Endometriosis

Endometriosis
More than five and half million women in North America have
endometriosis (abnormal growth of endometrial cells),
making it one of the most common female afflictions.

Pain and infertility are the two most common symptoms of
the disease. Quality of life can be adversely affected by
the pain, which may occur before/during/after sex, in
association with menstruation, during urination or bowel
movements.

Some of the other symptoms include frequent miscarriage,
intestinal upset, fatigue and PMS. It is possible to have
endometriosis without ever experiencing pain, in which case
a woman doesn't even know she has it until she is diagnosed
when the inability to get pregnant leads her to a doctor.

Medical experts do not agree on the exact cause of
endometriosis. There are a number of theories that try to
describe the causes of the disease.

A major theory about the cause of endometriosis involves
genetic structure. The disease could be inherited, or
result from genetic errors, making some women more likely
than others to develop the condition. If scientists can
find a specific gene or genes related to endometriosis in
some women, genetic testing might allow health care
providers to detect endometriosis much earlier, or even
prevent it from happening at all.

There are other possible causes, as well. Estrogen, a
hormone involved in the female reproductive cycle, seems to
advance the growth of endometriosis. Research is currently
looking into endometriosis as a disease of the endocrine
system (the body's system of glands, hormones, and other
secretions).

Or, it may be that a woman's immune system does not remove
fluid in the pelvic cavity properly, or the chemicals made
by areas of endometriosis may irritate or promote growth of
more endometriosis. Which is leading to the study of the
role of the immune system in either starting or growing
endometriosis.

There is much research that focuses on determining whether
environmental agents, such as exposure to synthetic
chemicals, cause the disease. Another important area of
research is the search for endometriosis markers. These
markers are substances made by or in response to
endometriosis that health care providers could potentially
measure in the blood or urine. If markers are found,
scientists could diagnose endometriosis by testing a
woman's body fluids, thereby reducing the need for surgery
to confirm the disease.

Currently, physicians have several tests at their disposal
for endometriosis diagnosis. Imaging tests produce a
"picture" of the inside of the body, which allows them to
locate endometriosis areas. Two major imaging tests are
ultrasound (use of sound waves) and magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) (use of magnets and radio waves to make the
picture). Laparascopy is usually performed to verify the
presence of endometriosis.

Probably the most common symptom of endometriosis is pain,
mostly in the abdomen, lower back and pelvic areas. The
amount of pain felt does not correlate to how much
endometriosis there actually is. Some women have no pain
even though their endometriosis is extensive, meaning that
the affected areas are large or that there is scarring.
However, some women have severe pain even though they have
only a few little endometriosis areas.

There a number of treatments for pain related to
endometriosis. Pain treatments include:

· Pain medication -- if pain is mild, medication may
work well. The medication can possibly be an
over-the-counter remedy, but strong prescription drugs for
managing pain are also available.

· Hormone therapy -- hormones can be delivered in
pill form, injection, or in a nasal spray. Common hormones
used to treat endometriosis are progesterone and progestin,
GnRH (gonadatropin-releasing hormone) birth control pills,
and danocrine. Current research is exploring the use of
other hormones in treating endometriosis and its related
pain.

· Surgical treatment -- when the endometriosis is
extensive, or in the presence of severe pain, surgical
treatments are generally recommended.

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