Treatment depends on a woman's symptoms, pregnancy plans, and age, as well as the extent of the disease. If a woman is still fertile, pregnancy and prolonged breast-feeding can give her a respite from endometriosis. This helps the body self-repair because the longer the woman goes without a menstrual period, the greater the hope of the condition being self-limiting.

Typically the treatments may be classified under:

1. Using drugs that suppress the activity of the ovaries and slow the growth of endometrial tissue

2. Perform surgery and remove as much of the misplaced endometrial tissue as possible

3. Use a combination of drugs and surgery

4. Hysterectomy: Surgery that removes the uterus, often with the fallopian tubes and ovaries