Endometriosis is a hormonal and immune system disease that affects about 1 in 8 women and girls regardless of their ethnic and social background. Many remain undiagnosed and are therefore left untreated.

What is endometriosis?

Every month, your ovaries produce hormones that tell the cells lining the uterus (womb) to swell and get thicker. The body removes these extra cells from the womb lining (endometrium) when you get your period (menstruate).

Endometriosis occurs when these cells (called endometrial cells) implant and grow outside the uterus. Women with endometriosis typically have growths (tissue implants) on the ovaries, bowel, rectum, bladder and on the lining of the pelvic area but they can also occur in other areas of the body.

Unlike the endometrial cells in the uterus that are removed during menstruation, the tissue implants outside the uterus stay put and grow again when you get your next period. This ongoing process leads to pain and other symptoms of endometriosis.

Cause

The cause of endometriosis is unknown. One theory is that the endometrial cells that are shed when you menstruate travel backwards through the fallopian tubes into the pelvis, where they implant and grow (retrograde menstruation). This backward menstrual flow occurs in many women, but scientists think the immune system may be different in women with endometriosis.

Who are vulnerable?

Endometriosis is typically diagnosed between 25 and 35 years of age although the condition probably starts when a woman’s menstruation becomes regular.

You are more likely to develop endometriosis if your mother or sister has the condition and if you:

    • Started your period at a young age
    • Have never had children
    • Have frequent periods or they last for seven days or longer
    • Have a closed hymen. This may block the flow of menstrual blood during menstruation.

Symptoms

    • Pelvic pain
    • Painful intercourse
    • Back pain
    • Abdominal bloating
    • Diarrhoea or constipation especially with menstruation
    • Heavy or irregular bleeding
    • Infertility. Studies show that between 30 and 40% of women with endometriosis battle to conceive. However, if the disease is diagnosed and treated early on, the damage is less severe and you may still be able to have children.

Treatment

Endometriosis can be treated with medications and/or surgery. The goals of endometriosis treatment may include pain relief and/or enhancement of fertility.

 

Sources
http://endometriosis.org/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Revised by M Collins