WHAT IS ENDOMETRIOSIS?

Picture of Female Uterus with Endometriosis growing.

What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a Chronic lifelong disease defined as the endometrium- like- tissue growing outside the uterine cavity.

Endometriosis is the second most common gynecological condition, one of the most common causes of infertility and chronic pelvic pain and affects 1 in 10 people.

We are lead to believe that each month these cells react in the same way to those in the womb, building up then breaking down. And that the cells in the womb leave the body as a period but the other cells have nowhere to go which can cause inflammation, pain and formation of scar tissue. However, There are some studies counteracting this. These studies suggest that Endometriosis does not act and respond to hormones the same way as the Uterine lining. They also suggest that Endometriosis lesions have their own hormone receptors and they create their own estrogen which can inflame at any point during the menstrual cycle.

With very little funding and lack of education and knowledge there are still a lot of uncertainties surrounding Endometriosis.

What Causes Endometriosis & What is the cure?

Although, there has been scientific links to genetics and immune system there is currently no known cause for Endometriosis.
There is no cure. Hormone contraception, having a baby or a having a hysterectomy will NOT cure Endometriosis.

What are the Symptoms of Endometriosis?

The Symptoms of Endometriosis vary from person to person. Pelvic pain is the most common symptom. Below are some other common symptoms -

Painful & Irregular periods
Pain in lower abdomen before and during menstruation.
Heavy Menstrual bleeding or bleeding between periods.
Fatigue
Infertility or difficulties to conceive
Pain during or following Sexual Intercourse
Discomfort with bowel movements
Lower back pain that may occur at anytime or during your menstrual cycle

Where Can Endometriosis be found?

Ovaries, Fallopian tubes, lining of the pelvic cavity, Bowel, Bladder, The rectum, Intestines, Diaphragm, Kidneys, Peritoneum, on rare occasions it has been found on the brain.

How do you receive a diagnosis of Endometriosis?

On some occasions Endometriosis can be detected during an internal ultrasound or on an MRI Scan. However this is not always the case, so do not be alarmed if it is not showing on any of these tests.
A smear test can NOT detect Endometriosis.
Unfortunately the only definitive way to diagnose Endometriosis is through Laparoscopy surgery where biopsies can be taken and sent to a lab for further testing.
A Laparoscopy can provide information about the extent and the location of Endometriosis.

What is the Laparoscopy Surgery?

Laparoscopy is a surgical procedure which allows the surgeon to access inside the pelvis.
There are 2 kinds of Surgery. Ablation and Excision.
Ablation - Uses heat energy to burn and destroy the abnormal cells where Endometriosis lies. This is less invasive, so has a shorter recovery time but recurrence rate is higher.
Excision - Cutting the Endometriosis lesions at the root with the aim of not leaving any behind. This is more invasive so has a longer recovery time but the recurrence rate is lower.

My personal advice should you have suspected Endometriosis or know you have Endometriosis and you are looking at Surgery - Do your research. Find yourself an Endometriosis excision specialist. Join the Nancy Nook's Endometriosis Education Facebook page. If I'd have known that I had Endometriosis before my Surgery I would have done things very differently.

Image by the very talented mega babe - @Trutherus

Sources -

Bulun, S. E., Monsavais, D., Pavone, M. E., Dyson, M., Xue, Q., Attar, E., Tokunaga, H., & Su, E. J. (2012). Role of Estrogen Receptor-B in Endometriosis. Seminars in Reproductive Medicine, 30(1), 39-45. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0031-1299596

Guidone, H. C. (2020). The Womb Wanders Not: Enhancing Endometriosis Education in a Culture of Menstrual Misinformation. In: Bobel, C., Winkler, I. T., Fahs, B., Hasson, K. A., Kissling, E. A., Roberts, T. A. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0614-7_22

https://www.healthline.com/health/endometriosis

Medically reviewed by Valinda Riggins Nwadike, MD, MPH — Written by Abdul Wadood Mohamed— Updated on July 2, 2019

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/endometriosis/

https://endometriosis-uk.org/understanding-endometriosis

https://endometriosis.net/clinical/excision-ablation/

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/laparoscopy/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1047279797000173?via%3Dihub