Cancer that originates in the uterus is termed as Endometrial Cancers. The cancer is known to originate in the endometrium i.e. lining as well as the cells of the uterus. Abnormal vaginal bleeding causes the cancer to be detected early and a consultation with the doctor should be done immediately. When other cancers originating from the uterus are considered, endometrial cancer is found to be the most common.

Causes
The exact cause for endometrial cancer is not known clearly. The cells in the endometrium tend to become abnormal due to the occurrence of a genetic mutation, which causes rapid multiplication of cells that ultimately lead to the formation of a tumour like mass. They begin to spread to other parts and proceed to affect the tissues in the surrounding areas.

Symptoms
The typical symptoms of endometrial cancer include:
1. Irregular bleeding in between periods
2. A watery discharge from the vagina
3. Bleeding from the vagina postmenopausal
4. Pain in the pelvic floor muscles

Risk factors that might increase the chances of being affected by endometrial cancer include:
1. Aging increases the chances of this disease, especially post menopause.
2. Obesity can cause hormonal imbalance.
3. Certain drugs used in hormone therapy
4. Early onset of menstruation, especially before 12 years of age

Treatment for Endometrial Cancer Includes:
1. Radiation therapy: This treatment procedure involves using radiations, such as X-rays to target and destroy the cancer cells. The two forms of radiation therapy are external radiation therapy (external machine is used to direct radiation on the cancer cells) and internal radiation therapy (radioactive substance enclosed within small and consumable items is placed near to or directly at the spot of cancer).

2. Hormone therapy: Medications are administered to eliminate imbalances in hormone levels and prohibit the growth of cancer cells in the body. This remedy is preferred if the cancer progresses to an advanced stage.

3. Chemotherapy: This form of treatment uses oral administration or injection of chemicals into the veins so that the growth of cancerous cells is curbed, either by elimination of the cells or by prohibiting cell division.

4. Surgery: In this surgery, the areas affected by cancer are surgically removed; i.e. the uterus in this case. The surgical procedures that might be used include total hysterectomy (total removal of uterus), radical hysterectomy (removal of the cervix, uterus and part of the vagina) and Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of both the ovaries and the fallopian tubes)

All About Endometrial Cancer

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 tissue that lines the uterus is known as the endometrium. In some cases, it can grow outside the uterus. This is known as endometriosis. Endometriosis usually involves organs in the pelvic cavity such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bowel and lining of the pelvic cavity. In rare cases, it may involve the vagina, cervix and bladder as well.

Depending on the location and extent of endometrial tissue, it can be classified into four stages ranging from minimal to severe. Most cases of endometriosis fall into the minimal or mild category which involves mild scarring and superficial tissue implants. Moderate or severe endometriosis can cause cysts and severe scarring. Infertility is also commonly associated with severe endometriosis.

Pain in the pelvic area just before and during menstruation is one of the most characteristic symptoms of this disorder. This is because the overgrown endometrial tissue acts like normal endometrial tissue and is shed during menstruation. The only difference is that since there is no exit for this overgrown tissue, it is trapped in the pelvic cavity. The location of the implantation of endometrial tissue also plays a role in the amount of pain experienced. The deeper the implant, more the pain. Implants near areas with high nerve density are also more likely to be painful than implants in areas with low nerve density.  These implants may also release substances into the blood stream that can cause pain.

Other symptoms associated with this disorder are:
  Painful intercourse
  Painful urination
  Pain during bowel movements
  Infertility

These symptoms especially the pelvic pain can vary from month to month in terms of duration and intensity.

A few simple changes in your diet can help manage the symptoms associated with this disorder and in some cases, prevent it as well. Avoid processed food and foods that are high in sodium content. You should also avoid high-fat dairy and food that is rich in arachidonic acid. Instead, increase your consumption of carbs and green leafy vegetables. You could also add two tablespoons of walnut oil a day to your diet to help combat inflammation and the other effects of arachidonic acid.

Early stages of this disease can be treated with hormone therapy, but if it has progressed to the later stages, surgery may be needed. This surgery is performed laparoscopically and aims at removing all the implanted tissue from outside the uterus. However, in cases where the anatomy of the pelvic organs has been distorted by the implants, a hysterectomy may be required. This option, however, it usually considered only in cases where a woman does not have any plans of conceiving more children. 

