Dr. Kamara

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:

1. Immune system disorder: Complications in the immune system might render it incapable of destroying the endometrial tissue that grows outside the uterus.
2. Surgical scar implantation: Certain surgeries such as a C-section may result in the attachment of endometrial cells to the incision area.
3. Embryonic cell transport: These cells may be transported to other parts of the body by the blood vessels which may lead to endometriosis.
4. 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. 

1. Medication: It usually involves painkillers.
2. Hormone therapy: Some of the hormonal therapies include:
   1. Hormonal contraceptives
   2. Progestin therapy
   3. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) agonists and antagonists
3. 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.
4. Assisted reproductive technologies: An example of this form of treatment is In Vitro Fertilization.
5. 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.

A healthy lifestyle is vital for experiencing sexual arousal, which requires your overall health and cardiovascular system to be in their best form. Simple lifestyle changes can easily lead to a better sex life. Not only do these changes lead to a better sex life, but also contribute towards the performance and stamina exhibited in bed.

Here are some points on to improve sex life by choosing these simple lifestyle changes:

1. No stress: Stress is unavoidable, but one can make a conscious effort to relieve themselves of the same. If a person is stress it becomes hard to focus on sex and in turn affects the blood flow. Reading a book, taking a break, rest, and a massage are just few ways by which one can get rid of stress.
2. Regular exercises: Doing exercises regularly tends to pump up the heart, which in turn enhance the blood flow in and around the genitals. Exercising also provides stamina and energy. The most important benefit of exercising is that it enhances the body image thereby leading to a confident person.
3. Quitting smoking: Smoking causes the development of a condition known as vasoconstriction (which is a contraction of the blood vessels that brings about a decrease in blood flow), not to mention damage to the veins and arteries. The small veins in the penis are typically more prone to this kind of damage. The only way you can prevent this kind of damage from happening is by kicking this habit. As a consequence, you experience an increase in your sex drive as well as an improvement in your sex life.
4. Limiting your drinks: Drinking in moderate amounts can help in protecting you from heart disease and certain cancers. But if you have too much of alcohol, it can act as a depressant and lead to anxiety problems as well as a host of sexual problems including delayed ejaculation, erections, and vaginal dryness. Ideally, you should have one drink a day if you're a woman and two in the case of men.

A hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus and is often accompanied by the removal of ovaries. In such cases, women are said to experience surgical menopause. This is because the ovaries are the main producers of estrogen. Surgical menopause is usually more severe than natural menopause as there is a sudden drop in estrogen levels. Estrogen is responsible for a number of functions that affect the brain, bones, skin, heart and blood vessels. 

Hormone therapy is often advised to counteract this loss of estrogen. There are two main types of hormone therapy.

1. Hormone therapy with estrogen and progestin.
2. Hormone therapy with only estrogen.
The former is advisable foe women suffering from surgical menopause. Like any other form of treatment, it has its pros and cons. 

Pros
1. It protects young women from diseases associated with menopause. 
A hysterectomy is usually performed on women under the age of 50. In such cases, hormone replacement therapy can protect the women from heart diseases. Removing ovaries before menopause can also increase the risk of Parkinson's disease and dementia. Hormone replacement therapy can help negate these risks. 
2. Reverse menopausal symptoms. 
Menopause is associated with a number of symptoms such as vaginal dryness, hot flashes and insomnia. Hormone replacement therapy can help treat these symptoms and give you a better quality of life. 
3. Other health benefits. 
Hormone replacement therapy can also help fight osteoporosis and strengthen bones. It is also known to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. 

Cons
1. Hormone replacement therapy interferes with the natural hormone production. Thus it can cause a number of problems such as premenstrual syndrome, swollen breasts, headaches and nausea.
2. Increased risk of health issues. Though the odds are low, hormone replacement therapy can increase your risk of having a stroke or heart attack. It has also been suggestively linked to breast cancer and ovarian cancer. 

Thus, the choice of whether to have or not to have hormone replacement therapy after surgical menopause is not easy to make. You must consider factors such as your age, lifestyle, family medical history and habits while making this decision. Do not rush into a decision and take your time. Talk to your doctor about the amount of medication needed and the delivery method most suited to you.  HRT can be taken in the form of pills, a patch, gel, vaginal cream or a slow releasing suppository. This should also be accompanied by a healthy lifestyle that includes a healthy diet and plenty of exercise. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Gynaecologist.

