what is endomitriosis and what causes it? is it dangerous?

Answer 1

Endometriosis is when some of your normal menstrual tissue somehow backs up into your abdominal cavity or onto the surface of your abdominal organs,it sticks to your ovaries and the ligaments that support your uterus. Also less commonly to the surface of the intestines,bladder,and other areas in the abdomen cavity. They have yet to figure out what causes this. If left untreated it can become very painful, can cause infertility and block or interfere with functioning organs.

Answer 2

Endomitriosis i s when cells that line the uterus for outside the uterus. They bleed into the abdominal cavity. It is a very painful condition. Idont know how dangerous it is but it does need medical attention.

Answer 3

I had endometriosis and had a lap done and the surgeon was able to remove it all. It never came back for me and that was 6 years ago now. But so many women suffer.

I was in terrible pain for six months before I had the surgery. It's really really tough to deal with the pain and everyday life.

Check out the links below.

Answer 4

Endo is when a group of your female cells go nuts outside where they are supposed to, and start gluing your insides together. Cause is yet unknown, but it is terribly painful, and can cause significant internal damage. Few ever recover from it, often they need to have their ovaries removed, and their whole abdomen scraped clean by a surgeon. Some people recover eventually. I knew a chick who did. Good luck

Answer 5

It is actually spelled "endometriosis", and it is when the endometrial tissue begins to develop in places where it does not belong. It is very painful and it takes a lot of surgeries to deal with it. I have it, and after many, many surgeries, I had a complete hysterectomy when I was 28. It is still there, though, in my spine and the back of my pelvic cavity.

Answer 6

With endometriosis, tissue like that which lines the uterus (the endometrium, from endo, "inside", and metra, "womb") is found outside the womb in other areas of the body. Normally, the endometrium is shed each month through menses; however, in endometriosis, the misplaced endometrium has no way of leaving the body. The tissues still break down and bleed, but result is far different than in women and girls without the disease: internal bleeding, degeneration of blood and tissue shed from the growths, inflammation of the surrounding areas, and formation of scar tissue result. In addition, depending on the location of the growths, interference with the normal function of the bowel, bladder, intestines and other areas of the pelvic cavity can occur. Endometriosis has also been found lodged in the skin, the lungs, the diaphragm and even the brain.

Symptoms of endometriosis can include (but are not limited to):

Painful, sometimes disabling menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea); pain may get worse over time (progressive pain)
Chronic pain (typically lower back pain and pelvic pain, also abdominal)
Painful intercourse (dyspareunia)
Painful bowel movements or painful urination (dysuria)
Heavy menstrual periods (menorrhagia)
Nausea and vomiting
Premenstrual or intermenstrual spotting (bleeding between periods)
Infertility and subfertility. Endometriosis may lead to fallopian tube obstruction. Even without this, there may be difficulty conceiving. In some women, subfertility is the sole symptom, and the endometriosis is only discovered after fertility investigations.

Current estimates place the number of women with endometriosis between 5 % and 20 % of women of reproductive age. About 30 % to 40 % of women with endometriosis are infertile, making it one of the leading causes of infertility. However, endometriosis-related infertility is often treated successfully with hormones and surgery. Some women do not find out that they have endometriosis until they have trouble getting pregnant. While the presence of extensive endometriosis distorts pelvic anatomy and thus explains infertility, the relationship between early or mild endometriosis and infertility is less clear. The relationship between endometriosis and infertility is an active area of research

A history and a physical examination can in many patients lead the physician to suspect the diagnosis.

Use of imaging tests may identify larger endometriotic areas, such as nodules or endometriotic cysts. The two most common imaging tests are ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Normal results on these tests do not eliminate the possibility of endometriosis - areas of endometriosis are often too small to be seen by these tests.

The only sure way to confirm an endometriosis diagnosis is by laparoscopy, or keyhole surgery. The diagnosis is based on the characteristic appearance of the disease, if necessary corroborated by a biopsy. Laparoscopy also allows for surgical treatment of endometriosis.

Generally endometriosis-directed drug therapy (other than the oral contraceptive pill) is utilized after a confirmed surgical diagnosis of endometriosis.



The treatments for endometriosis pain include:

NSAIDs and other pain medication: They often work quite well as they not only reduce pain but also menstrual flow. They are commonly used in conjunction with other therapy. For more severe cases narcotic prescription drugs may have to be used.
Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Agonist: These agents work by increasing the levels of GnRH. Consistent stimulation of the GnRH receptors results in downregulation. This causes a decrease in FSH and LH, thereby decreasing estrogen and testosterone levels
Hormone suppression therapy: This approach tries to reduce or eliminate menstrual flow and estrogen support. Typically, it needs to be done for several months or even years.
Progesterone or Progestins: Progesterone counteracts estrogen and inhibits the growth of the endometrium. Such therapy can reduce or eliminate menstruation in a controlled and reversible fashion. Progestins are chemical variants of natural progesterone.
Avoiding products with xenoestrogens, which have a similar effect to naturally produced estrogen and can increase growth of the endometrium.
Continuous birth control pills consists of the use of birth control pills without the use of placebo pills. This eliminates monthly bleeding episodes.
Danazol (Danocrine) and gestrinone are a suppressive steroids with some androgenic activity. Both agents inhibits the growth of endometriosis but their use remains limited as they may cause hirsutism. There has been some research done at Case Western Reserve University on a topical Danocrine, applied locally, which has not produced the hirsutism characteristics. The study has not yet been published in a medical journal.
Gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists (GnRH agonists) induce a profound hypoestrogenism by decreasing FSH and LH levels. While quite effective, they induce menopausal symptoms, and over time may lead to osteoporosis. To counteract such side effects some estrogen may have to be given back (add-back therapy).
Aromatase inhibitors are medications that block the formation of estrogen and have become of interest for researchers who are treating endometriosis.[5]
Surgical treatment is usually a good choice if endometriosis is extensive, or very painful. Surgical treatments range from minor to major surgical procedures.
Laparoscopy is very useful not only to diagnose endometriosis, but to treat it. With the use of scissors, cautery, lasers, hydrodissection, or a sonic scalpel, endometriotic tissue can be ablated or removed in an attempt to restore normal anatomy.
Laparotomy can be used for more extensive surgery either in attempt to restore normal anatomy, or at least preserve reproductive potential.
The definitive treatment for endometriosis is a total hysterectomy (removal of the uterus and surrounding tissue) and bilateral salpingoophorectomy (removal of the uterine tubes and ovaries).
For patients with extreme pain, a presacral neurectomy may be indicated where the nerves to the uterus are cut.
A variety of alternative treatments are being used in patients with endometriosis, including acupuncture and nutrition.