As part of our What's Next for Women's Health? podcast series, TWEM explores the future of reproductive healthcare by speaking with researchers, clinicians, innovators, and advocates to unpack the latest evidence, challenge outdated thinking, and ask one important question: What's next for women's health?
We sat down with Dr. Raanan Meyer, a gynaecological surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, to learn how his research and medical practice are advancing surgical and medical care for people with endometriosis.
Dr. Meyer leads a multidisciplinary team dedicated to the diagnosis, surgical management, and long-term care of patients with endometriosis. His research focuses on surgical outcomes, healthcare disparities, and improving patient-centred treatment.
Understanding Endometriosis and Advancing Research
For Dr. Meyer, one of the biggest challenges is the complexity of endometriosis and the gap between the burden of the disease and our ability to treat it.
There's often no correlation between the stage of endometriosis and the severity of symptoms. Some patients with minimal disease experience significant daily pain, while others with stage four endometriosis have very few symptoms.
His research explores the underlying cellular mechanisms of endometriosis, alongside clinical studies examining symptoms and outcomes before and after surgery.
His team is also investigating potential treatments for chronic pelvic pain, including low-dose naltrexone, GLP-1 medications, and treatments commonly used for autoimmune conditions.
These approaches remain areas of ongoing research, with further clinical evidence needed to understand their effectiveness.
Addressing Inequalities in Endometriosis Care
Dr. Meyer's research has also explored how race, ethnicity, socioeconomic factors, and access to specialist care influence surgical outcomes.
His findings have identified increased risks of short-term surgical complications among non-white patients, highlighting important disparities in healthcare.
One possible explanation is unequal access to experienced endometriosis specialists and minimally invasive surgery.
Improving access to specialist care is therefore an important part of achieving more equitable treatment and better patient outcomes.
Improving Surgery and Patient-Centred Care
Advances in laparoscopic and robotic surgery have transformed endometriosis treatment, allowing surgeons to visualise and remove lesions more precisely while supporting faster recovery.
Dr. Meyer also highlights the importance of enhanced recovery protocols, hormonal suppression where appropriate, and multidisciplinary care.
Importantly, approaches to diagnosis and treatment are evolving, with greater recognition that patients should not always have to wait for surgical confirmation before receiving support.
For Dr. Meyer, effective endometriosis management requires looking beyond surgery alone and considering physical, emotional, and long-term wellbeing.
What Does "This Won't End Us" Mean?
When asked what This Won't End Us means to him, Dr. Meyer reflected on the resilience of patients with endometriosis and their growing involvement in understanding and advocating for their care.
He also described it as a call to action for healthcare professionals to continue searching for answers and improving treatment.
At TWEM, we believe that bringing together lived experiences, research, and healthcare perspectives is essential to creating meaningful change.
We thank Dr. Meyer for sharing his insights and for his dedication to advancing endometriosis research and patient-centred care.
🎙️ Listen to the full conversation on This Won't End Us, available on Spotify and YouTube.
Learn more about Dr. Raanan Meyer's research:
https://researchers.cedars-sinai.edu/Raanan.Meyer
Because our stories deserve to be heard, and this won't end us.