Patients with (a suspicion of) deep endometriosis, those seeking a second opinion, or those requiring a transfer of care, can turn to us.
In order to be well-informed about your medical situation, and due to the necessary coverage by your health insurer, you will need a REFERRAL from your GP or specialist to make your first appointment. With this referral, you can be registered in the hospital system and an appointment can be scheduled.
The Dutch Endometriosis Center (NEK) is an expertise center for people with endometriosis, focusing on the treatment of deep endometriosis in a multidisciplinary team. The NEK has a supra-regional function. For the initial analysis in case of suspected endometriosis, patients should be referred within their own region.
See https://endometriosediagnose.nl and https://nvog.nl/zorg-voor-patienten-met-endometriose for an overview of the different (diagnostic) centers throughout the Netherlands.
NNote: for women without proven endometriosis, we do not have specific expertise and/or additional treatment options: these can also be provided elsewhere.
The Questionnaire
Before your appointment, you will receive a link to a questionnaire. We ask you to fill out this questionnaire carefully. It contains questions about your health, the type of symptoms you have, and other factors that may influence your quality of life. This questionnaire is important because it provides us with insight into how you are doing. It can help us to give you advice about the type of treatment you need. The questionnaire also serves as a baseline. Once we start a treatment, after some time, we will ask you to fill out the questionnaire again. This helps us assess whether your quality of life has improved and if there is anything else we can do to help you.
The First Appointment
You will receive all the details about your appointment via email: the time, the location, and the name of the gynecologist with whom you have an appointment.
The first appointment lasts one hour and consists of two parts.
In the first half hour, you will speak with a nurse who is experienced in the field of endometriosis. The nurse will review the available medical information and ask about your symptoms and concerns. You can expect a warm welcome and an understanding of your feelings.
In the second half hour, you will meet with the gynecologist. The gynecologist will already be familiar with all the information and will discuss the key points with you. Usually, during this appointment, an internal (vaginal) examination will take place. We will use vaginal ultrasound for this, which is usually not painful. If you would prefer not to have an internal examination, you can discuss this with the nurse or your doctor.
After the internal examination, you will receive a diagnosis immediately. Due to our expertise, we are able to diagnose nearly everyone during the first appointment. This ensures that you have clarity right away. Your doctor will review with you where the endometriosis is located, discuss possible treatments, and together you will determine if everything is clear. There will also be time to ask any questions. Together, we will decide which treatment best suits you and your situation. Your doctor will guide you through this process.
After some time, the effectiveness of the chosen treatment will be evaluated with you, and we will discuss whether you are satisfied. If necessary, we can adjust the treatment.
MRI scan
If necessary, an MRI scan will be performed. Before the scan, we will ask you to insert a suppository into the rectum. This is a type of laxative that helps stimulate bowel movement. This helps to improve the quality of the scan by obtaining a better image of the inside of your abdomen.
Multidisciplinary Consultation
After the first appointment, all medical data will be discussed in our multidisciplinary consultation. This is our team of experts in the field of endometriosis. Gynecologists, colorectal surgeons, radiologists, and a urologist are involved. There may also be input from a sexologist, pelvic floor physiotherapist, psychologist, nutritionist (dietician), and other professionals. Together, we ensure that we can provide you with the best advice.
After this consultation, you will have a meeting with your doctor(s), where we will discuss the MRI scan and the recommendations, and together we will decide which treatment is the most suitable for you.
Our supporting staff and the nurses involved have an important role during treatment as they handle the appointments, the scheduling and support. You can build a warm relationship with them throughout the process.
Praktische informatie
Op de dag van uw afspraak vragen wij u op tijd in het ziekenhuis te zijn: ongeveer 10 minuten van tevoren. Er is dan tijd om een patiëntenpas te maken als u die nog niet heeft en om uw persoonsgegevens te controleren.
Wij vragen u om belangrijke en relevante medische gegevens mee te nemen en een overzicht van uw medicijngebruik. U kunt zo’n overzicht opvragen bij uw apotheek.
Wij werken in een team en zijn een opleidingskliniek. Ons doel is om zoveel mogelijk (zorg-)professionals kennis te geven die in het belang is voor vrouwen met endometriose. Het kan daarom zijn dat u tijdens uw behandeling naast uw eigen gynaecoloog ook andere artsen of zorgmedewerkers ziet. Uiteraard vragen wij hier vooraf uw toestemming voor.