Endometriosis – Symptoms and causes

A disorder where tissue similar to the tissue that ordinarily lines within your uterus the endometrium grows outside your uterus is called Endometriosis (en-doe-me-tree-O-sister).Endometriosis most normally includes your ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the tissue covering your pelvis.

In some cases, endometrial tissue may spread past pelvic organs. With endometriosis, the endometrial-like tissue goes about as endometrial tissue would it thickens, separates, and seeps with each menstrual cycle. But since this tissue has no real way to leave your body, it gets caught.

At the point when endometriosis includes the ovaries, pimples called endometriomas may shape. Encompassing tissue can get aggravated, inevitably creating scar tissue and attachments irregular groups of sinewy tissue that can make pelvic tissues and organs adhere to one another.
Endometriosis can cause pain now and again serious particularly during menstrual periods. Fruitfulness issues likewise may create.

Symptoms

The primary symptom of endometriosis is pelvic pain, often associated with menstrual periods. Although many females experience cramping during their menstrual periods, those with endometriosis experience more extreme pain. As time goes by the pain may continue increasing.

Common signs and symptoms of endometriosis include:

• Painful periods (dysmenorrhea) pelvic pain and cramping may begin before and extend several days into a menstrual period. You may also have lower back and abdominal pain.
• Pain with intercourse pain during or after sex is common with endometriosis.
• Pain with bowel movements or urination you’re most likely to experience these symptoms during a menstrual period.
• Excessive bleeding you may experience occasional heavy menstrual periods or bleeding between periods (intermenstrual bleeding).
• Infertility sometimes, endometriosis is first diagnosed in those seeking treatment for infertility.
• Other signs and symptoms you may experience fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, or nausea, especially during menstrual periods.

The extent of your pain doesn’t determine the degree of your condition. You could have gentle endometriosis with extreme pain, or you could have propelled endometriosis with practically no pain. Endometriosis is in some cases confused with different conditions that can cause pelvic pains, for example, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) or ovarian growths. It might be mistaken for the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition that causes bouts of diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal cramping. IBS can accompany endometriosis, which can complicate the diagnosis.

When to see a doctor

Seek medical attention when the symptoms prolong.

In most cases, it’s tough to manage endometriosis. An early diagnosis, a multidisciplinary medical team, and an understanding of your diagnosis may result in better management of your symptoms.

The cause of endometriosis is not well distinguished, some possible causes include:

• Retrograde menstruation in retrograde menstruation, menstrual blood containing endometrial cells flows back through the fallopian tubes and into the pelvic cavity instead of out of the body. These endometrial cells stick to the pelvic walls and surfaces of pelvic organs, where they grow and continue to thicken and bleed over the course of each menstrual cycle.
• Transformation of peritoneal cells. In what’s known as the “induction theory,” experts propose that hormones or immune factors promote the transformation of peritoneal cells that line the inner side of your abdomen into endometrial-like cells.
• Embryonic cell transformation hormones such as estrogen may transform embryonic cells in the earliest stages of development into endometrial-like cell implants during puberty.
• Surgical scar implantation after surgery, such as a hysterectomy or C-section, endometrial cells may attach to a surgical incision.
• Endometrial cell transport the blood vessels or tissue fluid (lymphatic) system may transport endometrial cells to other parts of the body.
• Immune system disorder a problem with the immune system may make the body unable to recognize and destroy endometrial-like tissue that’s growing outside the uterus.

Risk factors

Some of the factors that can place you at a greater risk of developing endometriosis include;

• Not giving birth
• Starting your period at an early age
• Going through menopause at an older age
• Extremely short menstrual cycles  for instance, less than 27 days
• Heavy menstrual periods that last longer than seven days
• Having higher levels of estrogen in your body or greater lifetime exposure to estrogen your body produces
• Low body mass index
• One or more relatives (mother, aunt or sister) with endometriosis
• Any medical condition that prevents the normal passage of menstrual flow out of the body
• Reproductive tract abnormalities

Endometriosis develops several years after the onset of menstruation (menarche). Signs and symptoms of endometriosis may temporarily improve with pregnancy and may go away completely with menopause unless you’re taking estrogen.

Complications

Infertility

Cancer

Ovarian malignancy occurs at higher than anticipated rates in those with endometriosis. Be that as it may, the general lifetime danger of ovarian disease is low, in any case. Studies show that endometriosis builds that hazard, yet it’s still moderately low. Albeit uncommon, another kind of malignant growth endometriosis-related adenocarcinoma can grow sometime down the road in the individuals who have had endometriosis.