Your Simple Guide To Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a painful disorder that occurs when the tissue that constitutes the uterine lining, the lining of the womb, is present on other organs inside the body. This abnormal growth of endometrial cells is commonly found in the pelvis, the lower abdomen, or can be visible anywhere in the body.

                                                                          Image source: news-medical.net

Women who suffer from endometriosis often feel pain in the lower abdomen, accompanied by pain during their periods or sexual intercourse, and may find themselves having a hard time getting pregnant. While all these experiences are real, some women with endometriosis may report they feel no symptoms of the disorder at all. The exact cause of endometriosis has not been identified yet, but it affects between 3 percent to 10 percent of reproductive-aged women.

The disorder can only be diagnosed by a physician through a procedure called laparoscopy, a surgery where a physician looks in the abdomen with a camera generally through the navel and takes a sample of a suspected abnormality. Endometriosis is more common in women who experience infertility than in women who are fertile, but the disorder is not necessarily a cause of infertility.

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Endometriosis can be suspected based on a woman’s pattern of symptoms and occasionally during a physical examination. It is classified into four stages, I-minimal, II-mild, III-moderate, and IV-severe, based on the exact position, extent and depth of the endometriosis implant, the presence and stringency of scar tissue, and the existence and size of endometrial implants in the ovaries. Almost all cases are classified as minimal or mild, where there are superficial implants and mild scarring.

Moderate and severe stages commonly result in cysts and more serious scarring.

Victoria J. Mondloch, M.D., is a physician based in Wisconsin. She is armed with years of experience specializing in women’s health, family medicine, and preventive health and wellness. For more information about Dr. Mondloch, click here.