Endometriosis - How It Is Affecting Your Life?

A woman s body goes through a number of changes during her lifetime and therefore, it is always better to undergo regular health check-ups at proper intervals to ensure that all organs of her body function well.

Endometriosis is something, which every woman is likely to have heard about. However, not many women are aware of what it exactly is. Even fewer know about what they should look out for when it comes to having endometriosis or understanding what it means to be suffering from it. Is it not a lot better to be informed about all of this?


The condition of endometriosis is when the tissue that is supposed to be inside the uterus also known as the womb and lining starts existing outside it. What effectively happens is that the lining of the uterus, known as the endometrium, finds itself to be trapped in the pelvic area.


Some amount of discomfort is usually experienced by women who are menstruating. However, when a woman has endometriosis, the amount of pain is pretty persistent, sometimes extending to a month-long duration. Some women also suffer from excess bleeding.


Unfortunately the symptoms are not only limited to this. Women who are adversely affected by endometriosis usually find having sex painful as well, ironic as it is supposed to provide pleasure.

Also fertility is the primary function affected by it. There are so many complications in this regard. It is said that about 50 percent of women who have endometriosis have trouble getting pregnant and carrying a baby. Effectively, as sad as it is, endometriosis has the potential to take away the entire prospect of motherhood from a woman.


In addition to this, a fair number of cases, show that the symptoms, which are experienced worsen over the course of time. So, what this means is that the lifestyle of the woman may be severely affected as the symptoms get progressively worse; which is just one of the reasons why treatment is something, which should be resorted to sooner than later.


One of the lifestyle changes which may be beneficial in reducing the severity of endometriosis includes a change in your diet. Increased intake of green vegetables and fresh fruits along with a reduced consumption of red meat is definitely worth a try. Regular exercising is also helpful in treating the condition.


Endometriosis - What are the Symptoms and Consequences of it?

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?

Endometriosis is a condition where the endometrial tissue lining the womb, grows outside the urethral lining. This can cause severe pelvic pain and a host of other complications, if it is not treated on time. 

Here is everything you need to know about this ailment.


- symptoms: owing to the location of this tissue and its painful protrusion through the lining or walls of the womb, one of the earliest and most painful symptoms experienced may include severe cramps and pain during the menstrual cycle. Also, the patient will experience pain in the lower abdomen region about a week before the onset of the cycle. Heavy bleeding as well as infertility may be experienced in such cases too. Sexual intercourse will also give rise to pain in the region, while discomfort will be felt during the bowel movements. Pain in the lower back will also be experienced throughout the menstruation period. 


- stages: there are several stages of this disease and its progression, each of which will require a different form of treatment. These four stages usually depend on the location, size, depth and number of the endometrial implants within the body of the patient.


- minimal stages: in this stage, usually there will be small wounds and lesions as well as shallow implants on the ovaries. Inflammation in the pelvic cavity can also be felt in this stage.


- mild stage: in this stage, there will also be light lesions and shallow implants which will spread over the ovaries as well as the pelvic lining.


- moderate stage: in this stage, the implants will dig deeper into the ovaries and the pelvic lining, which will result in the growth of even more lesions.


- severe stage: as the name suggests, in this stage the patient will experience deep implants along with lesions in the bowels and the fallopian tubes.


- treatment: there are varied forms of this treatment including pain relief medication for minimal to mild stage patients. Also, hormonal therapy with the help of supplements may be prescribed. Hormonal contraceptives may also be used. In such cases, medication like danazol, medroxyprogesterone, 

Gonadotripin releasing hormone agonists, and other such elements may be prescribed. Conservative surgery and radical surgery may follow, depending on the severity of the condition. Laparoscopy is the preferred form of treatment in such cases. A hysterectomy can be conducted as a final resort where the surgeon will remove the cervix as well as the uterus of the patient. This will make pregnancy impossible for the patient, thereafter. To stem estrogen production, the ovaries will also be removed. 


One must discuss all risks and complications before going in for a certain form of treatment for this ailment.

Symptoms, Stages and Treatment of Endometriosis

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