during which the disease may progress, causing permanent damage
told it's IBS, anxiety, or "just bad periods"
yet it takes an average of 7 practitioner visits to reach diagnosis
Your wait is over.
Haven is a specialist clinic for women with endometriosis. We believe you. We treat the root — with excision surgery, not a band-aid.
No insurance forms. No medical history required upfront. Just a conversation.
From first contact to recovery —
nothing hidden.
You've been given vague answers for years. Here is exactly what happens at Haven, stage by stage.
Your First Consultation
A private room. Ninety minutes. No fifteen-minute slot.
You'll sit in a private consultation room — not a curtained bay. We'll spend ninety minutes, not fifteen. We'll ask about your full history: when pain started, what makes it worse, what you've been told before, what you've tried. We'll ask about your work, your relationships, your mental health — because endometriosis affects all of it. You won't be interrupted. You won't be rushed to a diagnosis before we understand you. At the end, we'll explain exactly what we think is happening and what we recommend next. If we need more information before we can say anything with confidence, we'll tell you that too.
What to bring: a written timeline of your symptoms, any previous scan results, a list of medications you've tried.
Imaging & Diagnosis
Deep-dive ultrasound and MRI — tools most GPs never ordered.
We use transvaginal ultrasound and pelvic MRI performed by sonographers and radiologists who specialise specifically in endometriosis. These are not the same as a standard gynaecological ultrasound — they're looking for deep infiltrating disease, bowel involvement, ovarian cysts (endometriomas), and bladder lesions that a general scan routinely misses. You'll receive a detailed written report, not a phone call with "everything looks normal." Results take one to two weeks. We'll walk you through every finding in a follow-up appointment before recommending any procedure.
The gold standard for definitive diagnosis remains laparoscopy — but we use imaging to plan before we operate, not instead of operating.
Surgical Planning
Excision vs. ablation — we explain both honestly, including why one is better.
We'll explain the difference between excision and ablation clearly, with no pressure and no jargon. Ablation burns the surface layer of tissue — it can feel effective initially, but doesn't address deep disease, and recurrence rates reach 40–60% within one to two years. Excision cuts beneath the lesion and removes it entirely, including the root. It's technically harder, takes longer, and requires a surgeon trained specifically in the technique — which is why most general gynaecologists don't offer it. We do. We'll map your disease from the imaging, discuss which organs are involved, explain what the procedure will involve, and give you a realistic picture of outcomes. You won't be scheduled for surgery until you've had every question answered.
You are never obligated to proceed. We will provide a written surgical plan you can take away and review.
The Procedure
Minimally invasive laparoscopy. Small incisions. Your surgeon stays in the room.
Excision surgery is performed laparoscopically — through small incisions under 1cm. You'll be under general anaesthesia. A high-definition camera enters the abdomen, which is gently inflated with carbon dioxide gas to create space. The surgeon then systematically identifies every lesion, works around the reproductive organs, and excises each deposit at its base — not the surface. If bowel or bladder involvement is confirmed, a colorectal or urological specialist will be present. The procedure takes between one and four hours depending on the extent of disease. You'll spend one night in hospital. Your named surgeon — not a registrar — performs the operation. You'll meet them again before you go under.
All tissue removed is sent for pathological analysis, providing a definitive diagnosis in writing.
Recovery
Week one is hard. Week six, most patients return to work. Month three, the shift.
Week one: You'll be tired, bloated from the gas, and sore around the incision sites. Rest. Pain is managed with medication we'll prescribe before you leave. Week two: Most patients are mobile and moving around the house. The fatigue begins to lift. Week three to four: You'll feel significantly better than before surgery, though not fully yourself. Gentle walking, no lifting. Week five to six: Most patients return to desk work. Physical jobs take longer — up to eight weeks. Month two to three: This is when most patients report the meaningful shift — the pain that has defined their life begins to quiet. Some patients experience a period of emotional adjustment as the absence of chronic pain becomes real. We check in at two weeks, six weeks, and three months. If you need us in between, you call us directly.
We'll discuss postoperative hormonal therapy options to reduce recurrence risk — this is a conversation, not a prescription handed at discharge.
Ablation vs. excision —
an honest comparison.
Most general gynaecologists offer ablation because it's faster and requires less specialised training. We offer excision because the evidence is clear — and you deserve to know the difference.
Data sourced from peer-reviewed meta-analyses comparing laparoscopic excision and ablation outcomes at 12 months post-surgery.
They were where you are.
Not curated testimonials. Specific journeys from patients who spent years being dismissed before finding care that worked.
I'd seen six doctors in eight years. Every one of them told me painful periods were normal. Haven was the first appointment in my life where I didn't have to fight to be believed. They already knew what I was going to say.
Meredith O.
8 years to diagnosis · 3 prior surgeries · Returned to full-time work 6 weeks post-excision
They explained the difference between ablation and excision in a way no one ever had. I'd had ablation twice. Both times the pain came back within a year. After excision with Haven, I'm fourteen months out and the chronic pain is gone.
Priya S.
6 years to diagnosis · 2 prior ablation procedures · 14 months post-excision, pain-free
The consultation alone was worth it. Not because they fixed everything — they were honest that surgery wouldn't be a cure — but because someone finally mapped my disease and told me the truth about what was happening in my body.
Cassidy W.
10 years to diagnosis · Stage IV deep infiltrating disease · Bowel and bladder involvement treated
8.9 months
Average time from first Haven consultation to symptom relief — vs. 7.5 years under standard care.
94%
Of Haven patients report significant pain reduction at 12-month follow-up.
Book your first consultation.
Three questions. No insurance forms. No medical history required upfront — that happens in the room, with a person, not a form.
Not ready to book yet?
Download our Pre-Consultation Guide. It covers what to track before your appointment, questions worth asking any specialist, and how to document your symptom history in a way that's actually useful in a medical context.
- How to build a symptom timeline
- Questions to ask at any endo appointment
- Understanding your imaging results
- What excision surgery involves