Endometriosis - What Should You Know About It?

Hi,

I am Dr. Neelima Mantri, Gynaecologist and today I will talk about endometriosis. It is a very common problem affecting many women. It occurs because of growing uterine lining outside the uterine cavity. The symptoms seen are painful menses. The pain is such that the patient may have to take leave from the school, office, and patient may also have to take pills regularly. Another set of the patient may have infertility. They may not be able to conceive after repeated intercourse. Now another thing could be like painful intercourse and later on as the disease advances the pain will be all throughout. It may not be restricted until the time the menses are going. Now how is this occur? Inside the uterine wall, there is a light pink lining which is the normal lining of endometrium. During your menses, the line sheds through the vagina. In women with endometriosis, their body has the tendency, some part of menses travel through the tubes and it is been thrown inside the abdominal cavity.

Now, this lining is active so in the presence of hormones, it starts growing there in pieces in the abdomen. Now wherever it gets attached to, it causes sticking of the organs to each other. This is the reason for the pain. Because when the organs want to move, their morbidity is restricted because of the organ getting stuck due to this blood and lining. Sometimes, this lining collects on the ovaries and it causes big cyst in the ovary called endometrium or commonly known as a chocolate cyst. These are the very painful condition and they affect the ovarian function. Now the diagnosis of this disease, any test is difficult because tests are not conclusive. The sonography may also not be conclusive if ovarian leisures are not safe. Endometriosis can be diagnosed by laparoscopy. But it is not easy to put each and every patient in painful menses under laparoscopy. So, medications can be tried like birth control pills or any hormonal medications.

But they may not be 100% effective. Cysts are removed. Any area which is active in taking care of by burning them without causing harm to others. But the surgery is very skillful surgery. The disease is a progressive disease that means after surgery patient can be given relief for a few years but in a few years, the disease can restart again. Such people need additional medications beyond surgery so that the disease gets postponed. Sometimes medicines are given to release the menses so that disease can be burnt out. And the patient's life is improved. So, whenever you have painful menses, do not neglect them. Consult your gynecologist and go for a check-up because if it is not treated early you may lose up with your fertility and this disease has further implications as this disease progresses, the complexity increases. So, do check yourself with regular health visits and take care of yourself.

Thank You!