Endimetriosis - Symptoms and Advice



Posted: Sunday, September 16, 2007

by Elizabeth Dean
Womens Health Forum

Even though you may not have heard of it, endimetriosis is a very common medical condition that affects around 89 million women around the world. I had certainly never been aware of it, that is until I was diagnosed with the condition. With endimetriosis, the tissue that lines the uterus (normally shed during the menstrual flow) begins to grow on the outside of the womb. As a result, the tissues still detach and bleed but isn't able to exit the body as it normally would. Internal bleeding, pain, inflammation and scar tissue can all be caused by endimetriosis. Sometimes, these can interfere with normal bowel and bladder function. Also, endimetriosis has been known to spread to other parts of the body, sometimes even to the lungs and the brain.

The biggest symptom of endimetriosis is severe and recurring pain. There are four different stages (numbered 1 through 4) of the condition, and the level of pain is not necessarily related to the stage of the condition. Endimetriosis has many other symptoms, including pain during sex, nausea, disabling menstrual cramps and heavy periods. It is most commonly diagnosed when couples have trouble conceiving a child, as in many other cases it would have gone unnoticed.

Indeed, subfertility and infertility are the two main reasons why endimetriosis gets diagnosed. Endimetriosis doesn't discriminate against age, race or socioeconomic status. Even if you've had children, you are no more or less likely to suffer from the condition over the course of your lifetime. In fact, current estimates show that between 5 and 20 percent of females worldwide have endimetriosis. Moreover, there is no cure and treating the condition is sometimes more painful that the endimetriosis itself. Additionally, while there are many people who have speculated as the what causes it, there is no definitive proof that one or the other is right. To be honest, the cause of endimetriosis largely remains a mystery.

For more information on Endimetriosis, visit the Womens Reproductive Health Forum at http://www.WomensHealthForum.org/ today. It's free to become a member so join today!
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)
» left by diane
from usa 1 year 331 days ago.
i was diagnosed with this disease. My husband is concerned for my health and his sex life, of course. Is a hysterectomy a possibility?  I wouldn't want to deal with that.

» left by Midwest
 1 year 331 days ago.
I was diagnosed with endometriosis at a very young age and told that if I didn't get pregnant within a certain period of time, I would never have any children. I was also put on the strongest dosage of a birth control pills as possible for 3 months, went through actual pregnancy symptoms and after going off the pills, actually went into symptoms of labor . . .it was horrific but the treatment did help tremendously with the pain. I never got pregnant, however, but symptoms ceased over a period of time.
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