Many
people don't know that endometriosis is one of the most
common causes of pelvic pain and infertility in women. Endometriosis
is defined as a painful, chronic disease where tissue that
should only be found inside the uterus is found somewhere
else inside the body. The areas that can be affected include
the bowels, intestines, appendix, ovaries, and the pelvic
wall.
The misplaced tissue reacts to menstruation just as it should:
it builds up, breaks down and sheds, but it cannot leave
the body and provokes internal bleeding, inflammation, pain,
infertility, and bowel problems depending on the area of
the body where it appeared. It can also create ovarian cysts,
called edometrioma that can interfere with ovulation.
To be able to properly diagnose endometriosis, it is necessary
for a woman to review her medical history and have a pelvic
exam. Next, a surgical procedure called laparoscopy can
complete the diagnosis and classify the woman in one of
the four stages that catalog the disease: 1 (minimal), 2
(mild), 3 (moderate) or 4 (extensive). This involves removing
and analyzing a portion of suspect tissue. After the diagnosis
is complete, the doctor will recommend treatment. Treatment
can include pain medication, surgery or hormone therapy.
Endometriosis is not always diagnosed right away since the
women or doctors may see it as normal during the menstrual
circle.
The cause of endometriosis is unknown, although researchers
do have some theories. More than 5.5 million women are affected
in the United States and Canada alone.
Chronic
Endometriosis provides detailed information on Chronic
Endometriosis, Endometriorsis And Infertility, Endometriosis,
Endometriosis And Cancer and more. Chronic Endometriosis
is affiliated with Male
Menopause.
To find
other free health content see e-healtharticles.com
I will
include more on this topic soon. (Amy, RN). I had endometriosis
for years and ignored the pain and bowel symptoms. I saw
my gynecologist regularly, but because I didn't talk about
the symptoms of endometriosis, I ended up losing my uterus
and ovaries when I was only 40. And l most likely lost 3
pregnancies because of it too.
I had
two surgeons who spent HOURS removing the tissue that they
estimate took about 18 years to build up. They said they
had never seen a case as bad as mine (and no one suspected
endometriosis).
Don't
ignore symptoms, always talk to your doctor if you have
a concern. Now the medical community knows a lot more about
this condition than they did even five years ago.
