We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Iris Kerin Orbuch, MD. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Iris below.
Iris , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
The defining moment for me was when I started thinking outside the box and how to best treat those with endometriosis. Instead of thinking like sheep, which is how I was taught in training during residency, which clearly wasn’t effective at helping those suffering from endometriosis, I decided to look at the body as a whole. I started thinking of endometriosis as an inflammatory disease that affects the whole body. This began my collaborating with urologists, integrative nutritionists, pelvic floor physical therapists, pain physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, trauma therapists, acupuncturists as well as Integrative medicine doctors. At the same time, I started rethinking how the treatment paradigm that existed wasn’t helping patients to extent it should. I felt like a salmon swimming upstream treating endometriosis as an inflammatory disease that affects the whole.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
When I finished residency and embarked upon my fellowship, with two of the preeminent minimally invasive surgeons in the field of endometriosis, I needed to unlearn everything about endometriosis that I was taught in residency: both general information about endometriosis as well as surgical management of endometriosis. Learning from pioneers in the field as a fellow, I learned excision of endometriosis, which is the gold standard of management for those with endometriosis. In my residency, I learned the incorrect type of surgery known as ablation of endometriosis while as a fellow I learned the best surgical management known as “excision” of endometriosis,. Additionally, as a resident, I was taught that endometriosis was “just a period disease.” However, as a fellow I learned it was so much more, affecting the whole body as an inflammatory disease, causing 1. Gut symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, painful, bowel movements, and those with endometriosis, often being diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome 2. Gynecological symptoms such as pain anytime during the month, painful periods, ovulatory pain, painful sex. 3. urological symptoms such as urinary urgency, frequency, and getting up at night time to urinate, as well as 4. A host of general symptoms such as fatigue. It is Frustrating that most suffering from this very common disease are managed by gynecologists, who also are trained with the same misinformation that I was taught during my residency. It is my mission to raise awareness and educate those who are suffering and be a leader in the field dispelling misinformation. and providing exceptional care which includes of excision of endometriosis, which is the cornerstone of treatment, as well as addressing endometriosis from a whole body perspective.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
Absolutely yes. I would choose the same profession. I love what I do. I’m so passionate about helping the roughly 200,000 worldwide who suffer from endometriosis. The collaboration has been incredible and validating one’s pain and allowing them to “reclaim their lives“ like my book,” beating Endo, how to reclaim your life from endometriosis “ Lays out, is such a privilege to me .
Contact Info:
- Website: www.LAgyn,com
- Instagram: @dririsorbuch