Top 8 Things to Know About Endometriosis

March represents National Endometriosis Awareness Month. This health holiday serves as an important way to publicize a medical condition that affects about 200 million women worldwide.

Read on to learn more about this serious health condition that can take a significant toll on a woman’s quality of life.

What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue that is similar to the endometrial tissue lining uterus grows outside of the uterus. This bizarre tissue overgrowth can occur locally, for example, on the sides of the uterus, the fallopian tubes, the ovaries, the bladder, the rectum, or the bowel. More rarely, this uterine-esque tissue can wind up in disparate locations in the body, such as the diaphragm or lungs.

Because these endometrial tissue implants are similar to uterine tissue, they respond similarly to the body’s cyclic ebb and flow of estrogen. This means that the tissue overgrowths can swell and bleed during a woman’s monthly cycle of hormones, causing varying degrees of pain, inflammation, and scarring.

What Causes Endometriosis?

The cause of endometriosis is unknown. One theory, called “retrograde menstruation,” posits that during menstruation, some tissue from the uterus flows backward up the fallopian tubes and into the pelvis, and then starts growing wherever it happens to land.

Scientists think that genetics may also play a role in the development of endometriosis, as women who have family members with endometriosis are more likely to have the condition. Other risk factors for endometriosis include the following:

• Nulliparity (the state of never having had a child)
• Long menstrual periods (greater than seven days)
• Short menstrual cycles (fewer than 27 days)
• A mechanical blockage that prevents the normal flow of menstrual blood from your body during your period

Who Gets Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is most likely to affect women who are in their 30s and 40s. It is thought to affect one in every 10 women of childbearing age.

The Symptoms of Endometriosis Vary

Some women with endometriosis have no symptoms at all. They are very likely unaware that they have the condition until they start trying, unsuccessfully, to conceive.

Other women with endometriosis will suffer from chronic pelvic pain that worsens around the time of monthly menstruation. Depending on where their endometrial tissue implants reside, women may also experience painful sexual intercourse, painful bowel movements, painful urination, or they may even cough up blood.

Endometriosis Is Diagnosed Through Visualization

There is no blood test or imaging study that can diagnose endometriosis. Your health care provider may become suspicious that you have the condition if you describe certain symptoms and have specific features on your physical exam. However, the only way to definitively diagnose the condition is by directly visualizing the implanted tissue via a procedure called a laparoscopy.

During this procedure, your health care provider will make a few small openings in your abdomen, fill the abdomen with air using an instrument, and then take a small camera to look around your organs for implanted tissue. He or she may take a tissue sample and perform a biopsy to confirm that the tissue in question is, in fact, an endometrial implant.

Endometriosis Is The Number One Cause of Infertility In Women

Unfortunately, the scarring caused by endometriosis can wreak havoc on the reproductive system. Scars on the organs of the pelvis form adhesions, causing structures to stick to each other. This can create blockages or kinks in the reproductive organs, interfering with the conception process. In fact, up to 40 percent of women with infertility have underlying endometriosis.

This Is The Treatment For Endometriosis

Because the problematic tissue at the root of endometriosis is similar to uterine tissue, therapies are similar to those used for menstrual cramping or heavy menstrual bleeding. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help a great deal with endometrial pain, and they can even help curb the bleeding. Hormonal medications, such as birth control pills, can also help reduce the amount of monthly inflammation and bleeding.

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For conditions that are not responsive to medications, surgery for removal of the implants is an option. However, it is difficult to remove the tissue entirely, and it is estimated that up to 80 percent of women will have their endometriosis pain return within two years of surgery. As a last resort, many women will have their uterus and fallopian tubes surgically removed.

You Can Fight Endometriosis

If you or a loved one is struggling with signs or symptoms of endometriosis, make sure to follow up with your health care provider for an evaluation. You can learn more about this condition by checking out the endometriosis awareness events going on this month.