When endometrial tissue that usually grows inside the uterus, starts growing outside uterus, it is called Endometriosis. Pain during or before periods, pain during intercourse, pain while urinating or bowel movements, heavy bleeding, infertility are some of the symptoms of endometriosis.

Treatment of endometriosis usually depends on the following factors:

Age of female
Severity of symptoms
Duration of the symptoms
Future plans for children/ fertility
Associated pathologies
Accordingly the doctor might choose any of the treatment options like:

Medication for Pain: If the symptoms are mild, then the doctor will prescribe some pain  relieving medications like Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. Diclofenac) or anti-spasmodics(e.g.drotaverine)
Hormone Therapy: Hormone therapy is effective, but once you stop them, your symptoms may recur. Some of the hormone therapies include: 
Hormonal Contraceptive pills: Useful in controlling the hormones that are responsible for endometrial tissue growing outside the uterine cavity.
Medroxyprogesterone: This helps to counter effect estrogen hormone which is responsible for endometrial tissue growth.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists: Gonadotropin hormones that stimulate ovaries are blocked by these. They bring down oestrogen levels and hence symptoms. It can cause absence of menstruation in some females which is reversible.
Danazol: It is synthetic androgen, suppresses growth of endometrial tissue temporarily.  However, Danazol may not be a favourable option because of its side effects. Females should avoid pregnancy while on this drug.
Dienogest: This newer progesterone molecule, which does not have major side effects and is apporved for use in endometriosis.
Other medications like selective progesterone receptor modulators, immunomodulators, anti angiogenic factors are being evaluated.
Conservative surgery: If you are trying to conceive, then surgical excision or ablation of endometrial tissue is one treatment option.Suboptimal surgery with conservation of maximum ovarian tissue is considered suitable in such cases.
Hysterectomy: In severe endometriosis cases where female has completed her family, hysterectomy is offered wherein the uterus, cervix & if required ovaries can be removed.

Endometriosis - Ways To Manage It Well!

An often painful condition usually involving the bowel, ovaries or the tissue lining the pelvis, endometriosis is characterized by the abnormal growth of the endometrial tissue beyond the premises of your uterus or your pelvic region. The endometrium, in fact, functions perfectly normal with each menstrual cycle, but because of it being displaced, it cannot exit the body and consequently gets trapped.

Besides causing severe pain and distress, endometriosis can also adversely affect fertility. When the ovaries get involved, certain cysts known as endometriomas tend to develop which often result in the formation of scar tissues and adhesions.

Complications associated with it

Infertility: Impaired fertility is the most common kind of complication arising from endometriosis, with approximately one-third to one-half women having problems with pregnancy. During endometriosis, the fallopian tube gets obstructed, thereby restricting the union of the egg and sperm.
Ovarian cancer: Women with endometriosis are more likely to suffer from ovarian cancer. Moreover, they are also more susceptible to acquiring endometriosis related adenocarcinoma, which is another variant of cancer, but a comparatively rarer phenomenon.
How best to treat it?

Depending upon how severe your symptoms are, endometriosis can be treated via the use of medications or through the advent of surgery.

Pain medications: Certain medications, including pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, are particularly useful in providing relief to painful menstrual cramps.
Hormone therapy: Undergoing hormonal therapy can help ward off or reduce the pain of endometriosis, but it should be kept in mind that it is only a temporary fix and that symptoms might reoccur. Hormonal therapies include:
Hormonal contraceptives
Medroxyprogesterone
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) agonists and antagonists
Danazol
Conservative surgery: This can either be done through laparoscopy or, in more extensive cases, through traditional abdominal surgery.
Assisted reproductive techniques: These include in-vitro fertilization, and are sometimes more preferable over conservative surgery.
Hysterectomy: This is usually done in more severe cases of endometriosis whereby ovaries are also removed with uterus and cervix

Complications and Treatment of Endometriosis

The woman s reproductive system is an extremely complex one. The uterus which is the main organ with its appendages helps in conception, pregnancy, and childbirth by undergoing marvellous changes. The uterus measures just about 7.5 x 4.5 in a normal woman and expands to accommodate a full-term baby within her during gestation.

The uterus is lined with smooth muscles, and due to unknown reasons, this lining material could be found in other parts of the pelvic organs. This condition is known as endometriosis and is one of the main causes of pelvic pain. Most women suffer through it, and it mostly gets diagnosed when some other issue is being investigated. 

