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Clinical Practice & Multidisciplinarity · May 2026

  • Jun 3
  • 3 min read

Updated: Jun 4

Why multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTs) are essential in modern endometriosis management?


Written by Dr. Thomas Dennis, Expert Surgeon in complex endometriosis management and Senior Instructor at the IFEM Endo Academy


Today, endometriosis is no longer considered a purely surgical disease.

Over the last few years, our understanding of this pathology has profoundly evolved. Endometriosis can impact fertility, digestive and urinary functions, pain perception, quality of life, psychological well-being, and long-term reproductive plans.


This complexity makes therapeutic decisions increasingly delicate, often reaching far beyond the sole question of surgical intervention.


For many patients, no single specialist can address all the challenges posed by the disease. Optimal care frequently requires the collaboration of multiple professionals with complementary expertise.



A complex disease that requires multiple perspectives


A patient presenting with deep endometriosis may require the expertise of several specialists:

  • Gynecological surgeon;

  • Colorectal / Digestive surgeon;

  • Urologist;

  • Fertility specialist;

  • Radiologist;

  • Pain specialist;

  • Physiotherapist;

  • Psychologist.

Each professional brings a different perspective to the disease.


The surgeon might focus on the complete excision of lesions. The fertility specialist may prioritize preserving the ovarian reserve. The pain specialist can identify mechanisms responsible for persistent pain, even after a well-performed surgery.

The challenge, therefore, lies in combining these different viewpoints to build a personalized therapeutic strategy for each patient.



The role of multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTs)


Multidisciplinary team meetings allow different specialists to jointly discuss complex cases before making any major therapeutic decisions.

They provide a structured framework to:

  • Review imaging;

  • Discuss the benefits and risks of an intervention;

  • Integrate fertility goals;

  • Consider alternatives to surgical treatment;

  • Organize complex surgeries involving multiple specialties;

  • Improve the continuity of the care pathway.


This approach helps limit isolated decision-making and ensures a more coherent strategy tailored to the patient's symptoms, goals, and life plans.



Enhancing clinical decision-making


One of the primary benefits of multidisciplinary meetings is the opportunity to cross-examine different points of view. A strategy that seems obvious to one specialty may raise concerns when analyzed by another specialist.

For instance:

  • Should surgery be performed prior to IVF?

  • Should endometriomas be removed in a patient with a low ovarian reserve?

  • Should deep colorectal endometriosis always be completely excised, or could a more conservative approach sometimes be preferable?


These questions do not always have simple answers.


The value of the multidisciplinary team meeting lies precisely in this ability to pool multiple areas of expertise in order to reach a balanced, individualized decision based on the available data.




A direct benefit for patients


Multidisciplinary care enhances the overall quality of the care pathway. It can contribute to:

  • Reducing diagnostic delays;

  • Improving treatment planning;

  • Avoiding unnecessary treatments or interventions;

  • Better integrating fertility preservation strategies;

  • Enhancing the management of chronic pain;

  • Strengthening the consistency of long-term follow-up.


Most importantly, it places the patient at the very center of clinical decision-making.

The patient is no longer faced with a succession of isolated opinions, but instead benefits from a collective, unified reflection on her specific situation.




Multidisciplinarity beyond borders


Implementing a true multidisciplinary approach is not just about bringing several specialists around the same table. It also means building lasting connections between teams, sharing knowledge, and facilitating access to expertise whenever necessary.


Within the IFEM Endo network, this philosophy is applied across all our centers throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Each center develops its own local multidisciplinary team while benefiting from the collective expertise of the global network.


Particularly complex situations can thus be discussed not only among specialists from the same institution, but also among experts from different countries. This international collaboration allows us to share experiences, enrich clinical reflection, and offer patients care that is grounded in a broader scope of expertise.


Beyond the surgical procedure itself, this approach also fosters continuous training for local teams, the sharing of best practices, and the development of a shared culture centered on the quality of care.


In a field as complex as endometriosis, multidisciplinarity should no longer be viewed as an option. Today, it stands as one of the cornerstones of modern, personalized care, dedicated to the long-term improvement of patients' quality of life.

Dr. Thomas Dennis, Expert Surgeon in complex endometriosis management and Senior Instructor at the IFEM Endo Academy

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