What Is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a disease that affects women, usually between the age of 25 and 40. This disorder is one of the main causes of infertility among women.
It never appears before puberty and always ends at the time of menopause, due to a lack of ovarian hormones. The incidence of endometriosis is higher in infertile women, between 25-40 %, while in the general population endometriosis has an incidence of 3 – 10 %.
Internal Endometriosis – When the uterine tissue grows inside of the myometrium it is called Adenomyosis or Internal Endometriosis.
External Endometriosis – When the uterine tissue grows outside of the uterus it is called External Endometriosis. The uterine tissue can be found almost in every part and organ of the body, but it is more common in the ovaries, peritoneum, rectum, intestine, vagina, vulva, bladder, liver, etc.
Until today the real cause of pelvic endometriosis is not known. However, there are several theories that try to explain it. The most acceptable theories include:
- Metaplasic theory
- Implantation theory
- Metastatic theory
- Surgical scar implantation
- Immune system disorder
Risk Factors For Endometriosis
Several factors related to the female reproductive system have been frequently associated with risks for this disorder. Hormonal variations have a considerable impact on the pelvic disease development. Early menarche, high body mass index and short menstrual cycle length may also be considered risk factors. Other endometriosis risk factors include:
- Never giving birth
- Uterine abnormalities
- A history of pelvic infections
- A family history of endometriosis(mother, sister, aunt, etc)
Signs and Symptoms of Endometriosis
The first step to healing is distinguishing between various
endometriosis symptoms. Since symptoms may differ from patient to patient, it’s important to know all the signs and risk factors. Our obgyn endometriosis specialists can pinpoint symptoms suggestive of this disorder, including:
- Pelvic pain – severe pain during menstruation, pain in the lower part of the abdomen
- Dyspareunia – pain during sexual intercourse
- Menorrhagia – occasional heavy periods
- Menometrorrhagia – bleeding between periods
- Abdominal pain
- Rectal pain
- Bleeding from anus
However, signs and symptoms depend from the affected part of the body. If, for example the endometrial tissue grows in the nose, the affected woman will have nose bleeding every time she has the menstrual cycle. If the endometrial tissue develops in the bladder, supra pubic pain, blood in the urine and an urge to urinate will be present.