Endometriosis is a disease with a prevalence of up to 6-10%. It affects women in different areas, not only from a health point of view, but also socially and professionally. The creation of the Functional Unit in our centre seeks to take care of all the different aspects that will have an impact on the quality of life of our patients.

Objectives

• Approach the endometriosis diagnosis with a holistic approach.
• Provide a wide and multidisciplinary response to the patient diagnosed with endometriosis during the whole diagnostic and therapeutic process.
• Identify which areas of women's health are affected by the disease and provide help with the diagnosis and any medical, surgical or reproductive actions.
• Coordinate all therapeutic actions and decisions in order to make the process more efficient and optimise health resources.
• Lead research initiatives that can have an impact on improving patient care.
• Be a driver of change in medical care for the disease, through organising specific trainings and becoming a training reference in the field.
   

Equipment and services that are part of the unit

The fact that the disease impacts multiple areas of women's health justifies the need for multiple services to provide a cross-cutting response that avoids unnecessary repeat appointments. The Gynaecology and Obstetrics Service itself, takes a holistic approach to the disease through the participation of professionals from different areas (medical treatment, surgery, fertility, ultrasound diagnosis, sexuality, physiotherapy, etc. ), who discuss and analyse the cases. Below are the different medical specialities that form part of the Unit:

Gynaecology and Obstetrics Service

• Dra. Sílvia Cabrera (Clinical Head of Gynaecology).
• Dra. Aina Delgado.
• Dr. Josep Estadella.
• Dra. Rocío Luna.
• Maria Llavoré.
• Dra. Taisia Melnychuk.
• Dr. Josep Perelló.
• Dra. Marta Peró.
• Dra. Ana Polo (director of Reproductive Medicine Service at Fundació Puigvert-Hospital de la Sant Creu i Sant Pau).
• Dra. Noelia Rams.
• Dr. Ramon Rovira (UF coordinator).
• Dra. Mª Jesús Saiz.

ASSIR Roger de Flor

• Dr. Vicent Tur.

General Surgery Service

• Dra. Carmen Martínez Sánchez.
• Dra. Anna Sánchez López.
• Dra. Bea Espina Pérez.

Digestive Pathology Service

• Dr. Federico Bertoletti -Urology Service (Fundació Puigvert)
• Dr. Xavier Ponce de León.
• Dr. Juan Palou Redorta.
• Unitat Sexologia (Fundació Puigvert)
• Dra. Mónica González.

Anesthesiology Service (Pain Clinic)

• Dra. Marta Ferrándiz Mach.
• Dra. Teresa Santaeularia Verges.

Radiodiagnosis Service

• Dr. Juan Carlos Pernas Canadell.
• Dra. Xenia Codo Tarraubella.
• Dr. Miguel Ángel Rios Vives.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service

• Dra. Teresa Crespo Rivero.
• Dr. Jean Claude Perrot González.

Sessions and multidisciplinary committees

The Endometriosis Functional Unit committee meets every Tuesday morning from 8:30 to 9:30 to discuss any cases that present therapeutic questions or require surgical treatment, in order to coordinate their management amongst the different professionals and also coordinate any necessary medical/surgical treatment, including fertility treatment if the patient requires it. In the near future, a female case manager will be added to the committee to make completely sure that the patient receives all adequate support throughout her treatment.
 

Research and training

The Endometriosis Functional Unit has launched several projects, including:

• Project funded by La Marató foundation in its 2023 edition on “sexual and reproductive health”. The project aims to study the progress of the disease with an aim to establish what kind of follow-up patients need and what factors, either related to treatment or to non-pharmacological actions (such as physical exercise, nutrition, etc.) have an impact on the evolution of the disease.
   
• WHAT-END Project, which studies how the use of an app can improve monitoring, care and communication between patients and professionals during the therapeutic and care process.
   
• TRANSFORM Project, which established, with the help of citizens, 6 areas that affect women's health, from a medical, social, professional or psychological point of view.
   
• After more than 10 years’ experience taking care of our patient’s fertility, we have launched a study to analyse our own results with egg freezing (Oocyte cryopreservation) and establish the success rate of this technique, its performance according to patients profiles, as well as the stimulation protocols used, including the most appropriate drugs and doses.
• With the aim to provide innovative solutions for patients suffering from dysmenorrhea, the MBF-362CT-02 study seeks to evaluate the efficacy of the drug MBF-362 to reduce menstrual pain in women with dysmenorrhea. This study, sponsored by MEDIBIOFARMA S.L., is a phase I, double-blind, randomised and placebo-controlled clinical trial, designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of the drug MBF-362 in premenopausal women. The main objective of the study is to determine the safety of the drug and its potential ability to reduce menstrual pain in women with dysmenorrhea.
   
• From an educational point of view, in October 2025 we will launch specific training courses on different aspects of the disease. The first one will focus on “how endometriosis affects women's fertility”. The Endometriosis Unit requires residents and specialists from anywhere in the country to rotate in order to complete their training in the different aspects of the disease.