For women with endometriosis, there are mainly two issues to deal with i.e. pain and depression.

Pain: While the pain per se is one issue, the way it affects daily normal life is another thing to be considered. For the pain to minimally affect routine life, the following are effective ways.

Exercise: Anything that you prefer like swimming, jogging, dancing, aerobics, cycling. This will help in stress management and pain relief.
Rest: Get adequate rest of 8 to 9 hours per night. On severely painful days, go ahead and sleep for a couple of hours extra.
Stress management: Whether through yoga or meditation or music, learn to manage stress better. Nobody is without stress but managing it is the key.
Eat healthy and fresh: Whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, increased fibres are definitely useful. Reduce whites including sugar, salt, and dairy products if possible.
Social life: Stay connected with people whose company you enjoy   be it family or friends, or even counsellor if required.
Speak up: Let your close circle of friends at work know your problem, so they can help when you need it the most.
Depression and mood swings can be managed in the following ways.

Do what makes you happy: There are some activities which will definitely make you feel better. A quiet walk to get some fresh air. Watching a dance video. Listening to your favourite soundtrack. Changing body language to one without stopped shoulders and frowning foreheads can make a big difference.
Focus on the good: Writing down or thinking about what went well for the day can cheer you up and overcome the blues that is so common in women with endometriosis.
Positive thinking: Instead of saying, I can not try saying I will try. It makes a BIG difference, and you will be amazed at the results.
Keep happy company near you: Surround yourself with happy, positive people and see your happiness quotient go up!!!
Endometriosis is definitely an enigma that is not well known, understood, or identified. However, the above are definitely useful way to cope with it.

Pain & Depression Due To Endometriosis - How To Deal With It? 

The abnormal growth of the endometrium tissue outside the uterus is known as endometriosis. Ideally, the abnormal tissue is supposed to break down and exit the body. However, in this condition, the tissue is unable to pass out of the body. As a result, the surrounding tissue tends to get irritated and leads to the formation of scar tissues.

The various causes of endometriosis include:

Immune system disorder: Complications in the immune system might render it incapable of destroying the endometrial tissue that grows outside the uterus.
Surgical scar implantation: Certain surgeries such as a C-section may result in the attachment of endometrial cells to the incision area.
Embryonic cell transport: These cells may be transported to other parts of the body by the blood vessels which may lead to endometriosis.
Retrograde menstruation: Instead of passing out of the body, under this condition, the blood flows back into the pelvic region via the fallopian tubes. When these cells attach themselves to the pelvic cavity, it causes endometriosis.
Symptoms
1. Pain during sexual intercourse
2. Pain during periods including pelvic pain, especially during periods, lower back pain and abdominal pain.
3. Excessive bleeding during periods
4. Fatigue
5. Constipation
6. Bloating

The major complication that results is fertility problems. Endometriosis may prevent the combination of the egg and the sperm and thus, impairs your ability to conceive. It is recommended not to delay pregnancy if you have endometriosis. This disorder also tends to increase the risk of ovarian cancer in some women.

How can it be treated?

Endometriosis is usually done using surgery or medications. 

Medication: It usually involves painkillers.
Hormone therapy: Some of the hormonal therapies include:
Hormonal contraceptives
Progestin therapy
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) agonists and antagonists
Conservative surgery: If a patient wants to become pregnant, surgery is done as much as possible without harming the uterus and ovaries. Suggested procedures include laparoscopy and traditional abdominal surgery.
Assisted reproductive technologies: An example of this form of treatment is In Vitro Fertilization.
Hysterectomy: Under severe circumstances, total hysterectomy is conducted in order to facilitate the removal of cervix and uterus. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a gynaecologist and ask a free question.

Endometriosis - 4 Reasons Behind it!

Endometriosis is a condition in which the endometrial cells lining the inside wall of the uterus begin to grow outside the uterus. In a majority of the cases, the growth is on the ovaries, the Fallopian tubes, or the tissues around the uterus. In rare cases, it occurs in other body parts. Normally, women in the age group of 30 to 40 years are prone to developing this condition and genetics is believed to be the reason behind this disorder. It is a serious medical condition if it causes discomfort to the woman.

Signs and Symptoms:  The signs and symptoms of endometriosis include chronic pelvic pain, pain during menstruation, urination, and intercourse, longer periods, bleeding between menstrual cycle, bloody urine or stool, and urinary and bowel problems.

