Endometriosis is a deliberating condition affecting the fallopian tubes, pelvic tissue, ovaries, and beyond these places. Specifically, this condition consists of tissues lining the uterine wall that grow outside the uterus. Like the uterine lining, this tissue thickens, breaks down, and bleeds every menstrual cycle. However, since the tissue grows outside the uterus, it has nowhere to go and builds up in the body.
Symptoms of Endometriosis
Endometriosis affecting the ovaries may develop cysts, which are known as endometriomas. These cysts irritate the surrounding tissue, leading to the creation of scar tissue. In addition to these cysts, adhesions or fibrous bands can also form due to endometriosis. Likewise, this condition is known for causing pelvic organs and tissues to stick together, resulting in aches and pain in the affected areas of one’s body.
Mainly, pelvic pain is one of the main symptoms and is often present during menstruation. Even though it’s common for cramps to happen during one’s period, endometriosis causes more painful cramps that worsen over time. These types of periods are called dysmenorrhea and may involve intense pelvic pain. Furthermore, dysmenorrhea may begin before the menstruation cycle and can last for days afterward. What’s more? Stomach and lower back pain tends to accompany these painful periods too.
While endometriosis causes physical pain, it can disrupt women’s lives in other ways. For instance, women with the condition may experience pain during or after sexual intercourse. Not only that but they may feel pain with urination and bowel movements, especially before or during menstruation. More than that, some may experience excessive bleeding either during menstruation or between cycles. In some cases, it may cause infertility as this condition is usually discovered during infertility testing.
Understanding Endometriosis
When it comes to the severity of endometriosis, the amount of tissue growth doesn’t necessarily cause the pain. In fact, it’s possible for someone to experience either extensive growth without any or little pain, or even minimal tissue growth with lots of pain. Others may not experience pain at all, which means their diagnosis came when undergoing surgery or facing fertility issues. However, misdiagnosis for endometriosis can happen as its symptoms are likely to mimic other conditions that impact people.
Comparatively, physical conditions like ovarian cysts or pelvic inflammatory disease can cause pelvic pain. As a result of these overlapping symptoms, healthcare professionals may mistake endometriosis for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). To make diagnosis even more complicated, both these health conditions are likely to cause issues such as constipation, stomach cramps, and diarrhea, making it harder to find the exact causes behind these physical conditions.
Causes of Endometriosis
Despite not having an exact cause, several potential causes of endometriosis that have been proposed. For starters, retrograde menstruation is one possible cause since the menstrual blood doesn’t leave the body, but flows back through the fallopian tubes and stays within the pelvic cavity instead. This blood has endometrial cells within it and comes from the uterus lining and attaches to the pelvic walls and organs. Resultingly, this behavior causes growth and intense bleeding with every menstrual cycle.
Another possible theory involves transformed peritoneal cells. Primarily, hormones or other immune factors may cause cells, called peritoneal cells, lining the abdomen to change into cells that are typically found lining the uterus. In comparison, changes in embryonic cells can play a big role in causing endometriosis. During puberty, for example, estrogen affects early-stage embryonic cells to transform into endometrial-like growths.
Endometrial cells can attach to surgical scars, especially those following a C-section, causing this condition to form in those affected areas. Moreover, it’s theorized that endometrial cell transports can lead to this painful condition. This cell transport happens when the tissue fluid system or blood vessels carry these endometrial cells to other areas of the body. Some individuals with immune system dysfunction may be at risk since their bodies can’t properly recognize or fight the abnormal tissue. Due to a lack of or having a weak immune response, these endometrial cells can develop outside the uterus.
Final Thoughts
To get diagnosed with endometriosis, a doctor may begin with a physical exam to catch symptoms. More than that, they may determine the affected areas and the severity and timing of pain. Specifically, a pelvic exam allows healthcare professionals to check for cysts, scar tissue, or nodules, particularly in the pelvic area.
An ultrasound is also useful in determining endometriosis by capturing images of the reproductive organs transvaginally or through the abdomen. While these images can detect cysts or endometriomas, they can’t confirm endometriosis. Besides ultrasounds, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan can be beneficial as well as they may provide more detailed images and help with surgical planning. Following this test, surgeons gain vital information about the location and size of endometriosis growths.
Last, but not least, it’s recommended that laparoscopy be used in more complex cases as it can search for endometriosis tissue through the abdomen directly. A surgeon who does a laparoscopy procedure checks for endometriosis while the patient is under anesthesia by inserting a laparoscope into a small incision around the navel. Not only can surgeons determine if someone has endometriosis, but they can provide treatments during the procedure. Ultimately, this method is preferred among healthcare professionals when diagnosing and treating endometriosis.
Disclaimer: This article is intended simply to provide information. It does not replace the medical advice of a physician or other medical professional. Please speak with your doctor or therapist if you have any questions or concerns.
