Endometriosis is a painful gynecological condition that, if left untreated, can lead to infertility, but new technology is leading to better outcomes for women.Amanda Norman's debilitating pain was caused by endometriosis. She suffered for 10 years."Pain, a lot of pain. Everyone said it was just normal girl stuff, and it wasn't. My back, it was really debilitating," Norman said.By the time Norman went to see Dr. Fermin Barrueto, at Mercy Medical Center, she had been through seven unsuccessful surgeries. She said the eighth surgery with Barrueto changed her life."I feel great. For the first time in my life, I don't have any pain," Norman said.Intensely painful cramping is the most obvious symptom of endometriosis. Other red flags include infertility and family history, and it can be difficult to detect.Barrueto said new technology called narrow-band imaging is helping with detection, and it's used during endoscopy. Rather than the traditional white light, a blue-green light helps improve visibility."Very few hospitals have it in the U.S. At Mercy, we do have it. I use the white light, and we don't see endometriosis. We flash the blue light, and that tells us there is endometriosis here, then we remove it," Barrueto said.Barrueto successfully removed Norman's late-stage endometriosis, and her prognosis is very good."Now she has a better outlook of everything. She can pursue even conception, whenever she's ready for it," Barrueto said."It's incredible. I'm starting to plan future goals and things that I've never thought of before," Norman said.Get the WBAL-TV News App

Endometriosis is a painful gynecological condition that, if left untreated, can lead to infertility, but new technology is leading to better outcomes for women.

Amanda Norman's debilitating pain was caused by endometriosis. She suffered for 10 years.


"Pain, a lot of pain. Everyone said it was just normal girl stuff, and it wasn't. My back, it was really debilitating," Norman said.

By the time Norman went to see Dr. Fermin Barrueto, at Mercy Medical Center, she had been through seven unsuccessful surgeries. She said the eighth surgery with Barrueto changed her life.

"I feel great. For the first time in my life, I don't have any pain," Norman said.

Intensely painful cramping is the most obvious symptom of endometriosis. Other red flags include infertility and family history, and it can be difficult to detect.

Barrueto said new technology called narrow-band imaging is helping with detection, and it's used during endoscopy. Rather than the traditional white light, a blue-green light helps improve visibility.

"Very few hospitals have it in the U.S. At Mercy, we do have it. I use the white light, and we don't see endometriosis. We flash the blue light, and that tells us there is endometriosis here, then we remove it," Barrueto said.

Barrueto successfully removed Norman's late-stage endometriosis, and her prognosis is very good.

"Now she has a better outlook of everything. She can pursue even conception, whenever she's ready for it," Barrueto said.

"It's incredible. I'm starting to plan future goals and things that I've never thought of before," Norman said.



