Endometriosis is a chronic disease that has affected more than 170 million lives of women worldwide. About 10% of the figure is of women who are of reproductive age.
This disease causes unwanted inflammation and infiltration of anatomic structures leading to multiple symptoms including chronic pelvic pain, dyspareunia, dyschezia, dysuria, and dysmenorrhea.
It is triggered by the abnormal presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. The issues can cause lesions on the bladder, ovaries, intestines, and airways.
Not only does endometriosis physically impact a woman’s body but also has a psychological effect on the affected women leading to depression, anxiety, and compromising social relationships.
Endometriosis highly affects a woman’s social/personal life and relationships as well as causes infertility. It limits their sexual and reproductive health consequently changing their social and psychological dynamics.
The inability to bear a child or to maintain a pregnancy may have a larger impact on the lives of patients who yearn to have a child with their partner.
Endometriosis Symptoms
Common signs and symptoms of endometriosis include:
- Painful periods (dysmenorrhea)
- Pain with intercourse
- Pain with bowel movements or urination
- Excessive bleeding
- Infertility
- Other signs and symptoms: You may experience fatigue, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating or nausea, especially during menstrual periods
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Causes
- Retrograde menstruation
- Transformation of peritoneal cells
- Embryonic cell transformation
- Surgical scar implantation
- Endometrial cell transport
- Immune system disorder
Diagnosis
- Pelvic examination
- Ultrasound
- MRI
- Laparoscopy
Complications
- Infertility
- Periods at an early age
- Menopause at an older age
- Short menstruation cycles
- Low body mass index
- Reproductive tract disorders
- Other medical conditions caused by the passage of blood during periods
- Ovarian cancer does occur at higher than expected rates in those with endometriosis
Treatment
- Pain medication
- Hormone therapy
- Progestin therapy
- Aromatase inhibitors
- Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) agonists and antagonists
- Conservative surgery
- Fertility treatment
- Hysterectomy (ovary removal)
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