How Much Do You Know About Endometriosis?

One in ten women suffer from endometriosis, there aren’t always obvious symptoms and it may be the cause of half of all unexplained infertility…yet how much do you know about endometriosis? According to OB-GYN Montgomery County, it’s a disease that women need to know about, yet so few do.

Endometriosis is a disease that can cause infertility, yet it’s often asymptomatic and in a lot of cases it’s discovered by chance. OB-GYNs are often searching for something else that’s causing a problem when they discover endometriosis by chance.

So what is it? During a woman’s monthly menstrual cycle the lining of her womb gets thicker in preparation for an egg to implant. When this doesn’t happen, this lining sheds, resulting in a period.

According to your OB-GYN Montgomery County, with endometriosis this same process takes place, but elsewhere in the body. The lining appears in places it shouldn’t, such as the ovaries, the ligaments that hold the womb in place, the bladder or the bowel.

When the lining sheds, it has no place to go. This results in bleeding around the area and prompts an inflammatory immune response, which may cause a great deal of pain and scarring and can lead to infertility.

While symptoms of endometriosis can include painful periods, pain during bowel movements, pain during sex and bladder problems, in some cases there are no symptoms at all. It can also create fertility problems; in fact, a study performed in 2008 revealed that almost half of women with unexplained infertility had endometriosis.

So why the slow diagnosis? Your OB-GYN Montgomery County says that it’s because it can present a wide range of symptoms that can be blamed on other conditions, it’s an often undiagnosed and misunderstood condition. And not all OB-GYNs have a high enough level of belief that it’s endometriosis.

Eventual diagnosis is typically made through a scan or a keyhole procedure. Treatment includes an oral contraceptive to suspend monthly ovulation, or any scars or lesions can be treated with a laser.

Lastly, there are monthly hormonal injections to treat endometriosis but they can’t be administered long term because they lower estrogen levels, resulting in menopause-like symptoms.

5 facts about endometriosis:

1. Women with a close female relative with the disease are five times more likely to contract it.
2. Studies show that women with endometriosis have a 76% higher risk of miscarriage.
3. Tomatoes may help with the scarring caused by the disease. Scientists from found that the antioxidant lycopene – which gives tomatoes their red color – helped lessen the scarring and pain.
4. Experts believe women who have periods lasting longer than seven days are more likely to endometriosis.
5. Currently there is no known way to reduce your risk of endometriosis.