Are you suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome and are looking for an ideal remedy? Polycystic ovarian disease or PCOD is a common female health condition. It is a complex disorder and involves several factors which include insulin resistance, obesity, irregular menstrual bleeding, insufficient ovum production, and abnormal menstrual cycles. PCOD commonly occurs during the reproductive age of a woman and accounts for being a major cause of infertility.

According to Ayurvedic principles, PCOD occurs primarily due to the imbalance state of your doshas. The dosha vaishanmya is linked to the symptoms of PCOD, and the relationship between the doshas and lakshans is permanent.

Treatment
PCOD is associated with stri beeja and rajah formation, along with medhodhantu to some extent. These should be attended to while the condition is being treated. The Ayurvedic treatment of PCOD aims at providing ideal care by correction of the ama dosha. By this, you achieve koshta shuddi, which in turn regularizes your tridoshas. The way or approach towards Ayurvedic treatment for PCOD includes the following:

1. Treatment of agnimandya at both dhatwagni and jataragni levels.
2. The alleviation of sroto avarodha is an essential part of PCOD treatment using Ayurveda. You should undertake purificatory therapies which are based on the grade of your doshic vitialation, and the exact area of affliction. These should be followed by rasayana drugs, which are free radical scavenging agents.
3. The regularization of the apana Vata is essential as well. You must firmly avoid vihara and kaphkara ahara.
4. Yoga and meditation are very important for the Ayurvedic treatment of PCOD. You should perform yoga asanas regularly. Some of the ideal postures for PCOD management include sarvangasana, matyasana, and shavasana.
5. It is also very important for you to work out regularly, undertake different physical exercises. This will make your overall life much healthier.
6. You must follow a healthy, balanced diet regularly, which should consist of fresh vegetables and fruits.

Ayurvedic herbs for the treatment of PCOD

1. The varuna crataeva nurvala is an effective herb which helps in the clearance of channels, which reduces your cyst’s size.
2. You can try hareetaki because of its amazing laxative effects, which reduce the morbidity of your body.
3. Bilva or aegle marmelos heps in reducing the size of your growth, via its digestive effect.
4. Strotasshuddhi is required and herbs likes Punarnava, kaphhar medicines are advised.
5. Phytooestrogen sources and female tonic Shatavari is very much advised.
6. Agnimantha, similar to lions. Lake er dhareyjata
7. Guduchi is another effective remedy for PCOD and has a rejuvenating effect.
8. Kanchnar is the drug of choice for Thyroid as per AYURVEDA, Strotasshuddhi is done by using Trikatu, Punarnava and other medicines. Rasayan like Shatavari are advised for enhancing female hormones.

If you are experiencing any symptom of PCOD, it is recommended for you to consult an Ayurvedic practitioner. This ensures that proper diagnosis is undertaken so that you can start treating the condition as early as possible.

Alcohol can it affect your intimacy level with your partner, yes! But with this you might be wondering how can that be possible when you actually sustain yourself for long, maybe longer than you should be. It is probably the “whiskey penis”. Alcohol may give you a sense of elation at one point of time, but it is essentially a nervous depressant. The over consumption of alcohol mainly has a reduced effect on sensitivity for both men and women.

How alcohol affects sex life in men: The effect of alcohol on the sex life of men is immense. In most cases, chronic and acute cases of alcohol consumption have shown to reduce the production of testosterone in men. Since testosterone is the hormone that results in the increase in libido in men, the effects of alcohol really reduce the performance in men. It has shown to reduce pleasurability and it can also reduce the intensity of orgasms. Sometimes, it can cause difficulty in ejaculation or delayed ejaculation.

How alcohol affects sex life in women: Alcohol can have a very mixed effect on women in general. While it can increase sexual arousal and desire, it can also result in low sensitivity. Women have a higher percentage of fat as compared to water in their bodies, this means that alcohol has a more profound effect on their bodies as compared to that in men. Their bodies also take longer to process and eliminate the alcohol. While some women report a heightened sense of sexual arousal and an increase in the duration of the orgasm, a large number of women also complain of lesser lubrication.

Alcohol also has a psychological effect; that is the loss of inhibition that may help in developing carnal instincts when intoxicated. This psychological effect may have a more profound effect than the physiological effects as a result of which women might claim that alcohol does indeed help in better sex. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a sexologist.