Treatment methods:  In many cases, endometriosis goes undiagnosed and it can only be diagnosed through biopsy. If the biopsy confirms endometriosis, then it can be treated in the following ways:

Hormonal treatment: Hormonal treatment includes birth control pills, placement of the intrauterine device, Gonadotropin-releasing hormone, and Danazol or Medroxyprogesterone (Depo-Provera).
Pain medication: Pain killers with anti-inflammatory properties are prescribed to those who suffer from painful menstruation.
Surgery: This is the last treatment option and only advised to those who did not find relief from medicines and hormonal treatment. Surgeons try to remove the areas affected by endometriosis but in severe cases, the ovaries might need to be removed completely.
Complications: It is important to treat endometriosis on time as delay can lead to complications. The complications arising out of endometriosis include the following:

Infertility: The scarring and distortions caused in the reproductive organs due to endometriosis and the endometriotic cysts can make a woman infertile.
Scarring: The bleeding and the inflammation caused by endometriosis leads to scarring of the tissues of ovaries.
Ovarian cysts: Sometimes, the abnormal growth of endometrial cells outside the uterus spreads to the ovaries and starts growing over there, leading to cysts.
Prevention: As it been mentioned before, in many cases, endometriosis goes undiagnosed but it can be prevented or its symptoms managed effectively if one is cautious. One should do the following:

Exercise regularly: Exercise increases immunity and also reduces the level of estrogens, which slows down the progression of endometriosis. It also provides relief from pain.
Eat nutritious diet: A diet rich in vitamin and minerals ensures good health of the reproductive organs and a fine immune system. This helps to fight the symptom of endometriosis and keeps the disorder in check.
Endometriosis is known to affect a large number of women and since the early symptoms are mild or confusing, most of the time they go undetected. Nevertheless, a woman can avoid it and the complications arising out of it by being mindful of the symptoms. They should also undergo a regular pelvic exam and follow the instructions of their gynecologist. This would ensure timely detection of the disorder and if this is ensured, the management also becomes easy.

Suffering From Endometriosis - What Are Its Treatment Options?

There can be a number of reasons that lead to infertility in women. Endometriosis is one of them. It is a benign condition where the endometrium, which includes the tissues that form the lining inside the uterus, grows outside the uterus. Apart from infertility, it may also cause pelvic pain in women.

There are no such symptoms of endometriosis apart from pelvic pain and it cannot be detected without surgery. Thus, it is very difficult to diagnose this disease and state how common it is. However, research says that the prevalence of this disease in women in their reproductive age is between 3 to 10 per cent.
It is found that endometriosis sometimes leads to infertility. Here is how:

Abdominal Adhesions and Infertility
Normally, the endometriosis implants develop in the abdomen. Then the body surrounds them with connective tissues. The reason for doing so is isolating the implants, so that they cannot harm your body.
Now, sometimes these adhesions can create a blockage in the opening of the fallopian tube or may also pinch off the fallopian tube. This will result in obstruction in the fertilisation of egg and the sperm and thus fertilization will not take place; so there are no chances of conceiving. These obstructions when diagnosed can be treated with surgery.

Secretions from implants
Endometrium plays a vital role in conception where the tissues secrete a wide variety of hormones and nutrients. Now, the endometrial implant also functions in the same way and secretes those hormones. The difference is that it does not deposit them in the lumen of the womb, and it is released in the abdominal cavity. In these substances, there may be some hormones that are responsible for infertility.

Prostaglandins
Prostaglandins are other hormones that are secreted by the endometrium normally. It helps in a lot of body processes that include various stages of menstrual cycle and pregnancy. This hormone is required for a lot of functions such as ovulation, sperm mobility, and regression of corpus luteum, immune interaction, menstrual cramps and contraction of the uterus at birth.

Just like the endometrium, the implants also secrete these hormones. And, the problem that is caused by the implant secreted prostaglandin hormone is that they are released in the abdomen and not in the womb. Moreover, they are not secreted at the right time, thus sending a wrong message to the brain.

A woman with a few days of pregnancy may face a miscarriage because the ovary will get a signal to start the menstrual cycle, and the womb lining where the egg is implanted will be expelled.

How Endometriosis Leads to Infertility and Miscarriages?

Don't wait any longer, manage your Endometriosis online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Endometriosis - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES