Many people dont know that endometriosis is one of the most common causes of pelvic pain and infertility in women. Endometriosis is defined as a painful, chronic disease where tissue that should only be found inside the uterus is found somewhere else inside the body. The areas that can be affected include the bowels, intestines, appendix, ovaries, and the pelvic sidewall.
The misplaced tissue reacts to menstruation just as it should: it builds up, breaks down and sheds, but it cannot leave the body and provokes internal bleeding, inflammation, pain, infertility, and bowel problems depending on the area of the body where it appeared. It can also create ovarian cysts, called edometrioma that can interfere with ovulation.
To be able to properly diagnose endometriosis, it is necessary for a woman to review her medical history and have a pelvic exam. Next, a surgical procedure called laparoscopy can complete the diagnosis and classify the woman in one of the four stages that catalog the disease: 1 (minimal), 2 (mild), 3 (moderate) or 4 (extensive). This involves removing and analyzing a portion of suspect tissue. After the diagnosis is complete, the doctor will recommend treatment. Treatment can include pain medication, surgery or hormone therapy. Endometriosis is not always diagnosed right away since the women or doctors may see it as normal during the menstrual circle.
The cause of endometriosis is unknown, although researchers do have some theories. More than 5 million women are affected in the United States and Canada alone.