenging conditions that require advanced expertise, and we’re making this much-needed, highly specialized care more accessible than ever here in Brooklyn.”
Lack of Expert Care Leads to Delays in Diagnosis
Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which endometrial tissue grows outside of the lining of the uterus, which can cause severe pain and infertility. It is estimated to affect roughly 10% of women (1). While there is no prevention or cure, proper diagnosis and management can slow its progression and ease symptoms.
“While it’s difficult to say the exact prevalence of endometriosis, most experts agree it is widely underdiagnosed,” says Amro Elfeky, MD, Associate Fellowship Director for Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at Maimonides Health. “There is a multitude of diverse symptoms, which can vary in severity with time. On the providers’ side, not every OB/GYN has the necessary training, awareness, and expertise to identify it.”
This, along with frequent normalization of pelvic and menstrual pain, can lead to unaddressed symptoms and delays in treatment, as the chronic, debilitating condition continues to progress. For a diagnosis, many patients must see multiple providers, and report that the process can take up to 12 years (2).
Advanced, Specialized Care With Deep Experience in Women’s Health
At Maimonides Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Center, our specialists are highly experienced in diagnosing endometriosis, delivering effective treatment, and providing long-term, multidisciplinary endometriosis management. We are the only Brooklyn-based, dedicated endometriosis center to be accredited by the Surgical Review Corporation as a Center of Excellence in Continence Care for Women, Minimally Invasive Surgery, and Multidisciplinary Endometriosis Care. Maimonides is also a Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology, with eight Master Surgeons in Minimally Invasive Gynecology (3,4).
Minimally invasive surgery is critical to treating endometriosis; laparoscopic surgery, a type of minimally invasive surgery, is also the gold-standard technique in diagnosing the condition. Expertise in this area is an absolute necessity when choosing providers for proper care. Because endometriosis and pelvic pain are long-term conditions and can affect many areas of a patient’s life, having experts in women’s health from many disciplines available under one roof is also key to the Center’s success.
These specialties include:
- OB/GYN and Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery
- Advanced Sonography
- Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
- Colorectal Surgery
- Urology
- Radiology
- Anesthesiology
- Psychiatry
- Reproductive Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology
- Nutrition
“When you’re dealing with endometriosis, you want to have a core surgical team that deals with these very difficult surgeries when needed,” said Dr. Elfeky. “But you also want other additional specialists to be available to help with treatment, whether it’s fertility treatment, pain, GI issues, help with nutrition, or help with psychiatric aspects. There are many outlets through which we can potentially help each patient, and each patient’s needs vary based on their individual condition and circumstances.”
Our providers are not only experts in their respective specialties, but are also highly experienced and passionate about practicing in the context of women’s health conditions like endometriosis. Seeing providers without the appropriate expertise can lead to dismissal of these symptoms and their effects, sometimes for many years. At Maimonides, the goal is to utilize every possible avenue to help patients and alleviate their symptoms and suffering. Our providers’ background, training, and experience is key to timely diagnosis and effective treatment.
Maimonides providers are also working to advance research on this under-researched area of medicine, through participation in clinical trials and advanced fellowship training for the next generation of medical professionals.
Know the Signs — and When to Refer to an Endometriosis Specialist
When assessing patients who present with pelvic pain, the first thing to keep in mind is ensuring access to appropriate assessment is available, according to Dr. Elfeky. For many primary care providers and even OB/GYN specialists, that can mean referring to an endometriosis specialist who understands this tricky diagnostic process.
Symptoms of endometriosis can be incredibly varied. Some patients may not even show signs until they are in late stages, or until they are trying to conceive and face fertility challenges. In general, signs to look out for include:
- Pain with menstruation
- Pain with intercourse
- Pain with bowel movements
- Pain with urination
“For patients facing endometriosis, we’re here to provide a place close to home where they can get answers and get the treatment they need,” says Dr. Elfeky. “We want to change the current reality of this condition — widespread lack of diagnosis and treatment — through care that centers on patients’ individual needs and outcomes. At Maimonides, each patient is at the center of their care and their health decisions, with the backing of an entire multidisciplinary team to support them.”
“In addition to having exceptional clinical teams and surgeons, we’ve shaped this Center with patients’ experience at top of mind,” said Dr. Chudnoff. “Conditions like these affect health care throughout a patient’s life, and this is one more piece we’ve put together to make the highest quality of women’s healthcare even more seamless throughout their life span.”
For more information on OB/GYN Services at Maimonides, visit https://maimo.org/mdp/ob-gyn-specialty-services-and-womens-health/. To refer a patient, call (718) 283-9044.
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis
- https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1471-0528.17973?af=R
- https://www.surgicalreview.org/src-accredited-provider-maimonides/
- https://www.surgicalreview.org/src-accredited-providers-maimonides-medical-center/
