Things
Endometriosis is a condition in which the endometrium – the tissue lining the inner wall of the uterus – develops in the wrong places (ectopia) i.e. in organs other than the uterus, mainly in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, peritoneum , in the vagina, in the intestines.
His symptoms
Most women with endometriosis experience no symptoms. Among those who accuse them,
a) the most common symptoms are as follows:
- pain (usually in the pelvis) that usually occurs just before menstruation and decreases after it;
- pain during sexual intercourse;
- cramps during sexual intercourse;
- cramping or pain when passing a bowel or urinating;
- sterility;
- pelvic exam pain.
b) the other symptoms which may be linked to endometriosis consist of,
- a pain in the lower abdomen;
- diarrhea and/or constipation;
- a pain in the lower back;
- chronic fatigue;
- irregular or excessive menstrual bleeding;
- pain when urinating;
- the presence of blood in the urine.
c) the rare ones instead include :
- a pain in the chest,
- a cough up blood, and this due to endometriosis outbreaks in the lungs,
- or a headache and/or seizure due to outbreaks of this condition in the brain .
Pain related to endometriosis
The intensity of the pain can change from month to month, and can vary greatly depending on the woman.
- Some women experience a progressive worsening of their symptoms.
- In others, the pain may go away even without treatment.
Pelvic pain depends in part on where the foci of the disease are located:
- deep endometriotic foci and those present in areas with many painful nerve endings are more likely to produce pain;
- outbreaks could also produce substances that circulate in the bloodstream causing pain.
In endometriosis, pain can occur when endometriotic foci form scar tissue.
There are no correlations between the intensity of pain and how extensive endometriosis is (ie its stage).
Endometriosis and fertility
Endometriosis can be one of the causes of infertility in otherwise healthy couples.
When laparoscopic examinations are done to evaluate infertility, outbreaks of endometriosis may be found in some of these patients, many of whom do not experience painful symptoms.
The reasons for a decrease in fertility are not fully known, but could be found in both anatomical and hormonal factors.
The presence of endometriosis could involve masses of tissue, or scarring adhesions in the pelvis, which could distort normal anatomical structures, for example the fallopian tubes (which carry the egg from the ovaries).
Alternatively, endometriosis could affect fertility through the production of hormones and other substances that have a negative effect on ovulation, egg fertilization, and/or embryo implantation.
Katherine Johnson, M.D., is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist with clinical expertise in general obstetrics and gynecology, family planning, women’s health, and gynecology.
She is affiliated with the Obstetrics and Gynecology division at an undisclosed healthcare institution and the online platform, Maternicity.com.